2010 - General elections

Senator, U.S.
6 Year Term, Vote For 1
Candidate Name Party Ballot #
Mark Steven Kirk Republican 1
Alexander "Alexi" Giannoulias Democratic 2
LeAlan M. Jones Green Party 3
Mike Labno Libertarian 4


The Obama presidency has been so extraordinary, this year's congressional election is nothing less than a plebiscite on whether we wish it to continue - so the personal records of the candidates have become relevant.

Do I agree with Obama's attempt to extend health care to the un-insurable and control the financial markets so that they can't again be mainipulated to provide short-term wealth for players and long-term catastrophe for everyone else?

You bet I do - and I'm not buying the bone-headed American fundamentalism that conflates liberty with anarchy.

The job of government is to regulate for the public interest - the job of everyone else is to create, manage, invest, execute etc.


But in any other circumstance, I might be tempted to vote for Mark Kirk who might possibly accomplish more as a moderate Republican than Giannoulias would achieve as a liberal Democrat--- and God knows, the world needs more moderate Republicans





Governor and Lieutenant Governor, State of Illinois
4 Year Term, Vote For 1
Candidate Name Party Ballot #
Bill Brady & Jason Plummer Republican 17
Pat Quinn & Sheila Simon Democratic 18
Rich Whitney & Don W. Crawford Green Party 19
Lex Green & Ed Rutledge Libertarian 20
Scott Lee Cohen & Baxter B. Swilley Independent 22


Illinois has had a bad track record with governors lately - with one in prison and the other fighting hard to stay out. So honesty is a top priority as far as I'm concerned.

Quinn has proven himself to be a public service kind of public servant for many decades.

While, right off the bat, Brady is running an oblique campaign -- i.e. he's running against Obama instead of running for governor of Illinois -- by making "free market opportunities" and private health care issues in the campaign statement linked to the Cook County Clerk's website.







Attorney General, State of Illinois
4 Year Term, Vote For 1
Candidate Name Party Ballot #
Steve Kim Republican 24
Lisa Madigan Democratic 25
David F. Black Green Party 26
Bill Malan Libertarian 27


The primary job of State's Attorney is to keep politicians honest, so I can't imagine anything more foolish than electing the daughter of the state's biggest political boss. Mike Madigan, to do it.

Nor am I impressed by David Black's shopping list of liberal causes (even if I agree with all of them)

So even though I know nothing about Steve Kim, I'm hoping he will do a good job.








Secretary of State, State of Illinois
4 Year Term, Vote For 1
Candidate Name Party Ballot #
Robert Enriquez Republican 30
Jesse White Democratic 31
Josh Hanson Libertarian 32



I don't see why this job should be a life-time tenancy for Jesse White, but neither of his opponents even bothered to put their bio up on the County Clerk's website.





Comptroller, State of Illinois
4 Year Term, Vote For 1
Candidate Name Party Ballot #
Judy Baar Topinka Republican 35
David E. Miller Democratic 36
R. Erika Schafer Green Party 37
Julie Fox Libertarian 38


This one's a tough call for me.
I personally like Judy Baar Topinka, and am glad she's getting back in politics.
But why didn't she put her bio up on the County Clerk website?

And though I have zero patience with Libertarians, I like the fact that Julie Fox touts herself as a CPA for a job that should have one.

But even more, I like that David Miller promises to put the state budget online and make it interactive. So -- he's got my vote.
















Treasurer, State of Illinois
4 Year Term, Vote For 1
Candidate Name Party Ballot #
Dan Rutherford Republican 41
Robin Kelly Democratic 42
Scott K. Summers Green Party 43
James Pauly Libertarian 44



I've got to vote for Green candidate sometime -- and none of the other candidates bothered to represent themselves on the County Clerk's website.






Representative, 7th District
2 Year Term, Vote For 1
Candidate Name Party Ballot #
Mark M. Weiman Republican 47
Danny K. Davis Democratic 48
Clarence Desmond Clemons Independent 49

Once again, elections for national representatives are a plebicite on Obama, so I've got to vote for the Democrat.

It also helps that Danny Davis is the only one who bothered to put anything up on the County Clerk's website.



State Senator, 4th District
2 Year Term, Vote For 1
Candidate Name Party Ballot #
Kimberly A. Lightford Democratic 50


It's really a shame that nobody was willing to run against this life-time incumbent.




State Representative, 7th District
2 Year Term, Vote For 1
Candidate Name Party Ballot #
Karen A. Yarbrough Democratic 52
Princess Cynthia Dempsey Independent 53



How can you not vote for a woman named "Princess"?
(reminds of one of the characters in Catch-22: "Major Major")

But I'm voting for Yarbrough, anyway.

