Local areas looking for more involvement on election ballots
By ERIC LINDEN

For the first time in nearly 10 years, Oak Park has a solid chance to
have one village residents in the Illinois General Assembly--perhaps
even as many as three or more of its own.

An Oak Park resident has not been in the state legislature since Philip
Rock retired from the State Senate in 1992, and now, ironically, 
Don Harmon, a protégé of Rock's and the current Democratic Party
committeeman, has the best chance to gain election to the
legislature--from a Senate seat that would have been Rock's. After
INITIAL filing this week, Harmon is unopposed for the Democratic
nomination for the 39th District Senate seat and will be heavily 
favored to gain election in November over Republican James 
Caparusso of Franklin Park.

That pairing gives Harmon a better election chance than other Oak
Parkers. Better than Dorothy Reid in the also-new 78th House District,
much better than Ronald Lawless, who is running again for election in
the 4th Senate District, where he has lost two previous election bids
and infinitely better than Oak Park resident Robert Dallas, who is
running as a Republican in a very Democratic district that Dallas lost
by a landslide in 2000, or Republican Mark Tunney of Oak Park, who is
even less well known than Dallas.

After the remap of Illinois government districts at several levels
following this year's U.S. Census, Oak Park and River Forest remain
divided into a bevy of legislative districts. Some will be contested in
the March 2002 primary elections and other elections won't be decided
until next November's general election. Here's a brief and initial look
at the upcoming election contests.

ILLINOIS HOUSE

78th District: This is the new district created by Democrats who
controlled the redistricting this time. The 78th extends from the 
Austin area of Chicago east of Oak Park and west through parts of Oak Park,
River Forest and other suburbs to Berkeley near the DuPage County line.
This new district is diverse and decidedly Democratic, so it's no
surprise that no Republicans have decided to seek election in the
district, which means the March primary election will determine the 
next state Representative from among the following four Democrats.

* Deborah L. Graham, 146 N. Parkside Ave., Chicago, an ally of 29th 
Ward Ald. and Ward Committeeman Isaac Carothers and who is backed
by Mayor Daley and at least some members of the Democratic Party
of Oak Park

* Ted E. Leverenz, 291 Silver Lane, Melrose Park, a former state
representative who last served in 1992, when he was defeated for
re-election

* Jesus "Jesse" Martinez, 1544 No. 43rd Ave., Stone Park

* Dorothy M. Reid, 828 N. Austin Blvd., No. 201, Oak Park, a current
member of the school board of Oak Park Elementary School District 97 
and the president of the NAACP Oak Park branch

7th District: This district is slightly changed from the current one
that is represented by State Rep. Karen Yarbrough of Maywood. The major
change is a reduction of the district's part of Oak Park and the
inclusion of a major part of River Forest, although none of the
Democrats on the March 2002 primary ballot is from the local villages.

* James O. Bishop, 315 50th Ave., Bellwood, Democrat
* Joyce Eaker Porter, 4700 St. Charles Road, Bellwood, Democrat
* Karen A. Yarbrough, 217 S. Second Ave., Maywood, Democrat

8th District: This district again includes an area of southeast Oak
Park, is overwhelmingly Democratic and features a re-election bid by
incumbent State Rep. Calvin Giles, who is supported by Regular 
Democrats and who is the nephew of a former Chicago alderman 
who was convicted in the Operation Silver Shovel corruption probe. 
The one surprise here is the candidacy of a Republican from the 
Austin community who will be a major underdog in the 
November 2002 general election.

* Democrat: Calvin L. Giles, 4905 W. Ohio St., Chicago
* Republican: Glenn L. Harris, 840 N. Laramie Ave., Chicago

ILLINOIS SENATE

4th District: Like the 7th State Representative District, this Senate
district includes parts of Oak Park, River Forest and Forest Park--plus
major areas to the east and west of the three villages. Five of the
communities in 4th Senate District--Austin and four suburbs--are
represented by the six candidates in the March primary, and none is a
Republican.

* Jason C. Ervin, 4238 W. Washington Blvd., Chicago
* Wolfgang M. King, 1504 Kenilworth Ave., Berwyn
* Gregory M. LaNier, 1132 Suffolk Ave., Westchester
* Kimberly Lightford, 1903 S. 10th Ave., Maywood
* Ronald Lawless, 211 N. Grove Ave., Oak Park
* Lydia C. Williams-Burnett, 5450 W. Quincy, Chicago

39th District: Given the Democrat leanings of this new Senate district,
it would appear that Oak Parker Harmon will be all but guaranteed
election to the office next November. That the Oak Park Democratic
committeeman faces no primary opposition is somewhat surprising, given
that the district is new that some political interests in Proviso
Township have been grumbling about the Oak Park-Austin influence in the
new 78th District House seat.

