Anthony M. Peccarelli faced a set of challenges during his tenure as chief judge of the Du Page County Circuit Court that are unlikely to be duplicated during his successor’s term.
Peccarelli, who is nearing the end of his second and last term as chief judge, will be replaced on Nov. 29, when the county’s 13 Circuit Court judges meet to elect a new chief judge.
Three judges are seeking the post: Bonnie M. Wheaton, 49, appointed to the bench in 1988 and elected a circuit judge in 1992; William E. Black, 60, a judge since 1971 and for years the highest ranked judge in Du Page Bar Association polls; and Michael Galasso, 57, a judge since 1984 and former presiding judge of the domestic relations division.
For Peccarelli, the challenges began in 1991 with the long-planned move from the old courthouse in downtown Wheaton to a new $53 million courthouse at 505 N. County Farm Rd., on Wheaton’s west side.
Then, when the new building’s air quality turned out to be intolerable, Peccarelli organized a patchwork of cramped but functional courtrooms where cases were heard at a nearly normal pace during the six months it took for other county officials to overhaul the courthouse ventilation system.
The temporary courts then had to be dismantled for the second move into 505 N. County Farm Rd.
On Dec. 6, Peccarelli will return to hearing cases and to his campaign for election to the Illinois Appellate Court as the new chief judge takes over.
The chief judge serves as the court’s spokesman and negotiator in dealing with the Du Page County Board and county administrators and agencies regarding budgets and other issues.
The chief judge is also the court’s chief administrator and handles such items as assigning judges to the court’s five divisions.
Galasso was appointed an associate judge in 1984 and was elected a circuit judge in 1988.
“The chief judge has to communicate effectively with the people who can help you. For instance, it looks like we’re in need of a new juvenile court or a new youth home or both. That won’t just happen by itself. Someone will have to go out and convince the politicians and the public that it’s needed,” Galasso said in an interview.
“That’s what the chief judge does: administer the courts and campaign with the public, the County Board, the legislature even the federal government to get what the courts need,” he said.
Before becoming a judge, Galasso was in private law practice and also was a past president of the Du Page Easter Seal organization and the county Legal Assistance Foundation.
Black is presiding judge of the law division, and hears cases involving money damages.
“I have a desire to see the judiciary remain independent. The three branches of government try to stake out their own turf and their own power, and what we have to keep reminding people is that we are an entity unto ourselves,” Black said.
Wheaton is assigned to the court’s chancery division, where she presided over the trial of the challenge to the county’s transportation impact fee. After hearing the evidence and arguments, Wheaton ruled that the fee is legal. That decision recently was affirmed by the Illinois Appellate Court.
“There’s 300 years of judicial experience among the judges on our court. I would meet with every judge individually to learn how things could be improved,” she said.
“I like to be a consensus builder. So much of the court’s operation is actually under the control of other administrators . . . The chief judge has to relate to all of those.”
