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Public Education and
Capacity Building
1999 Annual Report
The Open Forum, the Center's storefront in downtown Elmhurst,
the Center provided citizens the opportunity to obtain free civic materials,
ask any of the three full-time community lawyers questions on matters
of public concern, engage in civic discussions, access electronic information,
make videos, learn about local issues, attend training workshops, and
develop skills for participating in the civic affairs of the communities
we serve.
Four major initiatives were the focus of the Center's
work during the year:
- Public Education and Capacity Building
- Government Accountability and the Development of Systemic Democratic
Protocols
- Litigation and Issue Advocacy
- Building Institutions and Community Resources
Public Education and Capacity Building
The Citizen Advocacy Center is a resource for civic information.
The Center's staff and volunteers routinely research and respond to
hundreds of questions from citizens concerning a wide range of civic
matters. A sample of some of the inquiries include whether Tax Increment
Financing (TIF) funds can be distributed outside the TIF area, or if
trustees meeting together outside of city hall is a violation of the
of the Open Meetings Act, or how to put a binding referendum on a ballot.
The Center's staff and volunteers provide answers to enable
citizen participation in local affairs, regardless of the subject matter
or the point of view of those making the inquiry. Training workshops
conducted by the Center's staff and volunteers and informational brochures
prepared by the Center were also used to introduce citizens to civic
tools. Topics range from how to research a pending bill in the Illinois
General Assembly to how to read a government budget and how to use the
Freedom of Information Act. The Center's programs and materials are
provided free of charge to everyone. Citizens often phone or stop by
the Center for more information.
Center representatives also regularly participated
in a variety of public body meetings throughout the year. At the same
time, the Center hosted, planned, spoke at, or participated in presentations
to other groups, numerous schools and several law schools.
The following list of such activities does not include
the Center's participation in public body meetings:
January
- Illinois Math and Science Academy: Genetics and Law (Aurora) (January
7)
- Lombard Democrats (Lombard) (January 14)
- DuPage Senior Citizen's Council (Lombard) (January 19)
- Plymouth Place Men's Club (LaGrange) (January 21)
- Harvard Berkman Center for Internet and the Law (Cambridge, MA) (January
23)
- IEA-NEA Conference (Lisle) (January 30)
February
- Press Conference: Whistleblower Law (Chicago) (February 2)
- Committee to Defend the Bill of Rights (Chicago) (February 3)
- North East Public Interest Law Fair-New York University (New York,
NY) (February 19)
- Midwest Public Interest Law Fair - Northwestern University (Chicago)
(February 20)
- Harvard Law School: Wasserstein - How to Start Your Own Non-Profit
Community Legal Organization (Cambridge, MA) (February 22)
March
- DuPage County Bar Association Local Government Seminar (Wheaton) (March
3)
- Elmhurst College (Elmhurst) (March 5)
- Sears Retirees (Warrenville) (March 11)
- Living History/St. Peter's Church (Elmhurst) (March 12)
- Casa San Carlo Retirement (Northlake) (March 18)
- LaGrange Rotary (LaGrange) (March 19) o U of I Chicago (Chicago) (March
23)
April
- Melrose Park Rotary (Melrose Park) (April 6)
- Civic Fair Steering Committee (Elmhurst) (April 15)
- Urban Land Institute/Sprawl Conference (Chicago) (April 19)
- FAIR Ralph Nader (Villa Park) (April 23)
- DuPage County Board Proposed Purchasing Ordinance Comments (Wheaton)
(April 27)
- IMSA 11th Annual Presentation Day (Aurora) (April 28)
- Hinsdale Men's Club-Round Table at the Community House (Hinsdale)
(April 28)
May
- Stanford Law School: How to Start a Community-based Non-profit Organization
(Stanford, CA) (May 1)
- Elmhurst College - American Federal Government class (Elmhurst) (May
6)
- Press Publications Protest and Picket (Elmhurst) (May 25)
June
- Mount Prospect Kiwanis (Mount Prospect) (June 21)
July
- Parade (Elmhurst) (July 4)
- Intern Barbecue (Elmhurst) (July 7)
- Civic Fair (Villa Park) (July 10)
- Tort Reform Press Conference (Elmhurst) (July 13)
- Chicago Media Watch: Corporate Predators Lecture (Chicago) (July 15)
- Hinsdale Rotary (Hinsdale) (July 16)
August
- SHAC Meeting (Chicago) (August 12)
- ICANN Conference (Santiago, Chili) (August 16-20)
- DuPage Center for Independent Living (Glen Ellyn) (August 18)
September
- Life Education Center (Elmhurst) (September 14)
- Leadership Training Seminar (Chicago) (September 16)
- Harper College (Palatine) (September 18)
- Illinois Retired Teachers Association (Lombard) (September 23)
- Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility (Washington, D.C.)
