I spent about 12 hours over the Dr. King holiday weekend researching the candidates on my ballot for the Democratic primary election on February 2. I’ve been meaning to write a post about this, but I have grown weary of this election already. The candidates are mediocre and I feel like there are some races where no matter who wins, the public loses. Anyway, I printed out my sample ballot from the Cook County Clerk’s office. Unfortunately, you have to use Internet Explorer to print the ballot successfully. I then evaluated each candidate based on personal opinion, what I’ve read in the news over the past few years, the Chicago Tribune editorial board questionnaires, bar association summaries at IllinoisJudges.net, voting records from Project Vote Smart, and the Daily Herald candidate questionnaires. There was a lot of tedium to sort through; a lot to read. In many cases, I just went with my gut. I’ve been a political junky since well before I could vote, so it troubles me to say a lot of the candidates sound the same, are untrustworthy, or just plain suck. A lot of the people who say politicians are all the same and can’t be trusted are often people who do not follow politics. Maybe my expectations are too high, but as someone who spent hours researching candidates for a primary election, I am being sincere when I say I am not impressed by the jokers running for office this time around.
So here we go. Below are my opinions about the candidates. The candidate(s) I am considering voting for are shown in bold. I’m shooting from the hip. Don’t expect a newspaper editorial board-style of candidate evaluation here. The amount of info available for each candidate, and the number of candidates to read about, were overwhelming. I think I did more reading about these candidates than I did about the car I bought. To form your own informed opinion, please consult the links I provide above and throughout the body of this entry.
US Senator
I wrote up my impressions of the ABC7 debate a few weeks ago (got published late due to a WordPress snafu). It has taken me weeks to decide who I am voting for. The senate race was the one I had the hardest time deciding.
- Robert Marshall – It’s nice to have a conservative Democrat in the race, but Marshall rubs me the wrong way. He thinks Federal employees have a Cadillac health care plan. Being a relative of a Federal employee, I will say they do have good health insurance, but I wouldn’t call it Cadillac and they do pay for it. They pay more than I pay for my county government-provided health insurance. Marshall wants to decriminalize marijuana. I don’t. Also, he kept spelling it “marihuana.” Technically correct, but no one spells it that way. I like that he feels the Federal Reserve Board does not need more power. Marshall is also correct that if the government owns a large part of a private company, the gov’t should have a lot of say in how the company operates. Just like how large shareholders in a corporation can throw their weight around with shareholder votes and having seats on boards.
- David Hoffman – Man did he turn me off during the debate. I want someone who is smooth and cool. The guy’s hyperspeak and apparent nervousness makes my blood pressure go up. I need someone who can make calm cogent arguments and communicate with the public effectively. Hoffman’s debate performance makes me question his ability to do these things. Seems like a decent candidate who I would vote for in the fall, but I would prefer someone who doesn’t agitate me. Hoffman’s Daily Herald questionnaire answers were ridiculously long. Step One of being a public official is communicating effectively with the public.
- Jacob Meister – Meister initially ticked me off by calling my house too many times. However, he seems sincere and has a good grasp of the issues based on what I have read. I also think it would be cool to have a gay senator. Meister’s Tribune responses were long, but his DH responses were more succinct. During the debate, Meister exhibited an ability to communicate effectively and cooly, while still having some fire in the belly.
- Alexi Giannoulias – OK, vote for anybody but this guy. Here are my problems. There are questions about his family’s bank’s ties to Tony Rezko and organized crime. I also would prefer to have someone representing me who went out and got a job on their own. Not someone who had the privilege of working at their family’s bank. Another thing to think about is who got us into this economic mess. The banks played a big part. This guy comes from a banking family. Do we want a banker crafting laws in Washington? Lastly, this guy keeps bringing up that stupid Hartmarx factory. He doesn’t understand that the rest of the state could not care less about some suit factory in Chicago. I didn’t vote for Giannoulias to become treasurer, and I’m not voting for him to become my senator.
