Election judges honored for excellence

Clerk David Orr recognized two dozen suburban election judges Wednesday for their outstanding work last year during the Presidential Election.

"Your job is tough," he told the judges during the annual recognition ceremony. "It takes patience, intelligence, personability and stamina to do your job."

Altogether, 63 election judges and two township coordinators were honored on the one-year anniversary of the historic 2008 election. Two judges from each of the 30 suburban townships were selected (see full list below) for special recognition, as well as judges who worked at nursing homes and Early Voting sites.

Among those honored was Barbara Hines, 77, who is celebrating her 50th year as an election judge.

"It seemed like a fun thing to do at first, but it's become a matter of pride to me," said Hines, of Glenview. "I've never missed an election. I even planned my babies and vacations around elections."

Taxi driver Greg Leeb, 34, said being an election judge requires humor but he loves every minute of it. Paul Glombowski, a retired firefighter from Mount Prospect, said he's happy to "finally be able to give back to the community."

Event emcee and ABC-7 anchor Linda Yu applauded the election judges for what is often a "thankless" job.

"Your role is vital to making democracy work," she said.

Last Nov. 4 -- like every election -- more than 11,000 election judges worked at 2,290 precincts in suburban Cook County. The backbone of our election operation, judges work a 16-hour shift on Election Day starting at 5 a.m. Judges are responsible for setting up the polling place and election equipment, assisting voters as needed, and compiling votes at the end of the night. All judges, even veteran participants, attend regular trainings to learn new procedures and techniques.

Precinct Election Judges
Barrington Township: Michael Pogar & Mary Beth Woynich
Berwyn Township: Daniel H. Lome & Lynne K. Nosko
Bloom Township: Courtney L. Parker & Linda Trout
Bremen Township: Gwendolyn Bugg & Eloise Lott
Calumet Township: Mary I. Lopez & Shirley McGillivray
Cicero Township: Teresa Hernandez & Estrella S. Santos
Elk Grove Township: Ramesh Gandhi & Wayne White
Evanston Township: Carleton R. Pryor & Evelyn Russell
Hanover Township: Julie Hernandez & Joseph F. Sapone
Lemont Townwhip: Paul R. Cimino & Patricia Garbolski
Leyden Township: Joan Kowalewski & Michael C. Quaid
Lyons Township: Maria Mauricio & Christine Vinicky
Maine Township: James G. Cushing & Felice C. Moss
New Trier Township: Mary Rycroft & Robert Spriggs
Niles Township: Anne A. Kwiecinski & Rita M. Anderson
Northfield Township: James M. Cormier & Faith Barbara M. Hines
Norwood Park Township: Sam Fanelle & Carol Tiedje
Oak Park Township: Judith C. Kroll & Mary C. Pappas
Orland Township: Dennis F. Corrigan & Henrietta Evans
Palatine Township: Brian Carlson & Scott W. Forpe
Palos Township: Maria Frangos & Emmitt D. Hays
Proviso Township: Lee P. Callaci & Jimmie B. Porter
Rich Township: Katherine Aguillard & Dolores R. Cave
River Forest Township: Anna Kutska & Genevieve M. Zoufal
Riverside Township: Karen E. Quinn & Frances Sikora
Schaumburg Township: Herbert Kuehl & Therese M. Marto
Stickney Township: Paul Fleming & Sandra J. Negrete
Thornton Township: Peter Belko & Mary Weaver
Wheeling Township: Margaret Vannelli & Joan Brandt
Worth Township: David Goodfriend & Ronald Heitz

Township Coordinators
Susan McDonald, Palatine Township
Richard Taccini, Schaumburg Township

Nursing Home Election Judges
Dennis Corrigan, Orland Township
Gregory Leeb, Evanston Township

Early Voting Election Judges
Dawn Daniels, Oak Park Township
Paul Glombowski, Wheeling Township

More pictures of the awardees are available by contacting Courtney Greve at cgreve@cookcountygov.com. The ceremony started at 1 p.m. and was followed by a coffee reception. It was held in the Clerk's Pedway Room, 69 W. Washington, Chicago.