(September 24)
- Granny Walk (Chicago) (September 30)
October
- York High School - Civic Involvement and Constitutional Rights (two
classes) (October 1)
- Tollway Meeting (Downers Grove) (October 1)
- Chicago Area Law School Consortium (Chicago) (October 6)
- OECD - The Public Voice Conference Consumer Protection - Online (Paris,
France) (October 9-12)
- Men of Leisure Meeting - Plymouth House (Hinsdale) (October 20)
- University of Toronto: Citizens at the Crossroads (Ontario, Canada)
(October 22-25)
- NAPIL Conference (Washington, D.C.) (October 29-30)
- Harvard Berkman Center (Cambridge, MA) (October 31)
November
- ICANN Conference (Los Angeles) (November 1-4)
- Advocacy Seminar (Chicago) (November 4)
- WPWR Channel 50 Foundation Awards Ceremony (Chicago) (November 8)
- Chicago Rotary (Chicago) (November 11)
- DePaul University - SLAPP Suit Presentation (Chicago) (November 13)
- College of DuPage Learning Fair (Wheaton) (November 16)
- Tollway Meeting (Chicago) (November 19)
- Coalition Against Digital Divide (Lombard) (November 22)
- WTO Meeting (Seattle) (November 26-December 2)
December
- Elmhurst College: Presentations to two Social Studies classes (Elmhurst)
(December 2)
- York High School: Human Rights Topics (two classes) (Elmhurst) (December
8)
- Tollway Tea Party at ISTHA Headquarters (Downers Grove) (December
16)
As highlighted in the above listing of monthly activity,
the Center is often before high school and college students to speak
about the importance of active civic participation.
In addition, the Center took part in the Midwestern Public
Interest Law Fair, the North East Public Interest Law Fair, and the
National Association for Public Interest Law Fair which afforded opportunities
to present the concept of community lawyering and advocacy to future
lawyers. Students from DePaul University College of Law, New York University
College of Law, Notre Dame Law School, Notre Dame University, University
of Florida Law School and Chicago-Kent College of Law interned at the
Center during the summer.
With the oversight of Center lawyers, law student interns
researched several current legal issues such as the validity of digitally
signed citizen petitions under the Illinois Election Code, regulation
of the State of Illinois and DuPage County procurement processes, and
policyholders' rights to enforce a duty of good faith upon an insurance
company's board of directors.
The summer interns made presentations covering the
following topics:
- "Politics of Gambling"
- "One Hair Tells All" (genetic testing)
- "Who Has Access to Your Medical Records?"
- "Why Women Pay More"
The interns also prepared or updated the following
free informational brochures:
- Freedom of Information Act requests from the Central Intelligence
Agency
- A Guide to the DuPage State's Attorney and Public Defender
- A Guide to the DuPage Election Commission
- A Guide to the Illinois Whistleblower Reward and Protection Act
- Update of Tax Increment Financing Brochure
Further, an intern from the University of Florida Law
School assisted in the research and drafting of an Amicus Curiae brief
to the Supreme Court of Iowa on the issue of corporate accountability
to mutual insurance policyholders in Illinois and other states.
In July the Center hosted its first annual Civic Fair.
More than 100 non-profit organizations, associations, clubs and religious
groups participated in this unique opportunity to meet one another and
share information with interested citizens. The event featured a keynote
speech by Ralph Nader as well as panel presentations addressing such
topics as health care, transportation, environmental, and housing issues.
During the 5th Anniversary reception that immediately
followed the conclusion of the Civic Fair, the Center awarded its annual
Citizen Initiative Awards to six individuals who, through local efforts,
have built and inspired others to build democracy.
Four issues of the Center's newsletter, Everyday Democracy,
were published during the year. Citizens and community lawyers contributed
editorial content.
Winter 1999:
- "Work Must Pay" "Millions of Gallons of Gas for Tolls"
- "Get Involved & Grow Smart, Share Your Views on Urban Sprawl"
Spring 1999:
- The Center's fifth anniversary celebration Civic Fair events including
keynote speaker, Ralph Nader
Summer 1999:
- "Bread & Butter of Politics"
- "Politics of Gambling & FOIA Meets the CIA"
- "One Hair Tells All"
- "Democracy in the Classroom & Online"
- "A Summer of Variety"
- "More DuPage 7"
- "Who Has Access to Your Medical Records?"
