Around the Commission
Saturday, August 12, 2006 | 0
By Michael Rusin
The Illinois Workers' Compensation Commission has been super sized. Governor Blagojevich has finally appointed three new commissioners, increasing the number of commissioners from 7 to 10, including the chairman. The hiring of three new commissioners was authorized by the new workers' compensation statute which was enacted July 20, 2005. It took the Governor 11 months to appoint the three new commissioners. All three appointments were effective June 26, 2006 and all require Senate confirmation. The new commissioners are as follows:
1. David L. Gore, Jr. was appointed as a Labor Representative. Commissioner Gore is a 42-year-old attorney who attended the University of Illinois. He received a B.S. degree in marketing, an M.B.A., and then finally a law degree in 1992. His most recent employment was as a petitioner's attorney at the small family firm of Gore & Gore.
2. Yolaine Dauphin was appointed as a Public Representative. Commissioner Dauphin received a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science and French from Northwestern University. She earned her law degree from the University of Chicago in 1984. She most recently worked as a clerk to Supreme Court Justice Charles Freeman.
3. Nancy Lindsay was appointed to be a Business Representative. She is a 49-yearold attorney from Central Illinois. Her educational resume includes a B.A. degree in English from Illinois College and an M. A. in legal studies from the University of Illinois at Springfield. She earned her law degree from St. Louis University in 1983. Her last employment was with a small law firm in Jacksonville, IL named Rammelkamp Bradney. In addition, Governor Blagojevich reappointed Commissioners Paul Rink, a Public Representative, and Barbara Sherman, a Labor Representative, to their positions. Their appointments had expired in January 2006. They were continuing to serve until they were reappointed or replaced. Obviously, both wanted to be reappointed as neither sought alternate employment even though their terms had expired.
Commissioner Gore's term will expire in January 2007. The terms of Commissioners Dauphin, Lindsay, Rink and Sherman will expire in January 2009.
The Chairman has decided to realign the panels so that new and experienced commissioners are working together. Effective August 1, 2006 the panels will be realigned as follows:
The realignment of the panels is not surprising. The realignment will diminish the impact of the newest commissioners who will almost certainly be told by the more experienced commissioners not to fight the system and simply agree with what they are told. It is somewhat surprising that the new panels will consist of one panel that is two women and one man, one panel that is all women, and one panel that is all men.
By attorney Michael E. Rusin, senior partner of the Chicago firm Rusin, Maciorowski, Friedman. Micheal can be reached at merusin@rusinlaw.com or by phone at 312.454.5119.
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