Thursday, January 31, 2013
New state senator, representative will serve with on Lt. Gov. Simon’s Firearms Working Group. Morrison also named to five committees.
State Sen. Julie Morrison (D-Deerfield) and state Rep. Scott Drury (D-Highwood) were named to Lt. Gov. Sheila Simon’s Firearms Working Group this week to help the state craft responsible gun policy. Drury and Morrison will work with other freshmen members of the Illinois General Assembly of both parties. They will meet with stakeholders like the Illinois Rifle Association, the Brady PAC, the Illinois Council Against Handgun Violence, mental health professionals, gun manufacturers and crime victims. “When it comes to this issue, the legislature has no time to lose, Morrison said in a news release. “I hope that we can reach a consensus that allows for responsible gun ownership with commonsense safety measures. The conversation needs to move …
Wednesday, January 9, 2013
Deerfield’s Julie Morrison replaces Lake Forest’s Susan Garrett as area’s state senator.
State Sen. Julie Morrison (D-Deerfield) took her seat in the 98th Illinois General Assembly today after being sworn into office fully aware of the seriousness of the job facing her yet honored to be part of the process. “The gravity of the fiscal uncertainty I will be facing is tempering the excitement I feel,” Morrison said Tuesday on her way to Springfield. Earlier: Morrison Defeats Friedman in IL 29thState Senate Race Morrison will replace former state Sen. Susan Garrett (D-Lake Forest) whose retirement became official at noon today when Morrison took her seat. Concentrating on job creation, economic development and a business friendly economic climate, Morrison also considers the environment, especially the protection of Lake Michigan…
Thursday, January 3, 2013
After 14 years in the Illinois General Assembly, state Sen. Susan Garrett gets ready to move her activism to a different arena. She recalls early days serving with President Obama.
Making Illinois government a little more transparent with high ethical standards is the legacy retiring state Sen. Susan Garrett (D-Lake Forest) hopes to leave when her 14-year career in the Illinois General Assembly ends Tuesday. Garrett, who grew up in Deerfield and has lived most of her adult life in Lake Forest, made some of her strongest contributions to issues important to the northern suburbs like transportation on rails and roads. Earlier: Photo Gallery: Colleagues Roast Garrett, May “I hope that will be in ethics reform in many different levels of leadership including the tollway, highways and Metra,” Garrett said when asked to pick one thing he believes has drawn her attention most. The office of inspector general for the …
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
State Senate President Cullerton praises new legislation to New Trier Democrats. Biss, Garrett and Nekritz disagree.
Power outages arising from a string of severe summer storms were on the mind of a number of people who came to hear state Senate President John Cullerton (D-Chicago) give the New Trier Township Democratic Organization an update on legislative affairs Sunday in Winnetka. “Is something being done with an eye to reducing the problems with ComEd (Commonwealth Edison),” Ed Bancroft of Winnetka asked Cullerton. “Will the power outages be reduced?” Cullerton took the opportunity to tell Bancroft and the rest of the crowd of more than 30 people at the Winnetka Community House about the latest legislation to regulate ComEd. On Oct. 26, the General Assembly voted to override Gov. Patrick Quinn’s veto of smart grid legislation after tweaking the …
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
May and Nekritz plan to stay in State House.
Veteran state Sen. Susan Garrett (D-Lake Forest) said today she will not seek reelection in the 2012 general election, setting up an open seat race in a district she has represented since it was drawn by the General Assembly 10 years ago. Garrett will serve the remainder of her term, which expires in January, 2013. She will retire from public life, according to a news release she sent today. Garrett currently represents all or part of Lake Forest, Lake Bluff, Highwood, Highland Park, Deerfield, Glencoe, Northbrook, Glenview and Des Plaines. The new 29th State Senate District will include less of Glencoe, Glenview and Northbrook, but take in part of Buffalo Grove. “It was a pretty easy decision,” Garrett said. “I’ve accomplished a lot …
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Legislature passes budget; pension reform will wait.
An Illinois state budget that will reduce spending by approximately $3 billion from the last fiscal year passed the state Senate Monday night and will go to Gov. Patrick Quinn for his signature. The spending plan is $1 billion less than Quinn originally proposed. The total budget package for the 2012 fiscal year, which begins July 1, is $59.1 billion, according to information provided by state Senate President John J. Cullerton’s (D-Chicago) office. Despite the cuts, local legislators felt the process was painful but more open and bipartisan than in the past. Debate was difficult but it produced the best possible results in a difficult economy, state Sen. Susan Garrett (D-Lake Forest) said. “You may not agree with the outcome, but there…
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Business consultant joins contest to unseat Dold.
Deerfield business consultant Brad Schneider became the second candidate in less than a month to declare his candidacy for the Democratic nomination to unseat freshman Rep. Robert Dold (R-Kenilworth) in the November 2012 general election. Community organizer Ilya Sheyman of Waukegan entered the race last month, though neither Schneider nor Sheyman know the new boundaries of the Tenth Congressional District. The borders are currently being redrawn by the Illinois General Assembly. The new map should be finalized this month. Economy a priority Both Schneider and Sheyman stress economic issues. Sheyman’s primary focus is rebuilding the middle class while Schneider stresses local job creation and fostering small business growth. He plans to …
Monday, May 23, 2011
Illinois General Assembly releases proposed redistricting maps for public airing.
Voters got their first glimpse at whether or not they might have a new representative in Washington, Springfield or both when the Illinois General Assembly released maps of its new legislative districts last week. After months of public hearings throughout the state and internal negotiating, the state Senate released its proposed map for its 59 constituencies. The next day, the state House released its plans for redrawing two districts, which must be contained within each Senate district, according to the Illinois Constitution. The General Assembly is working to approve the maps by May 31, when the legislative session is scheduled to end. According to the proposed maps, some residents in Lake Forest, Glencoe, Winnetka, Kenilworth, …
Monday, May 16, 2011
National Democrats give local candidates some campaign tips.
Before Rep. Robert Dold (R-Kenilworth) was sworn into office in January, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) decided his 10th Congressional District seat was one it could win in 2012. Nearly five months later, Ilya Sheyman, a community organizer from Waukegan, has formally announced his candidacy for the Democratic nomination to oppose Dold. Bradley S. Schneider, a business consultant from Deerfield, has also expressed interest. Last week they both went on an educational field trip with the DCCC. Special schooling from Plouffe, Pelosi Sheyman and Schneider were two of 34 congressional candidates to receive special schooling at a training session conducted by the DCCC in Washington. The national party has made the …
Thursday, April 28, 2011
Ilya Sheyman declares candidacy for still undrawn congressional district.
A community organizer from Waukegan became the first Democrat to declare his candidacy for the state's 10th Congressional District on Wednesday. Ilya Sheyman announced that he will pursue his party’s nomination to oppose Rep. Robert Dold (R-Kenilworth) in the 2012 general election. Though he and Dold may not live in the same district when the redistricting process is completed, Sheyman said he was compelled to start his effort now. “I can’t afford to wait until [the map] is drawn to stand up for real challenges to the American dream we are facing,” Sheyman said. Similar goals, different strategies Sheyman and Dold both want to strengthen the economy, create jobs and slash the federal deficit. However, they see different paths to …
Dan Cox
11:58 am on Friday, February 1, 2013
Lets blame the guns for what people do, lets not blame the people for their criminal actions. This is the illogical position of these Progressive Liberals, yet they sqeal like pigs and run for the hills if they get scared, by a noise. more ›