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2010 BEST LEGISLATIVE VOTING RECORD AWARDS
Action BulletinIndependent Voters of Illinois-Independent Precinct Organization August 2010
INSIDE THIS ISSUE:
Page 2State Chair’s ColumnPolitical ActionReport
Page 32010 Endorsements
Pages 4Independents’ Day
Page 5An IndependentThought
Page 6IVI-IPO BoardElection Results
Page 7IssuesA-Z Workshop
Page 8Calendar
IVI-IPO has produced our Best Legislative Voting Record for the 2009-2010legislative session and will present awards to 25 finalists on Tuesday, September21. The record was created by a core of dedicated volunteers on the LegislativeAffairs committee who researched bills that were called to a vote to determine whichreflect IVI-IPO's core issues.
Approximately thirty split votes were selected, ranging over issues such as electionreform, civil rights, labor, and the environment. The process was done "blindly"without reference to how any particular legislator voted on any specific bill. Onlyonce the bills were selected did a couple of volunteers refer to the voting records toscore each legislator. A list of rankings, without names, was presented to the Board,which chose which scores would qualify as finalists for the awards. Twenty fiveHouse and Senate members, Democrats and Republicans from across the state,have earned that honor:
(story continued on page 7)
IVI-IPO announces endorsements in November Election - see Page 3
Rep. William D. BurnsRep. Elizabeth CoulsonRep. Fred Crespo
Rep. Anthony DeLucaRep. Keith FarnhamSen.Michael FrerichsRep. John A. FritcheyRep. Jehan A. GordonSen.William HaineRep. Julie HamosRep. Greg Harris
Rep. Naomi D. JakobssonSen. Dan Kotowski
Rep. Lou LangSen. Terry LinkRep. Karen MayRep. Emily McAseyRep. Elaine NekritzRep. Harry OstermanSen. Kwame Raoul
Sen. Jeffrey SchoenbergRep. Carol A. SenteSen. Heather SteansRep. Mark L. WalkerSen. A.J. Wilhelmi
STATE CHAIR’S COLUMNby Alonso Zaragoza
First of all, I would like to thank you - the membership -forelecting me State Chair of IVI-IPO. IVI-IPO has been mypolitical home since I was 21 years old. Since then, I havegrown with the organization and seen the organization growbecause of me as well.
This promises to be an exciting and important year for ourorganization. We will be helping to elect a new Senator andcounty board members, as well as assist a wave of newaldermen into city hall. We will be working against tax payerwaste and patronage and for the new reform agenda that istaking shape in county government. We will continue to fightagainst a city hall that spends our money with recklessabandon, sells or leases our assets, and ignores the needsand interests of the working people.
To do this and bring about a new political order in ourcommunity, we need your support and participation. This iswhere membership renewal is crucial. Lucky for us, IVI-IPOoffers several different levels of membership – how will yourenew? I myself became a lifetime member last year andhighly encourage others to do the same. . You are a valuedpartner and we need your help to strengthen the IPO in IVI-IPO, return our presence in the neighborhoods and precincts,and actively assist our endorsed candidates. We will do sonot just by lending them our name but by lending them oursweat, time and experience as well.
There are dozens of bright and honest leaders in ourcommunity who could become great elected officials… Ourgoal as an experienced good government organization shouldbe to identify them and give them the guidance andencouragement they need to run for public office. This is whywe are proud to bring back the A to Z Workshop: “EverythingYou Need To Know About Campaigns From A to Z”. Thistraining will prepare a new line of young and progressiveleaders to run in the upcoming aldermanic elections,effectively changing the faces of City Hall. Do you know ofany such leaders? Invite them to attend our workshop!
I truly look forward to working with all our members in thecoming term. Please do not hesitate to contact me or theboard if you have any questions or want to take yourinvolvement to the next level. I can always be reached [email protected]
POLITICAL ACTION REPORT
This election cycle, IVI-IPO held candidate forums at the UICLatino Cultural Center and throughout our chapters. Membersinterviewed candidates, reviewed questionnaires, and madedecisions of who we should endorse. The product of thesesessions is displayed on the next page.
