Source: http://z4.thevoterguide.org/a-chicagotribune08/candidate-detail.do;jsessionid=20C6C2F9371D3282894AF80421005FBB?id=159560365

Submit a brief essay that explains why you are qualified to hold this office.

For 21 years it has been my privilege to serve the people in our system of justice. On a daily basis I have tried to honor that trust and the power that goes with it. Daily I evaluate cases based only on the evidence properly before me, assess credibility of witnesses based upon common sense and the experiences of a lifetime, apply the law to my findings and rule without bias or prejudice. I respect and protect the essential independence of the judiciary and resist improper attempts to interfere with that independence. When I sentence a convicted person I do so thoughtfully and am mindful of the goals of protection of the public and of the restoration, to the most realistic extent possible, of the defendant. My abilities and accomplishments have been recognized in many ways. My peers have consistently rated me highly in the bar association ratings. The Supreme Court appointed me, for over 10 years, to teach all the new judges in the state in the substantive areas of traffic and DUI law and the procedural area of high volume court management. The Supreme Court has also appointed me, as one of a few judges in the state, to its Article 5 Committee of the Supreme Court Rules. Every Chief Judge of my Circuit, until 8 years ago, appointed me as Presiding Judge of the division with the most volume and the most judges. Since then I have presided over Felony cases. I have been asked to teach for the State and DuPage County Bar Associations. The Illinois Dept. of Transportation and the University of Illinois/Springfield named me as one of only 5 or 6 judges in the state to be ‘a trainer of trainers’ in the field of alcohol/drug education. In response to a Tribune series on youthful drivers, Secretary of State White established a Task Force to address the issue. I was one of only 2 judges statewide to be appointed to the Task Force. For most of my adult life I have been involved in trying to serve my community. Elmhurst School District 205 appointed me to Task Forces dealing with finance and strategic planning. I served as Scoutmaster of a local Boy Scout troop (I had no son in the troop). I have served my church as President of the church council and have taught 7th and 8th grade Sunday school. I have coached youth soccer. I have taught and spoken at countless civic and school events. My commitments to better our system of justice, my profession, my community and myself are total.

List your three most significant accomplishments

1- I led a committee which developed a program for mail-in court supervision for minor traffic violations. This led to an amendment of the Supreme Court Rule in Article 5 and to the adoption of the program in numerous other circuits. In DuPage we were able to close one traffic court (out of 5) and save countless hours and money for municipalities, police and citizens.

2- I developed a monitoring program to increase compliance with sentences requiring court-ordered alcohol/drug counseling in DUI cases. In response to what I believed were fraudulent and inaccurate DUI evaluations and treatment verifications I established the first list of approved treatment providers and moved to establish a single source to provide evaluations (our Probation Department). I was subsequently sued in Federal Court by a provider I refused to approve due to the concerns noted above. I was upheld both at the trial court and appellate court level.

3- I was the primary drafter of changes to the Supreme Court Rules in Article 5 that control procedures in traffic court dealing with minor traffic offenses – the vast bulk of the cases in those high volume courts. These changes have made our traffic courts state-wide more efficient and equitable

List your three most significant post-election goals.

There is only one: to daily earn the privilege of continuing in my position by being the best person and judge that I can be.

 
perry_r._thompson.txt · Last modified: 2010/06/16 13:42 by 127.0.0.1
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