- Cheryle Jackson – I was impressed by her performance during the ABC7 debate. An excellent communicator who refused to get involved in a spat between other candidates. However, I am still questioning the depth of her policy knowledge. She gives answers that sound good, but aren’t particularly detailed. She also gives repetitive answers. Show us some good analytical skills and creative ideas!
Updated January 31, 2010: I just found out Jacob Meister has quit the race and is supporting Giannoulias. What a huge disappointment. I have edited this section to reflect that I am now voting for Cheryle Jackson. She is the best of the rest, though I would still like to be reassured that she is more than a good orator. As I will not vote for Giannoulias and am not real keen on Hoffman or Marshall, that leaves me with Jackson.
Governor
- Pat Quinn – Quinn has been a massive disappointment, and he has only been in charge for a year. I remember a Pat Quinn who was the consumer’s advocate, someone who stuck up for the little guy. Where did this Pat Quinn go? He’s been replaced with someone who wants to raise my income tax (which takes a huge chunk out of my paycheck already), legalized video gambling machines, and apparently made some mistakes with early prisoner releases. I do give him credit for wanting to move to an income tax where the rich are taxed more than us poor folk.
- Dan Hynes – I think I have voted for Dan Hynes every time he has run for office. You owe me, dude. Oops. Maybe not. That would be kind of corrupt. Hynes also wants the wealthy to pay higher taxes. Those of us who make less than $200k/yr would have no change in our taxes. Hynes wants to tax luxury items – good. He wants to eliminate middle management in state government. Yes, I say there are too many chiefs and not enough indians. Unfortunately, Hynes appears willing to increase the number of casinos in Illinois. We have way too many casinos as it is. Also, Hynes opposes the right to carry concealed weapons, but I support that right. I’m not sure if I’ll vote Hynes in the general election. I’m leaning toward the Green Party candidate Rich Whitney once again.
Lieutenant Governor
This is a pretty lackluster field of candidates. Guys with experience have bad policy positions, leaving us with guys who have no political experience and want to hold the second highest office in the state. Should something bad happen to the governor, would we want one of these guys in charge? Would they be ready for the job?
- Arthur Turner – He (or his PR flack) has really poor writing skills, based on the Trib and DH questionnaire responses. Communication is key, and I expect my public officials to be intelligent and excellent communicators. Also, I saw a page on Turner’s website saying they were taking to the “airways” instead of the “airwaves.” Lastly, he voted in favor of video gambling. No thanks.
- Terry Link – I see he favors adding licenses for casinos, adding slot machines, and adding gambling machines to horse tracks. I just don’t get a good vibe from this guy. Seems too political, perhaps because of his leadership position in the state legislature.
- Rickey Hendon – No response to the Tribune questionnaire. What’s that about? He did reply to the Daily Herald, though. I’m too concerned Hendon is tied to the South Side political machine. I’m not taking any chances.
- Scott Lee Cohen – No elected political experience. He points to experience running his company and creating jobs. While I don’t want an old entrenched pol to be Lt Gov, I don’t want a total newbie either. I’d like the person elected to be #2 in Illinois government to have some firsthand knowledge of how government works. At least serve on a city council or school board before running for such a high office. By the way, his Tribune questionnaire responses were really generic. Several of the questions were longer than Cohen’s answers. For what it’s worth, Cohen owns a pawn shop.
- Thomas Michael Castillo – Again, no elected political experience. He supports raising the income tax, but putting a property tax decrease in place. I don’t own property, so I’ll just get shafted. He opposes raising taxes on tobacco, liquor, soda and candy. I would tax the hell out of tobacco and alcohol. However, he opposes leasing public assets. Awesome, there are services and assets that are best provided by the government and shouldn’t be leased to make a quick buck. Taxpayers typically get screwed with higher costs and worse service. Castillo also would like a 16-year term limit. Sounds good to me. I loved his response about how schools should teach toward students’ curiosities instead forcing them to follow a curriculum. I hope Castillo stays involved in politics and runs for something at the local level. Over time, he will gain experience and wisdom. I might vote Castillo for Lieutenant Governor, so I’ll put his name in italics instead of bold. I’m just worried that he might not be ready for the job.
