 The Illinois Senate on Tuesday confirmed Monken, an Army veteran, as
the state's Emergency Management Agency director.Gov. Pat Quinn
first appointed then-29-year-old Monken as the Illinois State
Police's acting director in March 2009. Last month, an Illinois
Senate committee almost ousted Monken from the job. He was never
confirmed for that job because Senate lawmakers questioned his youth
and lack of law enforcement experience.
The Senate must confirm the governor's appointments.
Later last month, Quinn appointed Monken to the Illinois
Emergency Management Agency, which many lawmakers saw as a better
place for the veteran who served in Iraq.
State Sen. David Luechtefeld, R-Okawville, a member of the
Executive Appointments Committee in the Senate, said he thinks IEMA
is a better fit for Monken.
"He's obviously, I think, a bright young guy. And I really had a
lot of questions about him when he was appointed to head the state
police with no background," Luechtefeld said. "He's now headed a
department for a year and a half, so he does have some background
now compared to what he had when he first started. I don't think
this is as critical an appointment as state police would be, and I
guess I'm just willing to give him a shot at it."
Monken said he is qualified to lead IEMA.
"I think the role of the Emergency Management Agency as we call
it as 'everything from terrorists to tornadoes,' and really I think
I've dealt with many adverse circumstances -- whether it's combat
environment or law enforcement environment or public safety as it
happens in the last two years," Monken said. "So I think those types
of qualities, leadership attributes -- and really a lot of what
happens at IEMA is really coalition-building. It's working with all
levels of the government -- something I've had the opportunity to do
extensively in the last two years, and it's something I'm very
comfortable doing in the future."
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Monken said he plans on making no changes in how the IEMA is run.
"I think IEMA runs very efficiently. I think it was demonstrated
very well in the blizzard that we had just a few weeks ago," he
said.
"As far as the partners that take part in IEMA -- whether you're
looking at the National Guard, which I'm still a member of, with the
state police, which I just came from, and really the Illinois
Terrorism Task Force that has responsibility for that, that I was
previously an executive board member for. These are people that I've
known, these are the people that I work with well, and I would just
like to continue the tradition IEMA has, which is providing very
well in these situations."
Quinn is pleased that the Senate swiftly confirmed Monken to head
the IEMA, according to Annie Thompson, a spokeswoman for the
governor.
[Illinois
Statehouse News; By MARY J. CRISTOBAL]
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