- "Corporate Accountability"
- "Tax Increment Financing"
- "Why Women Pay More"
- "Legislative Accountability"
Fall 1999:
- "Medicare Managed Care Helpline"
- "Let's Give Them Something to Talk About"
All of the newsletters were posted electronically on the
Center's website, which received thousands of "hits" throughout the
year. Also, the Center received substantial media visibility during
the year and participated in press conferences addressing whistleblower
laws and tort reform.
Attached is a list of media coverage that the Center received.
In 1999, workshops; presentations; participation in public body meetings;
internships; brochures; the Civic Fair, its panels and speakers; the
Internet; and traditional media - all constituted elements of the Center's
efforts to help citizens become more involved and more effective in
local affairs.
Government and Corporate Accountability
and the Development of Systemic Democratic Protocols
The Citizen Advocacy Center responds to citizen inquiries
and monitors local governments to confront undemocratic practices such
as failing to conduct a proper search for public information, discriminating
against targeted communities, ignoring clear conflicts of interest,
disbursing taxpayer funds for improper public purposes, and stifling
speech. Center lawyers emphasize non-litigatory approaches to using
the law to strengthen the democratic process; however, the Center does
litigate on behalf of select citizen causes to challenge abuses of power
and remove problems that impair citizens from working with their local
government.
The following summary captures many of the issues in which
the Center was an advocate for the benefit of the community in 1999:
SLAPP Suit
The Center successfully represented the Wayne Community
Association from a meritless complaint filed by a developer. The developer
sued the Association alleging it had committed "tortious interference
with business expectancy" by petitioning the DuPage County Forest Preserve
to preserve open space, and talking to the press regarding the land
at issue. The developer sought damages in the amount of $110 million.
Known as a SLAPP suit (Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation),
the intended result of this kind of harassment litigation is not only
monetary compensation but also the stifling of speech. The Center successfully
argued in favor of the Association's prompt dismissal from the suit.
DuPage Seven
This case received national attention for the alleged
prosecutorial misconduct that culminated in the incarceration of an
innocent man, Rolando Cruz, on death row for more than a decade. The
Center sued DuPage County and the Office of the State's Attorney on
behalf of a citizen petitioner to obtain legal representation for the
taxpayers' interests in proceedings in the "DuPage Seven" case. First,
the Center helped force the State's Attorney's recusal from the case
for his conflict of interest. (He was on the defense witness list and
three members of his office's staff were among those under indictment
while he claimed the right to represent the county.) The Center also
prevented the County from hiring new lawyers until the appellate court
made its determination regarding the appropriateness of the County's
termination of the Special State's Attorney. In the end, however, the
Center's petition for the reinstatement of the Special State's Attorney
or another independent counsel was denied and public funds were used
to pay for the defense of the officials who were acquitted.
CIA Suit
The Center filed suit under the federal Freedom of Information
Act (FOIA) for the Central Intelligence Agency's (CIA) records concerning
the airlift of Cuban children in the early 1960's known as operation
"Pedro Pan." The Center represented a DePaul University Law School Professor
to force the CIA to do an adequate search for records when the CIA claimed
it had almost no records. In the course of the litigation, the CIA was
required to sit for the most extensive deposition to date about its
information practices and search policies under the FOIA. After first
denying any records existed, the CIA later did produce several documents
responsive to the FOIA request, but the plaintiff was not able to force
the CIA to do another search.
Mutual Insurance Reform
The subject of corporate accountability was addressed
in the Center's Amicus Curiae brief to the Supreme Court of the State
of Iowa in the matter of Rieff vs. Evans, Allied Mutual Insurance Company
and Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company. The case addressed the question
of whether policyholders in a mutual insurance company are able to legally
enforce the company's board of directors' obligation of good faith in
managerial actions. Unfortunately, the ruling ultimately went against
the insurance consumer, leaving directors unaccountable for their actions.
Tollway Coalition
The Center is part of a coalition of local organizations
seeking to hold the Illinois State Toll Highway Authority accountable
for promises made to the people of the State of Illinois. Community
lawyers from the Center monitored Toll Authority public meetings and
supported efforts to regulate and establish oversight of the Toll Authority.
For the second consecutive year, on December 16th, the anniversary of
the Boston Tea Party in 1773, the Center held a symbolic "Tollway Tea
Party" protest and press conference at the Toll Authority's offices
in Downers Grove, Illinois.