- Mike Boland – Wants a unicameral legislature. I’m not so sure about that. Definitely food for thought, though. Unfortunately, he wants to put Lotto machines at rest stops and is open to expanding gambling. He did vote to allow video gambling. Blech. I really did like his ideas for pension reform, though, as expressed in his Trib questionnaire response. Another good point was an emphasis on community colleges. Community colleges are valuable assets for preparing youth for the university as well as providing job training for youth and those already in the workforce. His position on taxes, as stated in the DH, seem OK – tax those making over $250k and tax tobacco and luxury items. Too bad his position on gambling is out of line for my tastes.
Attorney General
- Lisa Madigan – I haven’t really had much of a beef with Lisa Madigan. She goes after both Dems and Republicans. I’m OK with that. I’m glad she isn’t taking after her father, politically. One negative – I am concerned about her apparent zeal for getting online retailers to charge Illinois sales tax.
Secretary of State
- Jesse White – Jesse is getting up there in age. However, I have had good experiences with the Secretary of State’s offices and services.
Comptroller
- David Miller – A dentist and state rep who wants to write the state’s checks. Hmm. Not exactly the most traditional path toward this office. Considers diaper service a luxury that should be taxed. Yes you could use disposable diapers, but they’re bad for the environment. Diapers of any type are not a luxury. Gave long answers to the Trib and I lost interest in reading them. Promises closer scrutiny of TIF districts and funds, which I applaud. I don’t like TIFs. I agree with Miller about moving cemetery responsibility from the comptroller to the Dept of Financial and Professional Regulation. I was surprised that office didn’t already have responsibility for that kind of thing. However, Miller thinks the Treasurer and Comptroller’s offices should be kept separate. I say eliminate the comptroller.
- Raja Krishnamoorthi – He’s from Hoffman Estates, so he’s kinda local. He’s ethnic, another thing he and I have in common. Brings lots of experience from the Attorney General and Treasurer’s office. Agree with his assessment that sales tax is an insufficient revenue generator now that we are in a service economy. But I have no idea how to tax services fairly so poor to middle income people don’t get screwed. Hope Raja has good ideas. He is making a big deal about putting info about contracts online. Nice that regular people would be able to search this stuff, but it doesn’t particularly excite me. Raja also supports removing cemeteries from the purview of the comptroller.
- Clinton Krislov – He did not impress me. Answered a question about income tax by spending more time on COLA and pensions. His Trib questionnaire answers struck me as acerbic. Wants to expand O’Hare, build Peotone, and possibly expand Palwaukee. I say O’Hare yes, and no to the rest. What does that have to do with the comptroller anyway? Should stick to his job as an attorney fighting against financial injustice.
Treasurer
- Justin Oberman – His experience is with the US Dept of Transportation, TSA, and Homeland Security. Besides management experience, not sure how that will help with being treasurer. It appears he currently works in the financial industry, though. He made a good move in restricting who he accepts campaign donations from to head off any conflict of interest. Also gave some good details in his DH questionnaire response about exactly how the Bright Start college fund was mismanaged. Oberman opposes combining the Comptroller and Treasurer offices.
- Robin Kelly – I do have concern about her role as the current Chief of Staff for the Treasurer’s office. Does she have the cajones, metaphorically, to explain how she can do a better job than her current boss? While Oberman has federal experience, Kelly is more experienced at the state and local levels. Sounds open to a responsible merger of the Treasurer and Comptroller’s offices. Her questionnaire responses indicate a good understanding of the duties of the Treasurer. With reservation, I will be voting for Kelly.
