March 2018 Primary Guide

It's election time and my mailbox is stuffed with mailers. I love elections, even though I am often frustrated by the options I have on the ballot. This year, I think there are some exciting races. 

But first: Why does voting matter? It determines who is running our government. And every element of our life is affected by those decisions -- from the quality of the roads we drive on to the air we breathe to the schools we send our children to to the types of chemicals that go into the foods we eat. In the ballot box, unlike any other arena, my vote is equal to that of a millionaire. Women fought long and hard for the right to vote and it would be a shame to throw that right away. White, conservative, men vote on the regular and they don't have my interests at heart. I vote and then I organize throughout the year. Voting is the first (not only), critical  step in creating an accountable, functioning democracy. 

Every year, my mom creates a voter guide that she sends to all her friends and contacts who live near her. I take it and send it to my list of contacts (and the number of people who request it grows every year). It's a smart move -- the more you organize other people to vote like you, the more effective your position. The best part about her guides is that she takes time to research the judges -- that section of the ballot that you often arrive at and know is important and instantly wish you'd done your research.  

This year, my mom was a little tied up (running for office and all!). So I took over the reigns. 

The guide is pasted below. But I wanted to start with commentary on some key races. 

Governor: 
I am supporting Daniel Biss and Litesa Wallace. Daniel has a proven track record supporting and advancing progressive causes. He's taken bold stances on equitably taxing the rich (sponsoring legislation to close the carried interest loophole, co-sponsoring the Fair Tax and LaSalle Street Tax, and supporting the closure of corporate tax loopholes).

He has experience in government, which is necessary to being able to govern (Rauner is an example of what happens when you try to apply a business model to a government body -- the legislative process is a real thing and we need people who understand it). Having served in office means he's taken hard votes and has a track record that can be exploited/exaggerated. Yes he messed up on pensions. He's admitted it was a mistake and fights for progressive revenue solutions now. We must recognize that bill was supported by the entire Democratic Party. Plus, Pritzker funded a PAC that lobbied for a more extreme pension-cutting bill! Funny how he doesn't mention that in his mailers.

Millionaires and billionaires have no sense of what it's like for poor, working- or middle-class families to live in our city and state. I don't want to live in a society where being independently wealthy is a prerequisite for being elected to office. I was raised with a worldview that government is our tool to create a level playing field. I care deeply about public schools being fully funded and everyone having access to free high quality health care. Daniel Biss has a vested interest in making sure public schools are well funded -- his kids are in them! He has been out front saying he supports universal healthcare and transitioning to 100% renewable energy. That's the kind of leadership we need!

Cook County Assessor:
My God. Everyone must vote for Fritz Kaegi. Joe Berrios represents everything that is wrong and corrupt with the Democratic Party. Report after report has been released exposing Berrios' corruption. The Tribune reported, "A new study estimates that at least $2.2 billion in property taxes was shifted from undervalued Chicago homes onto overvalued ones between 2011 and 2015. Because the county’s assessment system is skewed in favor of high-priced homes, the errors amount to a staggering transfer of wealth that benefited Chicago’s most affluent homeowners at the expense of people who own lower-priced homes." This guy has got to go and Fritz Kaegi is our guy. He's got experience managing large amounts of money and pledges to end the nepotism and pay-to-play system, and instead bring in an equitable assessment system. 

Attorney General:
I found this race the hardest to decide on. But after reading the Chicago Tribune's candidate questionnaires, I decided to vote for Aaron Goldstein. However, I think Sharon Fairley, Kwame Raoul and Pat Quinn are also solid choices. As my friend put it, we need the candidate most likely to prosecute big banks, big corporations and the police. 

Judges:
I found this research incredibly useful. It's a compilation of various resources -- ratings, candidate questionnaires, big cases the candidates worked on. I ruled out every candidate endorsed by the Fraternal Order of Police and often went with candidates who have worked as public defenders before. 

5th Congressional District:
Mike Quigley has shown no progressive leadership in his time in office. I'd vote for Sameena Mustafa if I lived in the district. She's a fresh new face and driven to make change. 

3rd Congressional District:
Vote for Marie Newman against Dan Lipinski in the Democratic Primary. Lipinski is a conservative Democrat-in-name-only. He's voted against the ACA and equal rights for LGBTQ people. He's gotta go! 

IL 17th State House District:
Vote for Mary Rita Luecke!!!! That's my mom. She has a 30 year track record of service to the community, has long fought for progressive causes, spent her career as an attorney fighting for human and civil rights, ran as a Bernie delegate (she's a Bernie Dem). She has a vision for a state that fully funds it schools, provides universal health care and transitions to 100% renewable energy. And she's vocal about her support for paying for this with an equitable, progressive tax system. 