Our ballot of endorsed candidates is filled with independentchampions. It consists of incumbents and challengers alike;Independents, Democrats, Republicans, and Greens fromacross the state. All these candidates share the commitmentto the good government and progressive values that the IVI-IPO believes in.
We encourage you to support these candidates, not only onElection Day, but in their campaigns. You can contact yourlocal campaigns with the information below each candidate’sname; just let them know that you are an IVI-IPO memberand would like to volunteer.
Sample ballots will be passed out in the weeks before theelection; if would like to be part of this please e-mail us [email protected]. If you would like to know more about anyof the candidates listed below you can view their completedquestionnaires on www.iviipo.org.
Page 2 August 2010
Independent Voters of Illinois-Independent Precinct Organization
Alonso ZaragozaState Chair
Miriam SalazarNewsletter Editor
Aviva Miriam PattLayout Design
1325 S Wabash #105, Chicago IL 60605312-939-5105
www.iviipo.org
IVI-IPO ENDORSEMENTS FOR THE NOVEMBER 2, 2010 GENERAL ELECTION
Page 3 August 2010
US SenatorAlexander "Alexi" Giannoulias (D)11 S LaSalle #2500, Chicago 60603312-881-6190alexi@alexiforillinois.comwww.alexiforillinois.com
GovernorPat Quinn (D)676 N LaSalle, Chicago 60654312-654-8888info@/QuinnforIllinois.comwww.QuinnforIllinois.com
Attorney GeneralLisa Madigan (D)500 N Dearborn #510, Chicago [email protected]
ComptrollerDavid E. Miller (D)1350 E Sibley Blvd #202, Dolton 60419708-849-7372jim@davidmillerillinois.comwww.davidmillerillinois.com
TreasurerRobin Kelly (D)PO Box 6953, Chicago 60680708-382-0643info@robinfortreasurer.comwww.robinfortreasurer.com
Congress3 - Laurel Lambert Schmidt (G)203 Parkview Rd, Riverside 60546708-955-6964 [email protected]
4 - Robert J. Burns (G)1620 W Blackhawk, Chicago [email protected]://campaign.robburns.com
7 - Danny K. Davis (D)3333 W Arthington #215, Chicago 60624773-638-1998danny.davis@davisforcongress.uswww.davisforcongress.us
10-Daniel J. Seals (D)405 Lake Cook Rd, Deerfield847-945-8900info@dansealsforcongress.comwww.dansealsforcongress.com
14 - Daniel J. Kairis (G)PO Box 188, South Elgin 60177847-695-3195kairisforcongress@yahoo.comwww.kairisforcongress.com
15 - David Gill (D)1236 E Empire #1, Bloomington 61701309-808-1428 [email protected]
18 - Deirdre "DK" Hirner (D)PO Box 9856, Springfield 62791217-414-8138 [email protected]
State Senate7 - Heather A. Steans (D)5339 N Broadway, Chicago [email protected]
State Representative11 - Ann M. Williams (D)3359 N Lincoln, Chicago [email protected]
12 - Sara Feigenholtz (D)3213 N Wilton Unit A, Chicago [email protected]
18 - Robyn Gabel (D)906 Sherman, Evanston [email protected]
39 - Jeremy Karpen (G)2445 N Albany #2, Chicago [email protected]
47 - James F. "Jim" Speta (D)PO Box 44, Downers Grove [email protected]
50 - Kay Hatcher (R)PO Box 429, Yorkville 60560630-553-3663 [email protected]
55 - Gregory C. Brownfield (D)PO Box 8244, Bartlett [email protected]
57 - Elaine Nekritz (D)PO Box 2563, Glenview 60025847-998-1002 [email protected]
58 - Karen May (D)PO Box 321, Highland Park 60035847-432-5811 [email protected]
65 - Rosemary Mulligan (R)PO Box 1327, Park Ridge [email protected]
74 - Elizabeth Double (D)708 NW 3rd Ave, Galva 61434312-945-8683 [email protected]
79 - George Oschenfeld (G)PO Box 1204, Peotone 60468708-534-7310 [email protected]
MWRD Commissioner (vote for three)Barbara McGowan (D)PO Box 118522, Chicago [email protected]