US Representative – 6th District
- Benjamin Lowe – I was initially hesitant about voting for a 25-year-old for Congressman. After all, he is barely of legal age to hold the office. However, his responses to the Trib questionnaire were well-written. In fact, better written than responses from candidates 40 years his senior. Despite his age, Lowe appears to have maturity and an understanding of the issues facing Americans. He wants the wealthy to go back to the higher Clinton-era level of taxation. Good stances on health care, allowing people to keep the insurance they have while offering a gov’t option for those who want or need it. Lowe has also spent extensive time overseas, which will prove helpful in understanding other cultures. In this department, Lowe has more experience than the previous President and a recent female Vice Presidential candidate.
Democratic State Central Committeeman – 6th Congressional District
- Joan Brennan – From what I was able to find online, it appears she is a retired teacher, was a delegate to the Democratic National Convention in 2008 and a previous year (made a typo in my notes), supported Hillary in 2008, was the Elk Grove Township committeeman for 30 years, and is possibly in her 70s. I think she has had her chance to be involved in the Democratic Party. Time for someone else to have the opportunity.
- Christine Cegelis – She has run for numerous positions, so she is by no means an outsider. She is currently the assistant director for the state’s Central Management Services department. I suppose I will vote for Cegelis since I doubt she has been a committeeman for 30 years. Still, I would have preferred someone who would bring a fresh energy and perspective, someone who hasn’t been involved in party politics for years.
Democratic State Central Committeeman – 6th Congressional District
- Robert Wagner – From what I could find, he was a precinct committeeman in York Township during the 90s, supported Bill Bradley and John Kerry’s presidential bids, was a Villa Park trustee, a member of a library board, and was president of the DuPage Democratic Club. I have no position in this unopposed race.
State Senator – 22nd District
- Michael Noland – I have voted for Noland numerous times in the past. I am not voting for him anymore. His voting record has failed to impress me. He voted yes on video gambling. He voted to require a moment of silence in schools. He voted in favor of creating a south suburban airport authority. He voted to increase interstate speed limits for trucks in 2007. All stuff I oppose. The yes vote on video gambling particularly frosts me. I will note that Noland did not answer questionnaires from both the Trib and the Daily Herald. The Republican candidate, Steve Rauschenberger, did not answer the Trib questionnaire but did answer the DH questionnaire (albeit with ridiculously short answers).
State Representative – 43rd District
- Keith Farnham – His voting record doesn’t look too bad, with the exception of one thing. He was one of only 27 reps to vote against the texting while driving ban. However, he did vote against video gambling (thank you). Both Farnham and Republican Ruth Munson skipped the Trib and DH questionnaires. I did have a good experience the one time I phoned Rep. Farnham’s office. I voted for Munson in the previous general election. I’ll make up my mind about Farnham vs. Munson in the fall. In the meantime, I am neutral about voting for him in the primary.
Cook County Board President
I posted my opinion about the board president candidates’ debate here.
- Toni Preckwinkle – A long-time Chicago alderman who hasn’t been afraid to buck Mayor Daley. She has developed an image of being an independent outsider and a policy wonk. Preckwinkle seems quite intelligent and has a grasp of the issues. Her debate performance was disappointing, but maybe I set my expectations too high. I have been waffling back and forth between Preckwinkle and O’Brien for weeks, but I think I will vote for Preckwinkle. Her most recent commercial was effective and it worked on me. It portrayed Terrence O’Brien as part of the political machine. I don’t know if that’s true or not. It did get me thinking, though. I would love to see the established political hierarchy in Cook County disrupted and shaken to its core. I’m tired of the same connected people running everything. I think Toni Preckwinkle is the person most likely to change the status quo and really shake things up.