Issue Advocacy
The Center researched numerous issues and raised citizen
awareness of genetically modified foods, World Trade Organization policies,
privacy matters, and how to gain access to local government. The Center
also aided citizen group advocacy for policy changes on a number of
issues.
Health Care Reform
The Center continued to support the work of the Campaign
for Better Health Care which focuses on health care issues of consequence
to citizens throughout Illinois. Patients' rights, the controversial
marketing practices of HMOs, and KidCare (the statewide health care
program for children established in 1999) were among the topics addressed
through forums and in Everyday Democracy, the Center's newsletter.
Whistleblower Protections
The Center launched a whistleblower awareness campaign
in the suburbs to help citizens understand the application of the whistleblower
law at the local level and how it can be used to recover taxpayer monies
when the public body has been defrauded.
Campaign Finance Reform
Informing citizens of the relationship between money
and politics in Illinois is the central purpose behind the Center's
study of procurement policies of DuPage County. The study, funded by
a grant from the Joyce Foundation, is examining what correlation exists,
if any, between campaign contributions and the county's purchasing practices.
Programs, press conferences, materials and active collaboration with
the work of campaign finance reform organizations, including Citizens
for Clean Elections, Illinois Campaign for Political Reform, and the
League of Women Voters, also furthered the efforts of the Center in
this regard.
Internet Policy
In 1999 the Center added the growing Digital Divide to
the roster of major issues calling for greater citizen participation.
The Center participated in panels and forums to create awareness of
the implications of current trends and explore possibilities for new
electronic democracy efforts. In addition the Center represented consumer
interests in plans to regulate the Internet at ICANN (Internet Corporation
of Assigned Names and Numbers) Conferences.
Building Institutions and Community Resources
The Center fostered civic discourse in the community,
helping local groups by providing technical assistance or speakers and
participating in local events. In 1999 the Center continued to aid citizens
in promoting systemic change, recognized the contributions of others,
and was honored for its efforts. The Center provided assistance to several
citizen groups advocating policy changes in the areas of civic education
and public participation in local government. Space was made available
at the Center for meetings of Citizens for Clean Elections, No Tolls,
Inc., and the Villa Park Better Government Association, among many others.
The Center has worked closely with a group of citizens
in the formation of a coalition of twenty community groups to combat
hate crimes in DuPage County. With the Center's technical assistance,
the newly created "DuPage County Unity Coalition" organized an anti-hate
rally. The Center also helped generate press coverage of the event by
appearing on a WPWR television program featuring the rally. For the
second consecutive year, the Center hosted World Relief's Citizen Application
Night. The Center was the meeting place for a seminar to train volunteers
in providing assistance with citizenship applications, filling out the
forms, and getting photo identification taken.
In addition, throughout the year the Center hosted visitors
from Russia, Belarus, and Bosnia. Representing non-profits in formative
stages in those countries, the foreign visitors consulted with the Center's
staff on a broad range of subjects from day-to-day management issues
and media relations to grassroots organizing and effective coalition
building. At Harvard Law School, New York University School of Law,
and again at Stanford Law School, the Center held seminars to educate
law students concerning how they can advance justice by establishing
a non-profit community legal organization modeled after the Citizen
Advocacy Center.
Senior citizens also availed themselves of the resources
at the Center. The DuPage Senior Citizen's Council, Sears Retirees,
Casa San Carlo Retirement and the Illinois Retired Teachers Association
were among the many groups the Center addressed during the year.
The Center recognized the outstanding contributions of
individuals and groups who build democracy at its presentation of the
Citizen Initiative Awards in July. The award recognizes those who have
demonstrated significant and informed civic participation in their communities,
and who, by their example, have inspired others to action as well. In
turn, the Citizen Advocacy Center was recognized for its contributions
to the communities it serves when it was honored by the WPWR-TV Channel
50 Foundation for pioneering "community lawyering." The Center was presented
with the Foundation's Innovation in Advocacy Award.
Leadership and Staff
1999 Board of Directors:
- President: Annina Fabbioli
- Vice-President: Brian Conlon
- Secretary: Jane Andrich
- Treasurer: Theresa Amato
Directors:
- Gordon Goodman
- Patricia Hicks
- Claire Nader
- Andrew Prinz.
In December 1999, Barbara Greenberg, James Ekblad and
Josh Silverstein joined the Board of Directors.
