Thomas W. Kelty
Location:
Springfield, Illinois
Phone:
217-953-4201
888-350-9147 (Toll Free)
888-350-9147 (Toll Free)
Fax:
217-789-8903
E-mail:
Areas of Practice
- Administrative Law
- Business & Commercial Law
- Business Organizations
- Construction Law
- Litigation & Appeals
- Mergers & Acquisitions
- Real Estate Law
- State, Local & Municipal Law
- Tax Increment Financing
- Taxation Law
- Agriculture Law
- Antitrust & Trade Regulation
- Banking & Finance Law
- Constitutional Law
- Contracts
- Debtor/Creditor
- Election Campaign & Political Law
- Eminent Domain
- Environmental Law
- Franchising
- Government Contracts
- Land Use & Zoning
- Landlord/Tenant
- Securities Law
- Transportation Law
Bar Admissions
- Illinois, 1971
- Missouri, 1985
- U.S. Court of Appeals 7th Circuit, 1985
- U.S. Supreme Court, 1982
- U.S. Tax Court, 1985
Education
- University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Law, Kansas City, Missouri
- J.D. - 1971
- Creighton University, Omaha, Nebraska, Omaha, Nebraska
- B.A. - 1967
- Honors: Member, Phi Alpha Delta
- Honors: Member, Sigma Alpha Epsilon
Published Works
- Editor, Report of the Illinois Municipal League Committee of Home Rule Attorneys: 1970, Illinois Municipal League, Pub. Annually, 1987
- General Editor, Public Building Commissions and Civic Auditoriums, Illinois Institute for Continuing Legal Education (Co-Author with Clifford L. Weaver and R. Marlin Smith), Special District Government In Illinois, 1982
- Antitrust Do's and Don'ts (Co-Author with Pfeifer), Illinois Municipal Review, July, 1982
- Boulder Antitrust Suit Settled (Co-Author with Pfeifer), Illinois Municipal Review, September, 1982
- Consumer Utility Tax Declared Unconstitutional (Co-Author with Pfeifer), Illinois Municipal Review, March, 1983
- Antitrust Damages (Co-Author with Pfeifer), Illinois Municipal Review, February, 1984
- Illinois' Experiment For Tomorrow's Government (Co-Author with Banovetz), Illinois Municipal Review, March, 1985
- What Difference Does Home Rule Make?, (Co-Author with Banovetz), Illinois Municipal Review, April, 1985
- Home Rule Is Used By Small Communities Too!, (Co-Author with Banovetz), Illinois Municipal Review, June, 1985
- Home Rule Can Help Solve Problems, (Co-Author with Banovetz), Illinois Municipal Review, July, 1985
- Economic Development Advanced By Home Rule, (Co-Author with Banovetz), Illinois Municipal Review, August, 1985
- Home Rule In Illinois: Image and Reality, Illinois Issues (Co-Author with Banovetz), Sangamon State University, 1987
- Home Rule, The Aftermath of a Revolution, Illinois Issues (Co-Author with Banovetz), September, 1985
- Home Rule, Referenda and Elections, (Co-Author with Banovetz), Illinois Municipal Review, September, 1985
- Planning, Leadership, Honesty Are Keys To Successful Home Rule Referenda, (Co-Author with Banovetz), Illinois Municipal Review, October, 1985
- The Watchdogs of Home Rule, Illinois Issues (Co-Author with Banovetz), October, 1985
- Success Under Siege: The Record of Illinois Home Rule (Co-Author with Banovetz), Illinois Municipal Review, December, 1985
- Debt, Taxes, and Home Rule, Illinois Issues (Co-Author with Banovetz), December, 1985
- Home Rule: Renewing Trust In Local Government, Illinois Issues (Co-Author with Banovetz), May, 1986
- Inverse Condemnation: Another Assault Upon Municipal Regulation, Illinois Municipal Review, August, 1986
- Illinois Tort Reform: Analysis of SB 1200, Expansion of Local Government Tort Immunity, Illinois Municipal Review, October, 1986
- Utility Systems, Illinois Institute for Continuing Legal Education, Illinois Municipal Law
- Efficiency, Effectiveness and Economy: The Case For Privatization, Illinois Municipal Review, June, 1987
- Illinois Home Rule and Taxation: A New Approach To Local Government Enabling Authority (Co-Author with Banovetz), Northern Illinois University Law Review, Summer, 1988