- Terrence O’Brien – O’Brien is not a bad candidate. He seems like a no-nonsense kind of guy who has experience running a large government agency. I think he is qualified to run Cook County and he would probably do a decent job. I also think he might be more sympathetic to suburban Cook County than the other candidates. However, I don’t see him being a game changer who will really rock the boat. Anyway, I would appreciate it if people would vote for either Preckwinkle or O’Brien. I want to take as many votes away from Dorothy Brown and Todd Stroger as possible.
- Dorothy Brown – Yuck. All kinds of allegations of corruption – just google it. She put ads on the circuit clerk’s website and sees website ads as a viable way to increase revenue for the county. I don’t think so. Then we have this whole Jeans Day fund fiasco, which you would think could be run by someone who is an attorney and an accountant.
- Todd Stroger- Seriously, do I need to tell you why not to vote for Todd Stroger?
Cook County Clerk
- David Orr – I don’t have much of an opinion about how David Orr has run his office. He’s been in politics a really long time. I’d like someone new to step up. Since this is an uncontested race, it doesn’t really matter how you vote. I’ll do more of an analysis of Orr and his Republican challenger in the fall.
Cook County Sheriff
- Thomas Dart – I really don’t like Tom Dart. I think he is a grandstander who likes to get publicity. Besides being a prosecutor, I don’t think he had law enforcement experience until he was employed by the sheriff’s department. He showboats by recording video of seizures and busts and providing the video to the press. Then there was the whole craigslist prostitution thing that got Dart attention from the national press. Picking on craigslist was the topic du jour for a while, so Dart got a lot of press by going after naughty ads for prostitutes on the website. Honestly, I think prostitution should be legalized and regulated. Dart should have been going after more violent and harmful offenses. I do approve of Dart’s wish to get rid of the forest preserve police. I doubt the current FP police have anymore training in conservation law or ecology than sheriff’s deputies. The FP police should be abolished or somehow merged with the sheriff’s department.
- Sylvester Baker – Didn’t give a response to the Trib questionnaire, which was disappointing and a disqualification in my opinion. This is a contested race; Baker apparently didn’t care enough about it to answer. He does have 22 years of experience with the sheriff’s office, based on his DH questionnaire answers. In the same questionnaire, it looks like Baker didn’t understand the gist of the question about the sheriff’s role in the foreclosure problem. Baker just recited the statutory duties of the sheriff with respect to foreclosures, instead of explaining how he would tackle this huge burden efficiently. Seems to have an ax to grind with Devine-era state’s attorneys; Baker wants them all to resign to free up money. Unless they were incompetent, why would you want only Devine-era attorneys to resign?
I am not supporting anyone in this race. I did not get much out of the Republican candidate’s Trib response and he had no DH response. The Green candidate had no DH response, and I think the guy is a ding-a-ling based on his Trib response. Looks like there won’t be much of a choice in candidates this fall.
Cook County Treasurer
- Maria Pappas – I don’t have any opinion. I haven’t had to deal with her office, and the only time I hear about her office is when the news reminds us property taxes are due. I thought I read something about fingerpointing going on between Pappas and Orr with respect to property tax bills going out in a timely manner.
Cook County Assessor
- Robert Shaw – Isn’t he part of the South Side machine? Also, he is 72 years old. I’ll admit to having an age bias. If you’re over 65, it’s time to get out of politics because you don’t represent the population anymore and have had 47 years to run for office. Gave no response to the Trib. Did respond to DH, but none of his answers were longer than three brief sentences.
- Joseph Berrios – I’d have to think hard to come up with a worse candidate. A longtime pol, entrenched in the Chicago machine. Those of us in the suburbs don’t want that kind of garbage. Here is a must-read for every voter pulling a Democratic ballot in the primary – Tribune endorsement of Figueroa. The Trib came up with a five-point bulleted list explaining how corrupt Berrios is. The guy is a lobbyist who pushed for video gambling, a Stroger Stooge, and has questionable relationships with property tax attorneys. I implore Cook County voters not to vote for Berrios.
