Who’s on the local ballot for Tuesday’s election
By Matt Hanley mhanley@stmedianetwork.com November 3, 2012 4:42PM
Steven Buyansky~Sun-Times Media
Updated: December 5, 2012 6:30AM
On Wednesday, your phone will ring a little less often, you’ll get a little less mail, and you’ll get a lot less love from local politicians.
If you hadn’t noticed, Tuesday is Election Day.
And while the presidential race has grabbed most of the national headlines, there are plenty of contested smaller races that will have a dramatic impact on how your money is spent in Springfield, Washington and in your county. No matter who wins, Tuesday means change in the Fox Valley.
Between races for the county boards in Kane, DuPage and Cook counties; the Illinois General Assembly; and local congressional districts, there are more than 30 contested elections in The Courier-News area. Most of those races feature incumbents, but there are brand new districts, too. The Democratic Party-controlled state legislature made major changes to a number of congressional and legislative districts, including the 8th Congressional District and the 33rd State Senate District, both of which cover parts of the Elgin area.
Several communities also are holding referendums, including the East Dundee Fire Protection District seeking approval of a $5.5 million bond issue to build a new fire station, and the village of Gilberts asking approval to levy a recreation tax of 2 cents per $100 assessed valuation.
Below is a brief look at area contested congressional, state legislature and Kane County candidates.
The polls will be open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday.
CONGRESS
6th DISTRICT
District facts: When Democrats redraw the congressional districts, they reportedly decided to emphasize putting more Democratically inclined voters into the adjoining 8th and sacrificed the 6th, which for many years was home to Rep. Henry Hyde and for two terms has been represented by Republican Peter Roskam. Still, the district is much less solidly GOP than in its old alignment when it centered on DuPage County. Now it reaches into Kane, Cook, Lake and McHenry counties, too.
Who’s running?
Leslie Coolidge, Barrington Hills, Democrat. A Harvard-educated certified public accountant and former partner in KPMG, she beat two challengers handily in the primary but has her hands full against a deep-pocketed, established opponent. www.coolidgeforcongress.com
Peter Roskam, Wheaton, Republican. The chief deputy majority whip in the House (the GOP’s No. 4-ranking leader there), Roskam beat Tammy Duckworth to be elected to his first term in 2006. www.roskamforcongress.com
8th DISTRICT
District facts: This is one of the districts that the whole nation has its eye on, as high-profile arch-conservative Joe Walsh faces an assault from Iraq War heroine Tammy Duckworth, who has been moved by the redistricting pen from the 6th District into the 8th. The district includes the eastern part of Elgin plus parts of Cook, DuPage and Kane counties.
Who’s running?
Tammy Duckworth, Hoffman Estates, Democrat. Born to a U.S. military man and a mother of Chinese ancestry, Duckworth lost both legs while flying a helicopter in combat in Iraq in 2004. After working as assistant secretary of veterans affairs, she ran unsuccessfully against Roskam for Congress in 2010. www.tammyduckworth.com
Joe Walsh, McHenry, Republican. An idol of the anti-tax, anti-government tea party set, Walsh got into Congress with a surprise win over incumbent Melissa Bean in 2010 despite allegations about unpaid child support, unpaid taxes and a hair-trigger temper. www.walshforcongress.com
14th District
District facts: The new 14th Congressional District touches seven counties, including Kane, Kendall and DuPage. It stretches from Illinois’ northern border, south to Kendall County and Naperville, while grabbing large chunks of the Hampshire-Huntley area and Tri-Cities along the way.
Who’s running?
Dennis Anderson, Gurnee, Democrat. Anderson is a first-time political candidate who has worked as an administrator in the medical research field, mostly at Loyola University’s Cardinal Bernardin Cancer Center. www.dennisforcongress.com
Incumbent Rep. Randy Hultgren, Winfield Township, Republican. The former DuPage County Board member was elected to the Illinois House in 1999, then the Illinois Senate in 2007. In 2010, he beat Bill Foster for the congressional seat in the 14th District. Hultgrenforcongress.com
ILLINOIS HOUSE
44th DISTRICT
District facts: Covers the Streamwood-Hoffman Estates area.
Who’s running?
Fred Crespo, Hoffman Estates, Democrat. A former real estate agent, Crespo has represented the 44th since 2007.
Ramiro Juarez, Streamwood, Republican. A primary-school teacher, Juarez was born and grew up in Arlington Heights. www.juarezforillinois.com
ILLINOIS SENATE
22nd DISTRICT
District facts: The 22nd includes most of Elgin and East Dundee plus the east side of Carpentersville and much of Streamwood and Hoffman Estates.
Who’s running?
Michael Noland, Elgin, Democrat. A lawyer who believes in walking door to door all over his district and holding numerous town hall meetings, Noland has represented the once-Republican district since 2007. noland.org
Cary Collins, Hoffman Estates, Republican. When nobody ran in the Republican primary, GOP leadership slated Collins to take on Noland. An attorney who specializes in administrative, municipal and pension law, he is a former Hoffman Estates Village Board member. www.cjcollins4senate.com
25th District
District facts: Longtime state Sen. Chris Lauzen, a Republican, decided not to run for re-election and instead is running for Kane County Board chairman. The 25th District follows Route 47 from Yorkville to St. Charles on its western half. In general, the eastern half of the district covers most of the area between Route 31 and Route 59 from Elgin to Interstate 88.
Who’s running?
Corinne Pierog, St. Charles, Democrat. Pierog is the owner of Sustainable Leadership Solutions and a member of the St. Charles School Board since 2009. www.ElectCorinnePierog.com
Jim Oberweis, Republican, Sugar Grove. Oberweis is chairman of Oberweis dairy company and founder of the Oberweis Asset Management investment firm. He previously ran for governor, the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House. jimoberweis.com
KANE COUNTY
County Board Chairman
Who’s running?
Chris Lauzen, Republican, Aurora. Lauzen has been a state senator representing the Aurora area since 1992. He is a former tax accountant. www.lauzen.com
Sue Klinkhamer, Democrat, St. Charles. Klinkhamer was mayor of St. Charles from 1997 through 2005, then worked in the offices of Chicago Mayor Richard Daley and former U.S. Rep. Bill Foster. www.klinkhamer4kane.com
Other countywide races
County Clerk: Democrat, Edmund Nendick; Republican, Tom Hartwell
Auditor: No Democrat; Republican, Terry Hunt; Libertarian, Julie Fox
Coroner: Democrat, Tao Martinez; Republican, Robert “Rob” Russell
Recorder: Democrat, Brenda Rodgers; Republican, incumbent Sandy Wegman
Resident judge: Democrat, John Dalton; Republican, John Walters
County Board
District 14: Democrat, Nadia Blanc Daley; Republican, Mark Davoust*
District 16: Democrat, Jennifer Barconi; Republican, Michael Kenyon*
District 17: Democrat, Deborah Allan*; Republican, Jeffrey Meyer
District 18: Democrat, Kerri Branson; Republican, Drew Frasz
District 19: Democrat, Hidayat Khan; Republican, Kurt Kojzarek
District 20: Democrat, Cristina Castro*; Republican, Henoch Fuentes
District 21: Democrat, Darren Parochelli; Republican, Rebecca Gillam
District 22: Democrat, Bob Getz; Republican, Douglas Scheflow
District 23: Democrat, Kevin S. Smith; Republican, Maggie Auger*
* incumbent