* Don Harmon, 950 Augusta St., Oak Park, Democrat
* James S. Caporusso, 2602 Silver Creek, Franklin Park, Republican

U.S. CONGRESS

7th District: After next year's general election, this district will
include all of both Oak Park and River Forest. Incumbent 
U.S. Rep. Danny K. Davis is running uncontested in the primary
and would face one of three Republicans in the November 
general election--as a huge favorite.

* Danny Davis, 5956 W. Race Ave., Chicago, Democrat
* Robert Dallas, 844 N. Humphrey Ave., Oak Park, Republican
* Byron F Reed, 519 S. 7th Ave., Maywood, Republican
* Mark Tunney, 1220 N. Kenilworth Ave., Oak Park, Republican

COOK COUNTY BOARD

1st District: Oak Park is divided into two districts that elect members
of the Cook County Board. The incumbent is Earlean Collins, who 
formerly represented parts of Oak Park and Austin in the Illinois Senate, and 
her chief challenger among the four Democrats is Iola McGowan of Austin, a
long-time Regular Democratic political operative who now is the
committeewoman for the 7th Congressional District on the Democratic
Party's State Central Committee.

* Earlean Collins, 5939 W. Race Ave., Chicago, Democrat
* Iola McGowan, 5839 W. Midway Park, Chicago, Democrat
* Luther Franklin Spence, 1107 Nichols Lane, Maywood, Democrat
* Ivan V. Williams, 201 48th Ave., Bellwood, Democrat

9th District: This redrawn district still includes a part of northwest
Oak Park, but now also includes River Forest, among other areas. The
incumbent here is Peter Silvestri, who also is the village president of
Emwood Park and a member of the Leyden Township Republican 
organization.

Any of the Democrats seeking their party's nomination for next
November's election will be underdogs to Silvestri, including Robert
Martwick, a former Cook County Superintendent of Schools and now a
village trustee in northwest suburban Norridge.

* Peter N. Silvestri, 7715 W. Armitage, Elmwood Park, Republican
* Fred Marshall, 5818 N. Markham, Chicago, Democrat
* Robert Martwick. 4138 N. Olcott, Norridge, Democrat
* John F. McCabe, 5456 N. Oriole Ave., Chicago Democrat

PARTY OFFICES

Township Committeeman: The incumbents in Oak Park and River Forest are
unopposed for re-election, while in Proviso Township, which includes
Forest Park, State Sen. Thomas Walsh is unopposed for re-election on 
the Republican side and a spirited contest shapes up between three
candidate, including State Rep. Yarbrough and Eugene Moore, the
incumbent committeeman, a former state representative and now the Cook
County Recorder of Deeds.

Oak Park Democrat
* Don Harmon, 950 Augusta St., Oak Park
Oak Park Republican
* Steven W. Meyer, 1025 S. Oak Park

River Forest Democrat
* John F. Hosty, 7628 W. Washington
River Forest Republican
* Richard A. Walsh, 823 Ashland Ave.

Proviso Democrat
* Paul "Paulie" Esparza, 216 N. 3rd Ave., Maywood
* Eugene Moore, 1001 N. 2nd Ave., Maywood
* Karen Yarbrough, 217 S. 2nd Ave., Maywood

Proviso Republican
* Thomas J. Walsh, 350 N. Edgewood Park, LaGrange

State Central Committee
7th District committeeman:
* Danny K. Davis, 5956 W. Race Ave., Chicago

7th District committeewoman:
* Georgia Clayton, 5501 W. Cortez, Chicago
* Mary Russell, 5930 W. Race Ave., Chicago
* Darlene Williams-Burnett, 1648 W. Warren Blvd., Chicago
* Iola McGowan, 5839 W. Midway Park, Chicago

OTHER OFFICES/ELSEWHERE

* Michael R. Clancy, 801 N. Euclid Ave., 
Oak Park Democrat Cook County Circuit judge

* Bob Coleman, 914 Ashland Ave. River Forest, 
Republican, Illinois Attorney General

* Lewis Nixon, 310 Ashland Ave., River Forest, 
Democrat, Cook County Circuit judge

* Marian S. Ming, 625 N. Euclid Ave., Oak Park, 
Democrat, 11th Subcircuit vacancy

* Patrick Quinn, 1852 N. Nashville, Ave., Chicago.
Democrat, Lieutenant Governor. Quinn is a former State 
Treasurer and former Oak Park resident who now lives in 
the Galewood community north of Oak Park

* Angelo "Skip" Saviano, 7730 W. Belden Ave.,
Elmwood Park, an incumbent state representative whose 
district currently includes River Forest and a part of Oak Park,
but whose district was redrawn by Democrats

* Mary Anne Spillane, 929 S. Clarence Ave., Oak Park, 
11th Subcircuit vacancy, Democrat