- Raymond Figueroa – As a former judge, I would expect him to have good temperament and a respect for the legal process and fairness. Figueroa claims experience with finances as an attorney representing clients in matters such as taxes. Figueroa gave good answers to the Trib questionnaire, though I wonder why he thinks the assessor position should be appointed. If it is an appointed position, how do the people get rid of a bad assessor? We wouldn’t be able to vote one out. I can’t vouch that Figueroa will do a good job, but he is by far the best of the three candidates. We need to make sure he gets every vote possible in order to keep Shaw and Berrios from becoming assessor.
Cook County Commissioner – 15th District
- Jim Steven Dasakis – The literature from his opponent in the race to be township committeeman says Dasakis is a Stroger supporter. A letter to the DH editor says the same thing. Lastly, there is an article from 2007 in the Sun Times saying he was hired to fill a $61k/yr position in Cook County gov’t that had been vacant for four years. In the article, Dasakis is quoted as saying his job involves “a bunch of different tasks.” I know exactly what I do at my job, why doesn’t Dasakis? Dasakis ran for commissioner before and lost. With these Stroger ties, he has even less of a chance to win. Too bad he is running unopposed for the Democratic nomination. I strongly recommend against voting for Jim Steven Dasakis.
Cook County Board of Review – 1st District Commissioner
- Brendan Houlihan – Running unopposed in the primary. I also wonder if he is related to the outgoing assessor James Houlihan. Nepotism? Also, I’m not liking what I saw about Brendan Houlihan in a blog about the assessor’s office. Time to vote Republican to break up the Democrats’ lock on the Board of Review this fall?
Judicial Races – I see the Daily Herald now has questionnaire responses posted for the judge candidates. Considering the amount of time I have spent on this project already, I’m not reading them. DH did put up a good PDF document summarizing the judicial ratings for candidates here. An excellent table of judicial qualifications from the Alliance of Bar Associations can be found here. I reached most of my conclusions about the judges by reading comments made by the bar associations as reported on IllinoisJudges.net. I figure if any particular candidate was egregiously bad, the bar associations would say so. In fact, there are a few bad candidates. I think I may have also consulted the Tribune questionnaires and endorsement list in making my decisions. My remarks about the judges will be more brief than they were about the elected officials. This is why I have provided you with a plethora of resources for researching judges on your own.
Illinois Appellate Court – 1st District McNulty Vacancy
- Arnette Hubbard – Did not submit a sample of analytical writing to Chicago Council of Lawyers, ability was questioned.
- Ellen Flanagan – A traffic court judge for four years, bar assocs say she doesn’t have enough experience yet. I agree.
- Jim Ryan – He had a lot of union endorsements (I’m not a fan of unions) but otherwise seemed qualified to me. Bar assocs said he didn’t have enough experience writing opinions and has temperament issues, though.
- James Epstein – Sounds experienced.
- Kathleen Kennedy – Sounds like a methodical judge. “Methodical” may have been a word used in one of the reviews.
Illinois Appellate Court – 1st District O’Malley Vacancy
- Thomas Hogan – Answer was too long in the Trib questionnaire. A judge should be succinct.
- Pamela Hill-Veal – Poor courtroom management and performance, didn’t answer bar assoc questionnaires. Bad ratings from the bar assocs, but endorsed by Cook County Democratic Party anyway. That doesn’t smell right to me.
- Frank Gardner – Bad ratings, didn’t submit to questioning by Chicago Bar Assoc or Chicago Council of Lawyers. From Trib answers, sounds like he is just an attorney, ward boss, and water reclamation district commissioner.
- Aurelia Marie Pucinski – Does her name sound familiar? She has been in politics a long time and used to be the circuit clerk. Her Trib answers sounded OK and she received some praise in the bar assoc evals I looked at, but they said she lacked qualities needed to be appellate judge.
- Don Sampen – An attorney experienced in appellate matters. Received good bar association marks. Sounds qualified, though it looks like he has never been a judge.
