Quinn picks suburban men as top aides

New Gov. Pat Quinn is putting together his team of top advisers by picking a longtime children's advocate as his new chief of staff and a government reform commission attorney as his chief lawyer.

Quinn on Monday named former Voices for Illinois Children President Jerome Stermer as chief of staff.

Stermer, of Elmhurst, was the founding president of the organization that promotes and lobbies for children's education, health and development issues since 1987. He also has a long history with state government, first working as an assistant to the director of the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services in 1973.

Lawmakers who worked with him described Stermer as influential in expanding access to preschool and the driving force behind the state's earned income tax credit intended to help lower-income working families.

"I've known him for a very long time. He's a great guy. His policy preferences are progressive. He's for a better Illinois for people who need a helping hand," said state Rep. Barbara Flynn Currie, a Chicago Democrat.

At the same time, the state faces an estimated $9 billion deficit and bringing aboard a leading advocate of social-service programs as chief of staff doesn't suggest Quinn will be cutting his way out of the financial mess.

"I hope they have some good ideas on how we're going to put things back together again," Currie said.

Quinn also picked Theodore Chung of Highland Park as his general counsel. Chung has been general counsel for the Illinois Reform Commission that Quinn put together to clean up state government in the wake of the Rod Blagojevich scandal.

Over the weekend, Quinn also turned to one of his aides, 28-year-old Iraq war veteran and U.S. Army captain Dan Grant, to head the state's Department of Veterans' Affairs.

He's also named Marc Miller to be director of the Department of Natural Resources, dumping a Blagojevich pick.

Daily Herald Senior State Government Editor John Patterson contributed to this report.