- Special Problems of Self-Insureds, The Lawyer's Brief, March, 1988
- Illinois Public Bidding Statute: The Pitfalls, Illinois Municipal Review, April, 1991
- Municipal Utility Franchises: Fair Market Rental Required, IMLA Municipal Attorney, March/April, 1993
- The Tenth Amendment: New Federalism (Or Old Federalism Resurrected)?, Illinois Municipal League 80th Annual Conference, Chicago, Illinois, September, 1993
- Federalism: On The Brink of Revival, Illinois Institute for Local Government First Annual Conference, Springfield, Illinois, February, 1994
- Federalism: The Illinois Constitutional Defense Council, ISBA Local Government Law Section Council Newsletter, March, 1994
- Utility Systems, Illinois Institute for Continuing Legal Education, Illinois Municipal, Spring, 1994
- Introduction (Chapter 1), Lawyers Cooperative Publishing, Illinois Jur, Municipal Law, 1994
- General Powers (Chapter 10), Lawyers Cooperative Publishing, Illinois Jur, Municipal Law, 1994
- Municipal Utilities; Water and Sewer (Chapter 18), Lawyers Cooperative Publishing, Illinois Jur, Municipal Law, 1994
- NIMLO/ABA Federalism Committee: 10th Amendment on the Mend, Municipal Attorney, Jan/Feb., 1995
- NIMLO/ABA Federalism Committee: Politics and the 10th Amendment, Municipal Attorney, Mar/Apr., 1995
- Federalism: Lopez, a Benchmark Decision, Municipal Attorney, May/June, 1995
- U.S. Term Limits: Tenth Amendment has Life, Municipal Attorney, July/Aug., 1995
- FAA Precludes Tow Truck Regulations, Municipal Attorney, Sept/Oct., 1995
- Federalism: The Thin Edge of the Wedge, Municipal Attorney, Nov/Dec., 1995
- NIMLO Seeks Tenth Amendment Cases, ABA Section Newsletter, 1995
- Federalism: While the Stewards Slept ... New York vs. United States, The Urban Lawyer, ABA, Summer, 1997
- Municipal Liability: Is a Zoning Hearing Really a Hearing? IDC Quarterly, 2004
Representative Cases
- City of Springfield v. Allphin, 384 N.E.2d 310 (S.Ct. 1979)
- City of Springfield v. Allphin, 413 N.E.2d 394 (S.Ct. 1980)
- SMEAA v. Castle, 427 N.E.2d 144 (S.Ct. 1981)
- Village of Pawnee v. Johnson, 469 N.E.2d 1365 (S.Ct. 1984)
- People ex rel Bernardi v. City of Highland Park, 520 N.E.2d 316 (S.Ct. 1988)
- Arkansas v. Oklahoma (United States Supreme Court 1992)
- People of the State of Illinois, ex rel Paul A. Logli, State's Attorney for Winnebago County, Illinois v. The City of Loves Park, No. 93-MR-133 (1993)
- Leonard Keeven, as Trustee of Leonard Keeven Trust, et al., etc. v. City of Highland, No. 94-MR-331 (1997)
- Roosevelt Fuller, by his parents, Gretta Fuller and Roosevelt Harris, et al. v. Decatur Public School Board of Education School District 61, et al.,, No. 99-2277, Ctl. District in IL, Urbana Division (1999)
- Gregory Howell, by his parent, Cynthia Howell, et al. v. Decatur Public School Board of Education School District 61, et al., No. 99-CH-245 (Circuit Court of the Sixth Judicial Circuit Macon County, Illinois 1999)
- Decatur Public School District 61 v. Rainbow/PUSH Coalition, et al., No. 99-2288 (Circuit Court for the Sixth Judicial Circuit in Illinois 1999)
- Libbra v. Livingston, et al., No. 03-MR-723, 03-MR-753 (Circuit Court for the Third Judicial Circuit in Illinois 2004)
Classes/Seminars
- Presenter, American Bar Association, Palm Beach, Florida, 1987
- Presenter, Illinois Municipal League 80th Annual Conference, Chicago, Illinois, 1993
- Lecturer, IML Annual Conference, 1972 - 1990
- Lecturer, Biennial Municipal Attorneys Seminar, 1973 - 1989
- Lecturer, Emerging Tenth Amendment Federalism Issues: Preserving Basic Local Constitutional Authority, IMLA Annual Conference, San Diego, California, 1990
- Lecturer, Statewide Attorneys Seminar, Illinois Institute for Local Government for Law (Springfield), 1992
- Lecturer, Statewide Attorneys Seminar, Illinois Institute for Local Government for Law (Champaign and Skokie), 1993