Illinois Appellate Court – 1st District South Vacancy
- Mary Katherine Rochford – Very experienced in a variety of matters, a long-time judge, received heaps of praise.
- Sebastian Patti – At the time I did my evals, his website was just a blank template. It now works.
- Kevin Rogers – Did not submit to evaluation by Chicago Council of Lawyers or Chicago Bar Association. Across-the-board poor marks in the table provided by the Alliance of Bar Associations.
- William O’Neal – Did not submit to evaluation by the Chicago Bar Association. Chicago Council of Lawyers eval mentions complaints about his temperament and patience as a judge. They also say he has not demonstrated the writing ability needed to be an appellate judge.
- Anthony Lynn Burrell – Did not submit to evaluation by Chicago Council of Lawyers or Chicago Bar Association. Across-the-board poor marks in the table provided by the Alliance of Bar Associations.
Cook County Judicial Circuit – Berland Vacancy
- William Hooks – Has bench and jury trial experience at State and Federal level, involved in the community, teaches college classes. Was a prosecutor and defense attorney. Highly praised.
- Deidre Baumann – The Chicago Bar Assoc says she has organizational and case management issues. The Chicago Council of Lawyers says attorneys questioned her level of knowledge in some cases.
- William Raines – Sounded good, but didn’t match Hooks. Not a bad second choice.
Cook County Judicial Circuit – Bronstein Vacancy
- Terry MacCarthy – Works for the Public Defender’s office, extensive experience, involved in community. However, he led off with a list of bar assoc recommendations in an answer to the Trib questionnaire. It came across as bragging, to me.
- Diann Marsalek – Hearing officer for Illinois Secretary of State, worked for Department of Corrections. Chicago Council of Lawyers was concerned that her litigation experience was from the beginning of her career and was at the federal level.
- Sharon Finegan Patterson – Has experience with complex legal matters, has represented plaintiffs and defendants, was praised by the CCL as “particularly hard-working with good analytical skills.”
- Thomas William Flannigan – Not recommended by the CBA because he “does not possess the requisite depth and breadth of legal experience to serve as a Circuit Court Judge.”
Cook County Judicial Circuit – Dolan Vacancy
- Susan Kennedy Sullivan – A probate and estate attorney, appears focused on health matters.
- Linda Pauel – Attorney for City of Chicago, has a varied legal background. A varied background is essential to being an effective judge, IMHO. Active in the community.
- Kevin Murphy – I agree with the bar associations – has narrow insufficient experience to be a judge. CCL says his trials were in the area of traffic offenses and misdemeanors.
- Ubi O’Neal – Do not vote for Ubi O’Neal. CBA says “he has had two questionable incidents regarding his integrity and needs to improve his understanding and commitment to the Illinois Rules of Professional Conduct.” CCL says he was censured by the Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission in 1999. Bad typos and grammar in his Trib response. Not someone we want to be a judge.
Cook County Judicial Circuit – Hayes Vacancy
- Raymond Mitchell – Has trial and appellate experience, has worked on complex cases.
- Bonnie Carol McGrath – Lacks breadth and depth of legal experience (CBA). No jury trial experience, has not worked on complex legal matters (CCL). Does pro-bono work, is published, and does community service.
- Carl Boyd – What’s he trying to hide? He did not participate in the CBA evaluation, and refused to be evaluated by the CCL. Other candidates merely failed to submit anything to be evaluated. This guy refused to be evaluated. He didn’t complete the Trib questionnaire either. Across the board lack of recommendations by the bar assocs. Do not vote for Carl Boyd.
Cook County Judicial Circuit – Kelley Vacancy
- John Patrick Callahan, Jr. – Former Assistant State’s Attorney, current judge, described as knowledgeable and having a good temperament.
- Joanne Fehn – Is currently lacking the experience needed to become a judge. CCL says “she has no jury trial experience and has never acted as lead counsel in bench trials.”
