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6 | January 16, 2020 | the mokena messenger news mokenamessengerdaily.com Candidates meet voters at Frankfort Township Democrats event Nuria Mathog Contributing Editor Five Democratic candidates competing for regional State and Congressional offices introduced themselves and greeted voters Jan. 7 during a candidate night hosted by the Frankfort Township Democrats at the Frankfort Public Library District. The event was the first of three scheduled candidates ahead of the Democratic primaries. Two other events are set for 7 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 4, and Tuesday, March 3, at the same location. Illinois’ 1st Congressional District Sarah Gad, a third-year University of Chicago Cutting Values A 22 ND CENTURY MEDIA PUBLICATION www.22ndcenturymedia.com law student, is one of four Democratic candidates running for the seat in Illinois’ 1st Congressional District, which is currently held by longtime incumbent U.S. Rep. Bobby Rush. “My community saw that there was a void in leadership and asked if I would jump into the race and run against him and possibly unseat him,” Gad said. A former medical student, Gad was severely injured during her third year of medical school after being hit by a drunk driver and developed an addiction to prescription opioids. She forged prescriptions to obtain more opioids and, because of jail overcrowding, ended up in the maximum security confinement in the Cook County jail, where she said she was sexually assaulted, beaten and stabbed. After she was released from jail, Gad struggled to find employment and worked as an overnight convenience store clerk until an attorney who specializes in wrongful conviction cases, Kathleen Zellner, offered her a job at her law firm. From there, Gad began pursuing a new path focusing on areas such as criminal justice reform. Gad said she wanted to give a voice to the residents in the district, who she said face “insurmountable challenges.” “We have unparalleled rates of gun violence in our district,” she said. Reach more than 88,000 homes and businesses in our coupon section! All ads will also appear digitally on each publication’s website. Keep a look out for yourfavorite coupon book! Appearing Feb. 27 • Reserve your ad by Jan. 31 • Approve your ad by Feb. 6 Please call 708.326.9170 to reserve your ad “We have the highest black unemployment rate in our district. Seventy percent of families live below the poverty line in the South Side of Chicago. A child living in the South Side of Chicago is eight times more likely to die of asthma because we are so burdened with toxic air pollution.” Will County Executive Democrats Nick Palmer, chief of staff for incumbent Will County Executive Larry Walsh, and State Sen. Jennifer Bertino-Tarrant (D-Shorewood) submitted bids for Walsh’s seat this election cycle. Walsh announced in August he did not intend to run for re-election. Palmer, who grew up in Joliet and graduated from Loyola University, first developed an interest in politics after a U.S. Senate internship during his time in college. He said he wanted to make a difference at the county level because “this is really where the rubber hits the road.” “At the local level, you run into your constituents at the grocery store, at the gas station, and you really implement all the policies that come down,” he said. Palmer said he wanted to work with the private and public sector to improve safety with respect to infrastructure and transportation while preserving economic development. “It’s a balance,” he said. “We wrestle with this all the time. Let’s go ahead and bring businesses in, create higher-paying jobs, give our residents opportunities locally, but also let’s not destroy the quality of life for our residents either, because Sarah Gad, a Democrat running for Illinois’s first Congressional district, addresses voters Jan. 7 during the Frankfort Township Democrats’ candidate night at the Frankfort Public Library District. Nuria Mathog/22nd Century Media Will County isn’t getting any smaller. It’s getting larger.” Bertino-Tarrant was first elected to Illinois State Senate District 49 in 2012. She has a doctorate from Loyola University, comes from a background in education and has served as an adjunct professor at several area institutions, including Joliet Junior College and the University of St. Francis. “I have a certain passion for seniors,” she said. “I have worked on and passed legislation regarding fraud, hearing aids, possible hearing aids as well. These are things that are important to everyday people, and I pride myself on being the ears and listening to what people need and then passing it.” Bertino-Tarrant said she wanted to return home to Will County to serve constituents locally on issues such as infrastructure and diversity. “We know we have a lot of truck traffic, we know we’ve got a lot of opportunities to make some improvements here,” she said. “And the State legislators will make sure Please see Democrats, 8
mokenamessengerdaily.com mokena the mokena messenger | January 16, 2020 | 7 SAVE THE DATE VALENTINE February 14, 8, 2020 “Live Mystery Show And Dinner” Valentine Entertain Me Presented by New Lenox Lions New Mystery Show By “House of Fools” Saturday, February 8, 2020 Lion’s Community Center 1 Manor Drive • New Lenox 6:30 Cocktails • 7:00 Dinner Show after dinner $35 each • Table Rates Available (Dinner and Dessert • Cash Bar) Proceeds to local Lion’s charitable events Tix / Info at skuyawa4@comcast.net or Steve Kuyawa 815-693-0818 Need aDoctor? See a DOCTOR! EVERYDAY 7AM–11PM • Board-CertifiedPhysicians • Easy Access/Parking • Prompt Attention LA PORTE RD COLORADO AVE ST. FRANCIS RD MOST INSURANCE PLANS ACCEPTED FRANKFORT (815) 464-2010 LaGrange Road @ St. Francis Road TACO BELL 45 N
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