DuPage County Chair Names 2 New Election Commissioners

The following is an Apr. 25 press release from DuPage County:

Today DuPage County Board Chairman Dan Cronin called for new leadership of the DuPage Election Commission.
 
Prompted by yesterday’s assessment report that revealed the Commission’s poor procurement and ethics practices, Cronin appointed Cathy Ficker Terrill of Elmhurst and Art Ludwig of West Chicago to serve on the three-member panel.
 
“The DuPage Election Commission’s stress test raised a number of alarming issues that require immediate attention. I am concerned that several of the internal practices at the Commission fall short of basic good government principles that should be exercised at any public entity,” said Cronin.
 
Both Ficker Terrill and Ludwig are filling the expired Election Commission posts of Charlotte Mushow and Jeanne McNamara. Mushow’s term expired January 29, 2011, while McNamara’s term expired January 29, 2012.
 
“I am obligated to the taxpayers to take this matter very seriously. I want the DuPage Election Commission to set the highest standards for all election agencies to emulate. We cannot implement meaningful reforms without the help of the Election Commission which is why I have chosen Cathy and Art to serve on the board. I have the utmost confidence in their ability and willingness to take on the challenges at the Election Commission,” said Cronin.
 
Terrill recently served as the interim executive director of the DuPage Housing Authority. Cronin appointed her to the position in 2011 following three federal audits identifying financial mismanagement.
 
“Cathy stepped in during the crisis at the DuPage Housing Authority and worked tirelessly to implement needed reforms at that agency. I trust she will invest the same level of tenacity to achieve similar results at the Election Commission,” said Cronin.
 
Terrill currently serves as the chief executive officer of the Institute on Public Policy for People with Disabilities. She is also an adjunct professor at the University of Illinois Chicago and Elmhurst College.
 
Ludwig has spent much of his professional career working for the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers in addition to the State of Illinois. He is currently the assistant vice president of Union Labor Life Insurance.
 
“Art Ludwig has extensive experience in labor unions and state government and shares my commitment to ensure this agency represents the best interest of the taxpayers and voters of DuPage County,” said Cronin.
 
Through state statute, Cronin has the authority to appoint members of the three-person Election Commission panel, which consists of representatives from both political parties. Terrill replaces Mushow who has served on the Election Commission since 1999. Terrill’s term will expire January 2014. Ludwig replaces McNamara, who has served the Commission since 1976. Ludwig’s term will expire January 2015.