* 11:11 am - Former state Rep. Larry McKeon (D-Chicago) passed away last night after suffering a stroke, according to an announcement on the House floor a few minutes ago.
…Adding… Bernie profiled Larry just last Sunday. Read it here.
And before the governor sends out his press release lauding McKeon’s memory, perhaps he should first commit to fixing this problem as a fitting tribute to the former legislator…
McKeon also called it a “tragedy” that, after pushing his first years in the General Assembly to reduce a backlog of discrimination cases before the Illinois Department of Human Rights, he believes there is a backlog now, partly because of lack of needed staff.
“I seriously question the competence at the senior level” of the department, he added, including “the director’s ability to effectively manage.”
* 1:24 pm - The Tribune story is now online…
An Army veteran and former lieutenant with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, McKeon came to Chicago in the 1980s to pursue a degree in social service administration.
He worked as a director at United Charities and became involved with gay activist groups, leading to his run for political office. In 1992, he was hired as executive director of the Chicago Commission on Human Relations, serving as Mayor Richard Daley’s liaison to gay and lesbian leaders in the city.
McKeon was elected to the House in 1996 by voters in the North Side’s 34th District. During that campaign, he acknowledged being HIV-positive.
One of his major legislative priorities was to expand gay rights. In 2005, Gov. Rod Blagojevich signed into law a measure that added sexual orientation to the state’s human rights act banning discrimination against gays and lesbians by landlords, real estate agents, employers and lenders.