I’m sitting at my computer trying to reflect on the last six months and account for the passage of time. It’s hard for me to believe that six months have passed since I composed my first President’s Message. I guess time flies when you are having fun! Much has happened in the past six months and I would like to take a few minutes of your time to review what the Association has accomplished in this time period.
In January of this year, the Executive Board met for two days in Champaign to begin planning for 2007. The first day of the meeting, the Board met with each individual Committee Chairperson and listened to their plans for the year. In addition, the Board shared suggestions with the Chairs on dealing with issues and/or positions on important pending legislation. These committee results will then be directed back to the Board. In turn the Board will forward these answers and/or positions to the CMO Committee for further discussion and referring to the Association as a whole. This will enable the Association to be proactive in taking positions on legislation. For example, when there are new laws suggested, we need to be able to be prepared as an Association if this is something that the Association should support or help defeat.
The second day of the meeting focused on planning for the next two years and setting goals for what the Board believes the Association should accomplish in the next year. We began the process of goal identification and we are still working on defining those in further detail. More will be shared on our plans that in the upcoming months.
Next, your Association sponsored two Juvenile Detention Alternative Initiative (JDAI for short) meetings in late January 2007. Over 150 probation personnel from all over the state attended two meetings to find out what JDAI was all about. The presentations were about how JDAI impacts youth and the court system. Bart Lubow from the Annie E. Casey Foundation presented at the back-to-back meetings. Lots of good discussion was generated with several jurisdictions asking for more specific information about JDAI. Since these two meetings, there have been further presentations to the specific jurisdictions asking for further information.
In April, we had a Spring Conference in Bloomington, Illinois at the Double Tree Hotel. The annual spring golf outing started off a very successful conference. There were 54 golfers that participated in this year’s golf outing; one of the highest numbers that we have had in the last several years. Thank you to all who attended and participated. Everyone had a lot of fun and we had glorious weather. A special thank you to Ed Swies and Ed Walsh for all their hard work on the golf outing.
We then started the conference with a presentation by Judge David Bell from New Orleans. Judge Bell was quick to let us know that although he didn’t have all the answers, he gave us a lot of questions to think about. The training workshops were well attended and well thought out by Jody Blair and Sarah Spang, the Program Committee Co-Chairs, and the rest of their committee members.
There were several legislative items that the Association focused on during the last legislative session. I will not elaborate further, but instead defer to John McCabe in his legislative report which is a part of this newsletter.
The Executive Board is going to meet next to start looking towards our fall conference which is going to be in Collinsville this year. I know that we are going to be sharing conference space and time with the Balanced and Restorative Justice (BARJ) Initiative. We have many plans for a fun and informative conference and look forward to seeing you at the conference. Bring your dancing shoes/boots; we are going back to “Wild Country” for Wednesday night and of course we have the Awards Banquet on Thursday evening. I know that all the folks in Madison County are busy working on a raffle and anxiously awaiting our arrival.
Please take a moment this summer and write up a recommendation for an IPCSA Award. This is really a great way that we can recognize our own colleagues and the hard work that goes on in our profession.
Finally, I would like to recognize some individuals that have had a great impact on our Association that are moving on to new phases in their personal and professional lives. Gary Balgemann from DuPage County has devoted much time and energy to the Association in relation to victim’s issues. I wish him well in his retirement. I would also like to recognize Ron Schaefer, Director from St. Clair County, and wish him well in his retirement.
Have fun with your family this summer. Take time to go for a walk, smell the flowers, and dip your feet in a stream. See you in Collinsville!
Sid DeLair
IPCSA President
(l. to r.) Chief Judge David L. Bell, Orleans Parish Juvenile Court
Sid DeLair, IPCSA President