Cedar Rapids Gazette: Delegates to an AFSCME Council 61 convention this weekend selected Rick Eilander, a longtime union representative, to succeed Danny Homan as president of Iowa’s largest public employee union. Eilander, of Newton, has been an AFSCME member since 1994. He worked for the Jasper County Sheriff’s Office, becoming its chief jailer before joining the Iowa Department of Corrections in 1996 at the Newton Correctional Facility. He joined the staff of AFSCME Council 61 in 2006 as a union representative where he has managed contracts and helped organize locals. Homan is retiring after 16 years as Council 61 president.