Advisory Council Members of 1998-2000:
- Keith Allen
- John Connelly
- Porus Dadabhoy
- John Dill
- James Ekblad
- Gregory Fike
- Rita Gonzalez
- Barbara Greenberg
- Dennis Hamm
- Joanna Hoelscher
- Milt Honel
- Corinne Johnson
- Frank Portillo
- Eleanor Schaack
- Josh Silverstein
- Jeremy Taylor
The Center's Advisory Council meets at least semi-annually.
1999 Staff:
- Theresa Amato, Esq., executive director
- Monica Davis, executive assistant
- Eddi Feret, office manager, joined the Center in April, 1999 to replace
Monica Davis
- Kate Millett, Esq., community lawyer
- Laura Sullivan, Esq., community lawyer responsible for all legal
intake
- Terry Pastika, Esq., community lawyer, joined the Center in June,
1999 to replace Laura Sullivan
Support, Contributions and Donations
The Center is financially supported by individual donations
and foundation grants. The Center does not accept any government money.
Ongoing foundation support for the Center in 1999 was
provided by:
- The Shafeek Nader Trust for the Community Interest
- The Joyce Foundation
- The Woods Fund of Chicago
- The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation
- WPWR-TV Channel 50 Foundation
Additional revenues were received from:
- M&B Weiss Family Foundation
- Individual Donations
- Stanford University Center for the Study of Responsive Law
- The Public Interest Law Initiative for a summer intern scholarship
Tax compliance services are donated by:
- Ms. Kimberly Lemke and the firm of Andrich, Argo & Associates, Ltd.
CPA's
- Mr. Charles Grigsby, CPA for our audit
Banking services are donated by:
Cole Taylor Bank
Pro Bono advice and legal assistance has come from:
- Public Citizen Litigation Group, Washington, D.C.
- The Center for Study of Responsive Law, Washington, D.C.
- Mr. Wayne R. Hannah, Jr., Sonnenschein, Nath & Rosenthal, Chicago,
IL
- Thomas Geoghegan, Esq., Despres, Schwartz, & Geoghegan
- William E. Jegen, Esq.
- Scott L. Mitzner, Ltd.
- Jack L. Uretsky, Esq.
- Charlene LaVoie, Esq., The Office of the Community Lawyer, Winsted,
Connecticut
- The Center for Insurance Research and Jason Adkins, Esq., Cambridge,
MA
- Kenneth Shepro, Esq., Altheimer & Gray
- A number of talented and dedicated lawyers throughout the Chicagoland
area
The Center is also grateful to co-counsel or legal
assistance in several cases, including:
- Gessler, Hughes, & Socol
- Jenner & Block
- Michael Latz, Esq.
- Todd Michael Stafford, Esq.
- Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom
- The Leadership Council for Metropolitan Open Communities
- Soule & Bradtke
- Sheri Tarr, Esq.
- Pat Quinn, Esq.
- Richard Pinner, Esq.
We also thank:
- Bryce Elliot for computer assistance
- The Civic Fair Steering Committee
- The National Association of Public Interest Law
Hundreds of citizens and organizations support the Center
by providing thousands of volunteer hours. We cannot recognize all of
those many efforts here. However, we thank Jo and Ray Donaldson, Corinne
Johnson, and Rose and John Argo for their regular volunteer assistance,
and the DuPage County Law Librarians.
The Center would like to thank especially Mr. Bruce Roberts
for his daily volunteer efforts since early 1997.
A number of businesses have made contributions to the
Center in time, equipment, resources, computers, printing, and electronic
connections. In particular, we thank: Eclectic Network, Inc. and Tom
Pettey of Glenbard Graphics, Inc.
The Center complies with all record-keeping and filing
requirements mandated by state and federal law. Our corporate records
are available for inspection at our office and are on file with the
appropriate State agencies.
The Center does not release the names of our individual
donors, nor do we sell our mailing list to other groups. 2000 promises
to be even more exciting than 1999! If you want to get involved with
the Center's work, please ask about our Time Donor and Dollar Donor
programs. Also, consider writing an article for our Everyday Democracy
newsletter, holding a forum on a matter of public concern, adding someone
to our mailing list, or volunteering to help with bulk mail, preparation,
data entry, web-site development, or other office work.
The Center welcomes donations of time, energy, equipment
or money. Donations to the Center are tax-deductible as provided by
law. For further information about the Center, please contact us at:
Citizen Advocacy Center P.O. Box 420 Elmhurst, IL 60126 (630) 833-4080
(630) 833-4083 (fax)
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