Cook County Judicial Circuit – McCarthy Vacancy
- Daniel Gallagher – Uncontested race, is currently an assistant public defender. Received praise in CBA and CCL eval findings.
Cook County Judicial Circuit – O’Malley Vacancy
- Thomas Lyons – Uncontested race. Is experienced in bench and jury criminal trials, worked for the State’s Attorney’s office.
Cook County Judicial Circuit – Riley Vacancy
- Sandra Ramos – Questions were raised about her temperament. A former Assistant State’s Attorney, has a private practice in criminal law. Endorsed by Cook County Democratic Party even though she was Not Recommended by CBA.
- Russell William Hartigan – Experienced in civil matters, lots of community involvement.
- James Michael Bailey – Has been an Assistant State’s Attorney his whole career. Sounds qualified.
- John Patrick Nyhan – Bad marks across the board from the bar assocs. Refused to be evaluated by the CCL. Didn’t just fail to submit anything, he refused evaluation. Didn’t participate in CBA screening. Did not answer the Trib questionnaire. Do not vote for John Patrick Nyhan.
- Edmund Paul Michalowski – Bad marks across the board from the bar assocs. Refused to be evaluated by the CCL. Didn’t just fail to submit anything, he refused evaluation. Didn’t participate in CBA screening. Did not answer the Trib questionnaire. Do not vote for Edmund Paul Michalowski.
- Marvin Gray – Long career as an attorney. CBA says he lacks experience to be a judge. CCL says his experience involved short trials or lower-value personal injury trials, but does have experience with more complex matters. Worked for the CTA.
- Tracey Stokes – CBA says she is “well respected for her knowledge of the law, legal experience, professionalism, and outstanding temperament.” CCL says “She is respected by her peers as a good attorney who is knowledgeable and diligent.” Her Trib response was succinct. Worked for 22 years at an insurance company, not sure if that’s a good or a bad thing.
Wonder why so many people are running for this particular judicial vacancy.
Democratic Township Committeeman – Hanover Township
- Gertrude “Trudy” Zaja – I have a mixed opinion. She is associated with a group called HanDI, but their website only has info about that group endorsing her. Her website and campaign literature show her as being anti-Stroger. Updated February 1, 2010: If you scroll down to the comments section for this entry, you will see a member of HanDI stopped by and explain the organization of their websites.
- Jim Steven Dasakis – I wish I found some info about him from sources other than the opposing campaign. By googling “Jim Steven Dasakis,” I should have found a campaign website. When I googled “Trudy Zaja,” I found her website right away. How serious is Dasakis about his campaigns? Apparently not very. There is the Sun Times article I mentioned earlier that shows Dasakis in a bad light. Trudy Zaja’s website brings some disturbing allegations. Supposedly Dasakis voted for Stroger to get the Cook County Democratic Party’s endorsement for the 2010 Board President primary. In a second vote held because no candidate received a majority, Dasakis voted “present.” It would be nice if Dasakis had a website or mailed something out to explain himself. I therefore recommend you do not vote for Jim Steven Dasakis. I don’t know if Trudy Zaja will do a good job, but Dasakis has proven less-than-appealing. Updated February 1, 2010: I received a Dasakis ad in the mail today, one day before the election. It was addressed to only the male residents of my household. Makes me assume Dasakis is ceding the female vote to Zaja. I will maintain my support for Zaja.
And there it is: How I am voting in the February 2 primary. If I haven’t made a recommendation in a race, I either won’t cast a vote or will vote for myself if write-ins are allowed. Voting for myself would be the same as throwing away a vote, since I am not a declared write-in candidate for anything.
All the reading and research involved with composing this entry has been tedious, but now I can rebut TV commercials and I know the stories behind each candidate. Hopefully you readers will find my opinions useful in this primary election.
























