We note with great sadness, the passing of our friend, a great civil libertarian and a long-time leader of the Champaign County ACLU Chapter, Hiram Paley.  Hiram was the former mayor of Urbana and a revered professor of Mathematics at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.  Responding to news of Hiram’s passing, ACLU of Illinois executive director Colleen Connell said,

“Hiram was an intellectually fierce civil libertarian, with a gentle heart, a warm soul, and unrelenting opposition to unfairness and censorship in every form.   Ever the teacher, every conversation with Hiram presented a special opportunity to learn from his experience and expertise.  We will miss him a great deal.”

Former Urbana Mayor, community activist and longtime Champaign County ACLU chapter leader Hiram Paley passed away on Monday, the News Gazette reports. Under Hiram’s leadership as Mayor, Urbana became one of the first communities in the nation to protect against discrimination based on sexual orientation.  Hiram was also a tireless advocate on behalf of freedom of expression, racial justice, and other civil liberties issues.

Because of his lifetime efforts in working for progressive causes, Professor Paley received the Roger Baldwin Award from the Illinois American Civil Liberties Union in 2005.

Professor Paley was engaged politically, most often in Democratic campaigns. He and his wife were regular hosts for U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin events, but that did not mean he had a closed mind, Jean Paley said.

"I think he got along really well with people on both sides of the aisle," she said

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The City of Springfield has voted to reverse its decision and will allow partner healthcare benefits for city employees in a civil union, the State Journal-Register reports. On December 28, 2011, the ACLU of Illinois sent a letter to Springfield Mayor Michael Houston urging support for equal benefits to all Springfield city employees.

Spouses of Springfield city employees in civil unions will be eligible for health insurance benefits beginning March 1.

The city’s Joint Labor/Management Health Care Committee voted unanimously this morning to provide the benefits, reversing its December decision.

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