Michael Bakalis | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Official portrait, circa 1977 | |
| 2ndComptroller of Illinois | |
| In office January 1, 1977 (1977-01-01) – January 8, 1979 (1979-01-08) | |
| Governor | Jim Thompson |
| Preceded by | George W. Lindberg |
| Succeeded by | Roland Burris |
| Illinois Superintendent of Public Instruction | |
| In office January 11, 1971 (1971-01-11) – January 13, 1975 (1975-01-13) | |
| Governor | Richard B. Ogilvie Dan Walker |
| Preceded by | Ray Page |
| Succeeded by | Joseph Cronin (as "Illinois State Superintendent") |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1938-03-23)March 23, 1938 (age 87) Berwyn, Illinois, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Alma mater | Northwestern University (BA,MA,PhD) |
| Profession | Educator |
Michael J. Bakalis (born March 23, 1938)[1] is an American educator, academic administrator, and politician. He was theDemocratic nominee forGovernor ofIllinois in1978, losing to incumbentRepublican governorJames R. Thompson.
Bakalis received hisbachelor's,master's, anddoctoral degrees fromNorthwestern University in 1959, 1962, and 1966, respectively. His academic career includes service as assistantdean atNorthern Illinois University, dean of the School of Education atLoyola University Chicago, and as the President ofTriton College. He has also been a member of the faculty at theKellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University since 1994, where he teaches public and non-profit management, policy, and strategy.[2][3]
In government and politics, Bakalis served as theIllinois State Superintendent of Education from 1971 to 1975 and asIllinois Comptroller from 1977 to 1979.[2] Having built a reputation as a staunch advocate of education, in 1978, he won the Democratic nomination for governor. During the election, Bakalis was critical of Thompson's education and tax policies and aggressively courted voters. However, because Thompson was serving an unusual two-year term as governor and so had been in office only nine months when Bakalis began his campaign, Bakalis had difficulty challenging the incumbent's record.[4] Bakalis lost the election with 40% of the vote, as opposed to Thompson's 59%.
After his unsuccessful bid for governorship, Bakalis served as a Deputy Undersecretary in theUnited States Department of Education of theJimmy Carter administration from 1980 to 1982, where he administered ten regional offices.[3][4]
In 1988, he managed the Illinois campaign ofMichael Dukakis's bid for theUS President.[5] In 2002, Bakalis made another run for governor but had to drop out before the Democraticprimary because of a lack of money.[4]
Bakalis is also the founder, President andCEO of American Quality Schools, an education management organization that operatescharter schools in theMidwestern United States.[3]
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Illinois Comptroller 1977 – 1979 | Succeeded by |
| Party political offices | ||
| Preceded by Dean Barringer | Democratic nominee forIllinois Comptroller 1976 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Democratic Nominee for Governor of Illinois 1978 | Succeeded by |
| Auditors of public accounts (1818–1973) |  | |
|---|---|---|
| Comptrollers (1973–present) | ||
| International | |
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| National | |