- Lecturer, Federalism: On the Brink of Revival, ILGL 1st Annual Conference, Springfield, Illinois
- Lecturer, Constitutional Federalism, ILGL 2nd Annual Conference, Joliet, Illinois, 1995
- Lecturer, Report of the IMLA Standing Committee on Federalism, ABA Section of State and Local Government Law, Chicago, Illinois, 1995
- Lecturer, Introduction to and Current Thoughts on Federalism: Does the Tenth Amendment Still Live?, IMLA Sixth Circuit Regional Seminar, Cincinnati, Ohio, 1995
- Lecturer, Case Report., ILGL 3rd Annual Conference, Joliet, Illinois, 1996
- Lecturer, Legislative Update, ILGL 4th Annual Conference, Bloomington, Illinois, 1997
- Guest Lecturer, TIF Planning is Not Mere Words, Illinois Tax Increment Association, Spring Conference, Effingham, Illinois, 1999
- Guest Lecturer, Expulsion Procedure: How to Avoid a Constitutional Challenge, School Law Conference for Administrators, Teachers & Board Members, Western Illinois University, Macomb, Illinois, 2000
- Lecturer, Student Expulsion: The Decatur Experience, ILGL 7th Annual Conference, Joliet, Illinois
- Guest Lecturer, Recap of the Attorney General Opinions Affecting Schools and Local Government, School Law Conference for Administrators, Teachers & Board Members, Holiday Inn, Moline, Illinois, 2001
- Lecturer, Home Rule: Survey of Popular Uses 1986-2000, ILGL 9th Annual Conference, Joliet, Illinois, 2002
- Lecturer, Zoning Hearings Post-Klaeren, ILGL 10th Annual Conference, Chicago, Illinois, 2003
- Guest Lecturer, Illinois Constitutional
Honors and Awards
- Recipient, Distinguished Service Award for Lifetime Achievement, Illinois Institute for Local Government Law, 2007
Professional Associations and Memberships
- Sangamon County Bar Association, Member
- Illinois State Bar Association, Member
- American Bar Association, Member
- National Association of Bond Lawyers, Member
- Illinois State Bar Association, Local Government Law Section Council, Chair, 1980 - 1982
- Illinois State Bar Association, Local Government Law Section Council, Member, 1978 - 1986
- Illinois State Bar Association, Local Government Law Section Council, Member, 1993 - Present
- International Municipal Lawyers Association, Member, Board of Directors
- International Municipal Lawyers Association, Elected Third Vice President, 2008
- International Municipal Lawyers Association, Illinois State Chairman, 1987 - 1993
- International Municipal Lawyers Association, Chair, Committee of State Municipal League Counsel, 1989 - 1993
- International Municipal Lawyers Association, Member and Chair, Standing Committee on Federalism, 1993 - 2008
- International Municipal Lawyers Association, Chair, Standing Committee on Federalism, 2000 - 2003
- Illinois Development Council, Member, 1995 - 2002
- Illinois Association of Defense Trial Counsel, Member, 1992 - 1998
- Illinois Tax Increment Association, Member, 1990 - Present
- University of Illinois - Springfield Foundation, President, 1982 - 1984
- Illinois Institute for Local Government Law, General Counsel and Executive Director, 1991 - Present
- Illinois Municipal League, Chief Counsel, 1972 - 1991
- Springfield Metropolitan Exposition and Auditorium Authority, General Counsel, 1972 - 1982
- Illinois Municipal League Risk Management Association, General Counsel, 1980 - 1991
- Gas Utilities Alliance (Risk Management Association), General Counsel, 1978 - 1989
- American Bar Association, Insurance Practice Section, Vice Chair, Self-Insurers and Risk Managers Committee, 1986 - 1990
- Illinois Municipal League, Counsel, Home Rule Attorneys Committee, 1971 - 1991
- International Municipal Lawyers Association, State Municipal League Attorneys Committee, 1986
- American Legal Publishing Company, Illinois and Missouri Counsel
- International Municipal Lawyers Association, Chair, International Committee, 1995