She's ran a positive campaign focused on the issues and her solutions. Her opponents have spent an incredible amount of money sending attack mailers. Jen Gong-Gershowitz is funded by Mike Madigan. Madigan and his people poured in $367,920 between 3/15-3/16! Another opponent, Candance Chow is self-funded (started her campaign with a $95,000 check) and is sending misleading mailers suggesting she was endorsed by the IEA, which she wasn't. My mom was!

Here's the guide I put together based on the ballot I have in Edgewater. 

2018 March Primary Voting Guide

Governor & Lieutenant Governor

3    Daniel Biss & Litesa E. Wallace

Attorney General

Aaron Goldstein

Secretary of State

16    Jesse White

Comptroller

17    Susana A. Mendoza

Treasurer

18    Michael W. Frerichs

U.S. Representative, 9th District

21    Janice D. Schakowsky

State Central Committeewoman, 9th District

31    Carol Ronen

State Central Committeeman, 9th District

32    Michael Cabonargi

State Representative, 14th District

52    Kelly M. Cassidy

Metropolitan Water Reclamation District Commissioners (6-year term)

-  Vote for not more than Three

61    Marcelino Garcia (IVI-IPO endorsed, but not by the Democratic Party's slate)

62    Debra Shore

63    Kari K. Steele

64    Martin J. Durkan (endorsed by Dem Party)

Metropolitan Water Reclamation District Commissioners Unexpired 2-Year Term

69    Kimberly Neely Dubuclet

Metropolitan Water Reclamation District Commissioners (Vacancy of Bradford)

    Write-In: Cam Davis

President of County Board

71    Toni Preckwinkle

County Clerk

73    Karen A. Yarbrough

County Sheriff

76    Thomas J. Dart

County Treasurer

78    Peter Gariepy

County Assessor

81    Frederick "Fritz" Kaegi

County Commissioner, 10th District

91    Bridget Gainer

Board of Review, 2nd District

101    Michael Cabonargi

Judge of the Circuit Court (Vacancy of Brewer)

122    Kathryn Maloney Vahey (19 years as public defender)

Judge of the Circuit Court (Vacancy of Clay)

129    Lori Ann Roper (former public defender, has mixed ratings though)

Judge of the Circuit Court (Vacancy of Dooling)

131    Timothy John Leeming (assistant public defender, also an artist)

Judge of the Circuit Court (Vacancy of Egan)

133    Rosa Maria Silva

Judge of the Circuit Court (Vacancy of Dunford)

134    Thomas F. McGuire

Judge of the Circuit Court (Vacancy of Flanagan)

136    Preston Jones Jr. (23 years as public defender)

Judge of the Circuit Court (Vacancy of Hartigan)

140    Keith L. Spence (negative ratings but the other option was endorsed by FOP)

Judge of the Circuit Court  (Vacancy of Jordan)

142    Jerry Barrido (public defender)

Judge of the Circuit Court (Vacancy of McGinnis)

146    Bradley R. Trowbridge (counselor, psychologist, social worker and attorney)

Judge of the Circuit Court (Vacancy of Prendergast Rooney)

147    Jack Hagerty

Judge, 8th Subcircuit (Vacancy of Fabri)

155    John Christopher Benson

Judge, 8th Subcircuit (Vacancy of Liu)

158    Michael A. Forti

Judge, 8th Subcircuit (Vacancy of Pethers)

163    Rishi Agrawal

To the Voters of Cook County:

“Shall the State of Illinois legalize the cultivation, manufacture, distribution, testing, and sale of marijuana and marijuana products for recreational use by adults 21 and older subject to state regulation, taxation and local ordinance?”

YES
NO

To the Voters of the City of Chicago:

“Should Governor Rauner act to protect the 650,000 Illinois residents who obtained health insurance through the Affordable Care Act by supporting legislation amending the Illinois Insurance Code to preserve important benefits like pediatric services and maternity care, and by investing in outreach campaigns to encourage residents to sign up for health insurance?”

YES
NO

To the Voters of the City of Chicago:

“Should Governor Rauner support Illinois legislation to ban firearm bump stocks and strengthen penalties on illegal gun traffickers?”

YES
NO

To the Voters of the City of Chicago:

“Should the State of Illinois develop a comprehensive strategy to address the recent rise in opioid-related and heroin-related deaths including committing additional state resources for addiction treatment and requiring health insurers to cover opioid alternatives and limitations on prescription length?”

YES
NO