Primarily because she has made voucher schools an issue (probably because our local high school district, Provise 90, is a poster-child for shameless political corruption)

But also because the Princess has no respect for English grammar, and comes accross as a frightfully stupid jock. (she plays football and teaches martial art)




Commissioner, Metropolitan Water Reclamation District, MWRD
6 Year Term, Vote For 3
Candidate Name Party Ballot #
Paul Chialdikas Republican 55
Jimmy Lee Tillman II Republican 56
Mariyana T. Spyropoulos Democratic 57
Barbara McGowan Democratic 58
Michael A. Alvarez Democratic 59
Diana Horton Green Party 60
John "Jack" Ailey Green Party 61
Nadine Bopp Green Party 62



None of these candidates stand out, so I'll just vote Green.
Who else would you want to get rid of all our shit?








Board President, Cook County
4 Year Term, Vote For 1
Candidate Name Party Ballot #
Roger A. Keats Republican 63
Toni Preckwinkle Democratic 64
Thomas Tresser Green Party 65


At least Stroger isn't running!
Tresser just sees the campaign as a soapbox, and Keats is more concerned with taxes than services.






Clerk, Cook County
4 Year Term, Vote For 1
Candidate Name Party Ballot #
Angel Garcia Republican 66
David D. Orr Democratic 67

Here's a no-brainer.

On the one hand, we have the incumbent who has many innovations to his credit, including the voter info website that is so useful to me.

On the other hand we have the challenger whose website says "Angel Garcia wants make the political process more accessible to his constituents" -- but he won't even take the time to put a bio up on the country clerk's website.





Sheriff, Cook County
4 Year Term, Vote For 1
Candidate Name Party Ballot #
Frederick Collins Republican 68
Thomas J. Dart Democratic 69
Marshall P. Lewis Green Party 70



The Green Party candidate thinks he reminds people of
"Marshal Dillion and Wayatt Earp"
But he reminds me of someone who not only can't spell,
but doesn't even care enough to have someone proof read his text.

While neither Dart nor Collins put any info up on the County Clerk site.

Collins doesn't doesn't show much on his website other than his face, and Dart doesn't even have a website.

So this is a tough race to pick - and maybe I just won't vote on it.







Treasurer, Cook County
4 Year Term, Vote For 1
Candidate Name Party Ballot #
Carol A. Morse Republican 71
Maria Pappas Democratic 72

Here's another race in which I just won't vote.
Neither candidate puts anything up on County Clerk site,
Morse has nothing to say on her website, and Pappas doesn't even have a website.

It's very depressing.

It's as if both candidates believe that the less you know about them, the better chance they have of getting elected.



Assessor, Cook County
4 Year Term, Vote For 1
Candidate Name Party Ballot #
Sharon Strobeck-Eckersall Republican 73
Joseph Berrios Democratic 74
Robert C. Grota Green Party 75
Forrest Claypool Independent 76


Since Berrios has directed his campaign against Claypool, I'm concluding that Claypool is his closest challenger.

And since Berrios has attacked him by creating two phony Claypool websites , he's totally lost my respect.

Plus -- I'm buying the argument made by all the Chicago newspapers that the Assessor's office has been a major asset in the toolkit of the Cook County Democratic Party.

Sharon Strobeck-Eckersall argues that she is the only candidate with experience in assessing the value of real estate, but that skill is not the most important issue here.





Commissioner, Cook County Board, 1st District
4 Year Term, Vote For 1
Candidate Name Party Ballot #
Earlean Collins Democratic 77
Ronald Lawless Green Party 78


Incumbant Collins has been so invisible, the Chicago actually endorsed Lawless, the Green Party candidate.

And I think I will too.

Collins doesn't even have a website - I get the feeling the she's tired of doing this job, but doesn't have the gumption to quit.






.................................
Regarding the judges:

Here's some recommendations.



There's only one contested seat, and I'll vote for the candidate
who put something on the County Clerk site, Maureen Masterson Pulia

Regarding retention, here's the ones identified as bad apples:

Susan Jeanine McDunn
Dorothy F. Jones
Jeffrey Lawrence

while the Chicago Bar Association adds these two:

Dennis J. Morrissey
William D. O'Neal

(and none of them chose to speak up for themselves on the County Clerk site)



.................................