Mariyana T. Spyropoulos (D)180 N LaSalle #1801, Chicago 60601312-456-8005spyropouloslaw@sbcglobal.netwww.mariyana4cleanwater.com
Nadine Bopp (G)4308 N Kenmore, Chicago 60613773-502-5059 [email protected]
Cook County Board PresidentToni Preckwinkle (D)4659 S Cottage Grove #20, Chicago 60653773-924-5042toni.preckwinkle@gmail.comwww.tonipreckwinkle.org
Cook County ClerkDavid D. Orr (D)20 N State #704, Chicago 60602312-307-6977 [email protected]
Cook County TreasurerMaria Pappas (D)303 W Madison #2408, Chicago 60606312-855-9212 [email protected]
Cook County SheriffThomas J. Dart (D)47 W Polk #235, Chicago 60605312-852-5800
Cook County AssessorForrest Claypool (I)2835 W Cullom #240, Chicago [email protected]
County Commissioner5 - Miriam Shabo (R)PO Box 1697, Homewood IL 60430708-798-3258 [email protected]
9 - Peter N. Silvestri (R)14 Conti Pkwy, Elmwood Park 60707708-456-2424 [email protected]
12 - John A. Fritchey (D)2539 N Southport, Chicago 60614773-477-8683 [email protected]
13 - Larry Suffredin (D)2431 Pioneer Rd, Evanston 60201847-491-0313 [email protected]
14 - Jennifer Bishop Jenkins (D)22 W Washington, Chicago 60602847-331-2704Jennifer4CookCty@aol.comwww.JenniferBishopJenkins.com
Board of Review 1st DistrictBrendan F. Houlihan (D)101 W Grand #200, Chicago 60654312-527-3667Brendan@brendanhoulihan.comwww.Brendanhoulihan.com
Judicial Endorsementswill be made at the end
of the month.
Look for your sampleballot in early October.
Page 4 August 2010
IDD 2010 – THE ROAST OF MIGUEL DEL VALLEBy Maria Salazar, Newsletter Editor
June 25, 2010 marked my third Independents’ Day Dinner –and I have to say, it was the most fun of them all. We beganthe evening by greeting both new and familiar faces at thegorgeous Parthenon Restaurant and Banquet Hall. Members,awardees, speakers, friends and family mingled over deliciousGreek appetizers, scoped out the fantastic silent auction table,and were anxiously awaiting the appearance of the “specialguest.” He made his appearance, characteristically shakingeveryone’s hand as he walked up to the podium.
Governor Pat Quinn congratulated the night’s honoree, Migueldel Valle, discussed the current challenges and projects facingthe state, and encouraged everyone to remain involved inindependent politics.
To kick off the roast, our fantastic waiters brought out saganaki– the chunks of cheese flaming in brandy really set the mood!Hon. Jesus “Chuy” Garcia was our very dynamic emcee. Withthe help of former State Chair Bob Bartell, they presentedawards to several remarkable individuals who truly embodythe values of IVI-IPO. James Thindwa received the SaulMendelson Social Justice Award for his leadership andcommunity organizing work, especially with Chicago Jobs withJustice. Ruben Feliciano was awarded the HaroldWashington Award for his incredible work organizing a march
and vigil around the murder of a Puerto Rican gay rightsactivist. Tim Nelsen and Jane Raley received the prestigiousLegal Eagle award for winning the release of falsely convictedMark Clements; and the Leon Despres award went to Ald.Scott Waguespack for his consistent independent voice,especially when it came to the city parking meter deal.
Feeling inspired, “Chuy” shared some of his favorite memoriesof del Valle before turning it over to Hilda Frontany. Hildabrought up pieces of Miguel’s past – literally. Her evidence:old shoes filled with holes, from his many days of precinctwalking; a blazer with several patches, since he always caredmore about the issues than the clothes. Everyone in theaudience had shed tears of laughter by the time Hilda decidedto let Miguel off the hook.
