ICPR to Celebrate 10-Year Anniversary
Cross-posted from ICPR's blog, The Race is On:
COMPTROLLER DAN HYNES AND ILLINOIS ISSUES MAGAZINE EDITOR NAMED RECIPIENTS OF 2007 PAUL SIMON PUBLIC SERVICE AWARDS
The Illinois Campaign for Political Reform (ICPR) announced Monday that the 2007 Paul Simon Public Service Awards will be presented to Illinois Comptroller Dan Hynes and to Peggy Boyer Long, executive editor of Illinois Issues magazine.
The awards will be presented at a celebration of the 10th anniversary of the founding of ICPR by the late Sen. Simon. The event will begin at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 7, at the McCormick Tribune Freedom Museum, 455 N. Michigan Ave., Chicago.
Hynes, now in his third term as State Comptroller, will be recognized for his leadership in the effort to enact legislation to limit opportunities for pay-to-play in state contracting, to reform state laws regulating lobbyists and to create a public financing system for elections to the state’s highest courts.
“Because he knows the importance of public confidence in government and understands that even the appearance of impropriety is damaging to our political system, Comptroller Hynes has been willing to go the extra mile for reform,” said Cynthia Canary, Director of ICPR. “We are pleased to be able to recognize his commitment to the cause.
Long, a veteran broadcast and print journalist, will be recognized for her many contributions to the public’s understanding of the operation of state government and the issues debated in the General Assembly.
“For more than three decades, Peggy Boyer Long has provided insightful reporting and commentary on the political and policy debates at the State Capitol and has been a mentor to many aspiring reporters.” Canary said. “Because Paul Simon had a hand in the founding of Illinois Issues, it is fitting that this award in his name is going to the person whose hard work has maintained the magazine’s excellence in public affairs reporting.”
This is the third year that ICPR has presented the Paul Simon Public Service Awards. The first awards in 2005 were presented to two close associates of former Sen. Simon -- former Comptroller Dawn Clark Netsch and former congressman and federal appeals court judge Abner Mikva. The 2006 awards were presented to Mike Lawrence, Director of the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute at SIU, Newton Minow, a partner at Sidley and Austin and former Chairman of the FCC, and to the editorial board of The Peoria Journal Star.
ICPR led the effort to pass sweeping ethics reform legislation in 2003. Its work includes monitoring enforcement of the new ethics law; researching and reporting of campaign contribution and expenditure trends; encouraging informed and issue-oriented debate in judicial elections; developing non-partisan, state-sponsored voter education guides; advocating increased and improved coverage of election campaigns by broadcasters; and seeking passage of legislation to limit the influence of large contributors to political campaigns.
For more information about the 10th anniversary event visit the ICPR website. For a fuller version of this release, visit ICPR’s blog:
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