Judge, Illinois Appellate Court, 1st District (Vacancy of McNulty)
4 Year Term, Vote For 1
Candidate Name Party Ballot #
James R. Epstein Democratic 84

Judge, Illinois Appellate Court, 1st District (Vacancy of O'Malley)
4 Year Term, Vote For 1
Candidate Name Party Ballot #
Aurelia Marie Pucinski Democratic 85

Judge, Illinois Appellate Court, 1st District (Vacancy of South)
4 Year Term, Vote For 1
Candidate Name Party Ballot #
Mary Katherine Rochford Democratic 86

Judge, Cook County Judicial Circuit (Vacancy of Berland)
4 Year Term, Vote For 1
Candidate Name Party Ballot #
William H. Hooks Democratic 87

Judge, Cook County Judicial Circuit (Vacancy of Bronstein)
4 Year Term, Vote For 1
Candidate Name Party Ballot #
Terry MacCarthy Democratic 88

Judge, Cook County Judicial Circuit (Vacancy of Dolan)
4 Year Term, Vote For 1
Candidate Name Party Ballot #
Susan Kennedy Sullivan Democratic 89

Judge, Cook County Judicial Circuit (Vacancy of Hayes)
4 Year Term, Vote For 1
Candidate Name Party Ballot #
Raymond W. Mitchell Democratic 90

Judge, Cook County Judicial Circuit (Vacancy of Kelley)
4 Year Term, Vote For 1
Candidate Name Party Ballot #
John Patrick Callahan, Jr. Democratic 91

Judge, Cook County Judicial Circuit (Vacancy of McCarthy)
4 Year Term, Vote For 1
Candidate Name Party Ballot #
Maureen Masterson Pulia Republican 92
Daniel J. Gallagher Democratic 93

Judge, Cook County Judicial Circuit (Vacancy of O'Malley)
4 Year Term, Vote For 1
Candidate Name Party Ballot #
Thomas V. Lyons Democratic 94

Judge, Cook County Judicial Circuit (Vacancy of Riley)
4 Year Term, Vote For 1
Candidate Name Party Ballot #
Sandra G. Ramos Democratic 95

Judge, Illinois Supreme Court (Retention)
Candidate Name Yes No
Charles E. Freeman 200 201
Thomas R. Fitzgerald 202 203

Judge, Illinois Appellate Court, 1st District (Retention)
Candidate Name Yes No
Joseph Gordon 204 205
Shelvin Louise Marie Hall 206 207

Judge, Cook County Judicial Circuit (Retention)
Candidate Name Yes No
Sophia H. Hall 208 209
Irwin J. Solganick 210 211
Alexander Patrick White 212 213
Donald J. O'Brien, Jr. 214 215
Vincent Michael Gaughan 216 217
William D. Maddux 218 219
Robert W. Bertucci 220 221
Richard J. Billik, Jr. 222 223
Jennifer Duncan Brice 224 225
Thomas Michael Davy 226 227
David Delgado 228 229
Deborah Mary Dooling 230 231
Timothy C. Evans 232 233
Allen S. Goldberg 234 235
Susan Ruscitti Grussel 236 237
Cheyrl D. Ingram 238 239
Raymond L. Jagielski 240 241
Dorothy F. Jones 242 243
Daniel E. Jordan 244 245
Carol A. Kelly 246 247
Bertina E. Lampkin 248 249
Jeffrey Lawrence 250 251
William Maki 252 253
William D. O'Neal 254 255
Robert J. Quinn 256 257
Leida J. Gonzalez Santiago 258 259
Daniel J. Sullivan 260 261
Sharon Marie Sullivan 262 263
Susan Frances Zwick 264 265
Susan Jeanine McDunn 266 267
James Patrick McCarthy 268 269
Paul P. Biebel, Jr. 270 271
Nancy J. Arnold 272 273
Arnette R. Hubbard 274 275
Thomas L. Hogan 276 277
Nicholas R. Ford 278 279
Charles Patrick Burns 280 281
Thomas P. Fecarotta, Jr. 282 283
Denise Kathleen Filan 284 285
LaQuietta J. Hardy-Campbell 286 287
Nathaniel R. Howse Jr. 288 289
John Patrick Kirby 290 291
Diane Joan Larsen 292 293
Daniel Joseph Lynch 294 295
Kathleen Mary Pantle 296 297
Kevin Michael Sheehan 298 299
Paul Stralka 300 301
John D. Turner, Jr. 302 303
LeRoy K. Martin, Jr. 304 305
Paula Marie Daleo 306 307
Laurence J. Dunford 308 309
Robert Balanoff 310 311
Jeanne R. Cleveland Bernstein 312 313
Kathleen Marie Burke 314 315
Kay Marie Hanlon 316 317
Michelle Jordan 318 319
Thomas J. Kelley 320 321
William J. Kunkle 322 323
Clare Elizabeth McWilliams 324 325
Mary Lane Mikva 326 327
Patrick T. Murphy 328 329
Timothy Patrick Murphy 330 331
Sheryl Ann Pethers 332 333
Jim Ryan 334 335
Edward "Ed" Washington, II 336 337