One by one, the roasters took the mic and gave us a behind-the-scenes look into our City Clerk’s life. Hon. Emil Jones andHon. Iris Martinez shared anecdotes and insight, while a verygracious del Valle laughed along. Finally, his turn came toaddress the roasters and audience. One part of his remarksstood out in particular: he encouraged young people to getinvolved with politics, that it was up to us fill the leadershipgap between the two generations. As the youngest IVI-IPOBoard Member, it was the perfect way to end the night.
Page 5 August 2010
Reading the tea leaves suggests Mayor Richard M. Daley will runfor reelection this fall, asking for a seventh term from Chicagovoters.
He hasn't announced his intentions yet, but the mayor is unlikely todecline taking another shot to sit in the big chair on the fifth floor ofcity hall for a simple reason: getting out now means leaving thecity's top job and leaving Chicago in the lurch.
Getting out now means finishing his tenure scarred by the Olympiccollapse. Getting out now means leaving while some of Daley'sbiggest projects, the transformation of public housing perhaps mostprominently, remain incomplete, stalled out like a car with a shotcarburetor.
Despite his demurrals and recent above-the-fray attitude towardthe grit of electoral politics, politics courses through the mayor'sbloodstream. He won't leave, at least not yet.
The more interesting question then becomes whether Daley willface any credible challengers in the Democratic party primary slatedfor Feb. 2011, the election that will determine, ultimately, who getselected next April.
The issues for a challenger are most certainly there.
Any successful mayoral challenge starts with public safety. As theinvestigative magazine The Chicago Reporter noted earlier thissummer, Chicago's violent crime rate is nearly double that of NewYork City and Los Angeles, metropolises comparable in size andcomplexity to our own city. Taken together, the 11th and 15th policedistricts on the West Side had the highest per capita murder rate inthe country in 2009, an analysis published by the magazineshowed.
Daley has also left himself vulnerable with the meter privatization,an issue that's come to symbolize his administration's secretivestyle of decision making and ramrod approach to city council, whichmeekly passed the deal without asking any hard questions. Themeter privatization remains the issue that could allow a Daleychallenger to mobilize the most public anger. The deal was,arguably, the most unpopular decision during Daley's tenure. Newmeter installation was bungled, rates skyrocketed and the city hasalready spent off what was to be a rainy day fund.
A Daley opponent will criticize the meter deal and start a debateabout privatization more generally. While the deal to lease MidwayAirport has fallen through for now, many fear that the city plans tosell off the city's water system, placing the most basic resources inprivate hands. And Chicagoans don't want to pay higher water rateslike they now pay higher parking fees.
City services have lagged during the economic recession, too.Thousands of recycling bins stay stashed in a South Sidewarehouse because the city can't complete a recycling program.Roads like Lake Shore Drive buckle in the heat while too many sidestreets resemble a broken lunar landscape. The hole in the city'sbudget next year will be gaping – that's a promise - so there willlikely be services slashed even before the February election. WithCTA cutbacks and Chicago School teachers being fired, seethingfrustration with city services could be harnessed by a skilledcampaigner.
This fall, meanwhile, voters will get their property tax bills. While ahigher tax bill is not exclusively the Daley administration's fault, thesticker shock of high property taxes coupled with faulty privatization,unsatisfactory services and astronomical budget deficits providethe basic planks of an anti-Daley campaign platform.
Ethics remains an issue too. The Daley administration has beenriddled with corruption, attested by the stream of aldermen and cityemployees marching off to prison, and a Blagojevich conviction laterthis year will bring the spotlight back to government corruption onceagain.
Daley's administration has tolerated patronage hiring and doled outcontracts and subsidies to connected insiders. The occasionalapologies issued by the mayor aren't enough. A Daley opponentwill demand a full explanation for the Hired Truck outrage, for ex-Daley aide Robert Sorich's clout list and for other scandals.
A serious mayoral campaign will spark a debate about what kind ofglobal city Chicago wants to become. Adornments like MillenniumPark are fine, but can we really move forward when so manyneighborhoods are beset by violence and economic despair? Wewant the fruits of a global economy here, but we need them to bedistributed with more equity.
