Overall ATDO member attendance at the August meeting was very good. Sarah Quinn and the “door hanger” team finished sorting the door hangers and brought them to the meeting for PC’S to take with them. The design team consisted of Jo Ann Pelikan, Laura Franzen, Bradley Weber, Barb Lonergan, Paula Masilotti, and Matt Custer. Dianne Kefaloukas worked long distance with Sarah Caltvelt (who was visiting Norway) to sort out the precincts so this project turned out to be an international event! Mike Johnson did his best to study the new precinct maps to sort out the precincts that are in multiple districts.
If you missed this meeting you missed some incredible information about our local candidates! One of the highlights was Dan Hebread who spoke about all that he has accomplished as Forest Preserve President. Did you know that the golf course in Addison has the first solar golf carts in the United States? Were you aware that a new 27,000-square-foot wildlife rehabilitation clinic and visitor center is being built at Willowbrook Wild Life Rehabilitation Center? The new center will be equipped with solar panels and a geothermal heating and cooling system. This will be the first net zero wildlife building in the country!
“Awesome Azam” Nizamuddin who is running for State Representative spoke of his experience as a lawyer, Loyola professor, and ten years as a precinct committeeperson. He wants to bring manufacturing jobs back to Illinois, he is a staunch supporter of women’s reproductive rights and wants corporations to pay their fair share of taxes.
Diane Blair-Sherlock also running for State Representative spoke of her law background and the importance of reading bills and being able to determine if they will pass the “constitutional mustard.”
Don Potoczny is a retired Army Colonel and is currently an administrator in a Chicago public high school. He is running for DuPage County Treasurer and spoke about the antiquated computer system that the treasurer’s office is using (40 years old); three years ago the county entered a 10 million dollar contract to replace the system. The project is late and over budget. Don is confident that he could have saved the county a “couple of million dollars” had he been overseeing this project.
Michael Childress is running for county board and stated that he feels the energy of the Democratic Party is building and believes we will have “52 in ’22” in the Senate. He has spent his life fighting for civil rights, he pointed out that DuPage county is 183 years old and there has never been a black board member, he is confident he will be the first!
Lauren “Laurie” Nowak, is running for State Senate. She is hoping to beat “the entitled bully” who is currently in office. She has a background in human services and nonprofits. She is a former county board member. Laurie believes in investing in mental health care, and environmental protections in advance instead of waiting for problems to occur.
Other candidates spoke and representatives from the campaigns of “4 Women, 4 Justice, 4 All” (Mary K O’Brien for IL Supreme Court Dist 3; Sonni Choi Williams for 3rd Appellate Court; Jill Otte for District 18 Circuit Court Judge; Mia McPherson for District 18 Circuit Court Judge) gave updates on their campaigns. The takeaway from all four Judges was that you need to make sure you vote all the way down the ballot, judges are near the bottom. We have seen how judges’ decisions can change our rights as we know them and we need to make sure we have qualified judges who will protect those rights. We can’t take anything for granted in Illinois!
We hope to see you at our next ATDO monthly meeting!
