From the Southern

SEVERAL SOUTHERN ILLINOIS MAYORS SPEAK OUT FOR KARMEIER
BY BECKY MALKOVICH

[Tue Sep 07 2004]
SOUTHERN ILLINOIS -- Mayors from several Southern Illinois cities came out Tuesday in support of Judge Lloyd A. Karmeier's candidacy for the Illinois Supreme Court.
Mayors Bob Butler of Marion, Ron Williams of Murphysboro and Brad Cole of Carbondale were joined by retired Steeleville Mayor Gerald Zacheis in pledging their support for Karmeier over opponent Judge Gordon Maag.
Cole spoke with some urgency about the race, asking voters to educate themselves before casting their ballots in November. "The Illinois Supreme Court controls everything from workman's compensation to medical malpractice. Anything else you can imagine -- from your personal life to your business life -- has been or will be ruled upon by the Supreme Court," he said.
Not surprisingly, Cole, Butler and Williams spoke about medical malpractice reform and the importance of the Illinois Supreme Court in allowing that reform to take place in the state. Both Carbondale and Marion have passed their own malpractice ordinances in an effort to ease the burden placed on physicians by skyrocketing malpractice insurance rates.
"There are some issues -- malpractice insurance for doctors, caps on tort liability for malpractice cases -- that are a foregone conclusion for his (Karmeier's) opponent, given his (Maag's) support by the trial lawyers. That they have given so much to Maag's campaign sends us a message and it is not good," Butler said.
The mayors also spoke on the importance of having a judge from Southern Illinois on the state's Supreme Court, particularly since almost all of the Fifth District appellate judges come from St. Clair or Madison counties.
"I see Judge Karmeier's opponent as being part of that ongoing group from the Madison and St. Clair county areas, where they are very, very giving when it comes to personal injury lawsuits. We need someone from outside that area who will watch after us and our residents and to see that lawsuits are judged fairly," Williams said.
The mayors formed a committee in support of Karmeier and will actively seek support for their candidate from other mayors and village presidents throughout the southernmost 37 counties in Illinois.