The late alderman Paddy Bauler once famously quipped that"Chicago ain't ready for reform." In this coming mayoral election,old Paddy may be wrong. But only if the right challenger emerges.
AN INDEPENDENT THOUGHT:HOW TO CHALLENGE THE MAYOR
by Professor Dick SimpsonOriginally published in the Chicago Journal July 14, 2010; Reprinted with permission of the author and the publisher.
STATE CHAIRAlonzo Zaragoza 133
ADMIN. VICE CHAIRC. Betty Magness 136
PROGRAM VICE CHAIRHerb Ziegeldorf 130
SECRETARYDavid K. Igasaki 111
TREASURERAviva Miriam Patt 135
POLITICALACTION CHAIRJesus G. Salazar 127Paul Bonilla 2
MEMBERSHIP CHAIRJeremy Leithold-Patt 135
COMMUNITY ACTION CHAIRLun Ye Marsh 130
NATIONALAFFAIRS CHAIRJennifer Walling 111
LEGISLATIVE ACTION CHAIRWillie Mack 130
3 AT-LARGE DELEGATESMarc Lipinski 81Paul Bonilla 79Tony Land 69
3 AT-LARGE ALTERNATESBernadette Freeman 58Alma Salazar 45Joe Laiacona 41Terri Bernstein 1Rob Carroll 1Nick Norris 1Tom O'Donnell 1Jimmy Garfiled 1
FAR NORTH CHAPTERCHAIRMaria Manolas 23David Fagus 2
VICE CHAIRCynthia Fox 22Wayne Frazier 2
2 DELEGATESRandall Leurquin 23David Fagus 18Sandra Verthein 4Paul Bonilla 1Mark Loveless 1Steve Bernstein 1
2 ALTERNATESJimmy Garfield 24Sandra Verthein 23Dan Webb 1
POLITICALACTION CHAIRCynthia Fox 21Dan Webb 1
POLITICALACTION REPPaul Bonilla 24
NEAR NORTH CHAPTERCHAIRTomO’Donnell 19Barry Aldridge 1
VICE CHAIRDavid Igasaki 19
DELEGATEWes Wager 15Jim Madigan 1Jerry Jaecks 1
POLITICALACTION CHAIRDavid Igasaki 19
POLITICALACTION REPWes Wager 17
NORTHWEST CHAPTERCHAIRJason Hernandez 5
VICE CHAIRXavier Nogueras 6
POLITICALACTION CHAIRAviva Miriam Patt 6
POLITICALACTION REPAlonso Zaragoza 5
SOUTH CHAPTERCHAIRIvory Mitchell 56
VICE CHAIRZenobia Black 54
3 DELEGATESMarian Batey 55Linda Steward 52Rob Carroll 31Carl Nyberg 23
3 ALTERNATESMary DeAmpro 54Ken Johnson 53Aneshia Spencer 53
POLITICALACTION CHAIRRobert Carroll 55
POLITICALACTION REPMarc Lipinski 54
SOUTHWEST CHAPTERCHAIRChristian Villalobos 9
VICE CHAIRGeorge Geiger Jr. 9
POLITICALACTION CHAIRJesus G. Salazar 9
POLITICALACTION REP 9Baltazar Enriquez
UNORGANIZED AREAS2 DELEGATESRich Whitehead 17JoEnne Jennings 14
PAC REP CHICAGOC. Betty Magness 11
PAC REP SUBURBSRich Whitehead 9
The following appointments weremade at the first Board meeting:
FINANCE CHAIRHilda Frontany
PR CHAIRJason Hernandez
NEWSLETTER EDITORMaria Salazar
IVI-IPO 2010-2011 BOARD ELECTION RESULTS
Do we have your email address?Email us at [email protected]
to receive legislative alerts, notices of events, and news updates
Page 6 August 2010
Page 7 August 2010
LEGISLATIVE AWARDS(continued from page 1)
“The blind process sure has resulted in an interesting list offinalists this year. I can’t wait to see how all the votes workedout and where all the finalists land. I’m also really excitedabout the buffet” says Legislative Affairs committee memberand Membership Chair Jeremy Leithold-Patt.
The legislative rubric and the ranking of the legislators will bereleased on Tuesday, September 21 at a dinner at ExchequerPub, 226 South Wabash Chicago from 6:00-8:00 p.m. Joinus to see how the finalists rank and to meet the legislators!Also, as the first event of the new board term, this will be agreat opportunity to meet the officers, committee chairs, andother Board members. The event promises to be a blast forpolitical junkies and political new-comers alike.
“The Best Legislative Voting record’s Award is a greatopportunity to meet legislators and gossip over the votingrecord. I can’t wait to spend a great evening with ourmembers – outside of a meeting!” says IVI-IPO boardmember Maria Salazar, discussing the upcoming event.
Don’t miss this event (especially the large buffet)!
Sponsorships are $100; regular tickets are $40 and can bepurchased at www.iviipo.org.
(IVI-IPO is a 501(c)(4)organization. Donations are not deductible as charitablecontributions for federal income tax purposes)
ISSUE COMMITTEES
IVI-IPO has three issues committees which are open to allmembers. The Community Action/Municipal AffairsCommittee works on issues of local concern, mainly inChicago and Cook County, and meets the 3rd Wednesday ofeach month at 5:30pm at the IVI-IPO office. (The Septembermeeting will be Tuesday, September 14 instead).
The Legislative Action Committee, which focuses on issueslikely to come before the General Assembly, and the NationalAffairs Committee, which concentrates on national andinternational issues, have been holding joint meetings to workon issues of mutual concern. They have not set a schedule forthe year yet, but you can sign up for email notification for anyof the committees at [email protected].
A-Z WORKSHOP“Everything You Need to Know About
Campaigns... From A to Z”
Saturday, October 2nd, 2010Location TBA
Topics covered:How to Set Up Your Campaign
Raising the DoughFinancial Disclosure ReportingGetting Out Your Message& Using Social NetworksVoter Registration
The Door-to-Door CampaignHow to Win on Election Day
Campaign Clinic with Prof. Dick Simpson,author ofWinning Elections
The cost of registration is $50.00 perperson, which includes a box lunch, printedmanual (Ads are available for purchase),and a CD-ROM with customizable forms.
Special Offer: $75 for the training and1 year IVI-IPO membership.
For more information or to register,please contact the IVI-IPO office at
Independent Voters of Illinois-Independent Precinct Organization1325 South Wabash #105Chicago IL 60605
Thursday, September 2, 10:00amIVI-IPO Endorsement Press Conference
Tuesday, September 14, 6:30pmSteering Committee
Wednesday, September 15, 6:00pmJudicial Review Committee
Monday, September 20, 7:00pmEndorsement interviews for Supreme & Appellate RetentionIVI-IPO Office, 1325 S Wabash #105, Chicago
Tuesday, September 21, 6:00-8:00pmBest Legislative Voting Record AwardsExchequer Pub, 226 S WabashTickets: $40; Sponsorship: $100See page 7 for more information
Wednesd ay, September 22, 6:30pmBoard Meeting
Wednesday, September 29, 6:30pmPolitical Action Committee Meeting
Saturday, October 2, 9:00am-5:00pmA-Z Campaign Training Workshop
Wednesday, October 20, 6:30pmSteering Committee Meeting
Wednesday, October 27, 6:30pmBoard Meeting
Tuesday, November 2 - ELECTION DAY
Wednesday, November 10, 6:30pmSteering Committee Meeting
Monday, November 15First Day to File Petitions for 2011 Municipal Elections
Wednesday, November 17, 6:30pmBoard Meeting
Monday, November 23Last Day to File Petitions for 2011 Municipal Elections
Thursday, December 2, 6:00-8:00pmMeet the Candidates Party
Friday, December 3, 5:00pmDeadline to apply for endorsement for 2011 election
Sunday, December 12 Time & Location TBAChicago Citywide Endorsement Session
Wednesday, December 15, 6:30pmSteering Committee Meeting
Wednesday, December 29, 6:30pmBoard Meeting - Endorsements for February Elections
2010 CALENDAR