Congressman Brad Schneider

Former Congressman Robert Dold (R-Kenilworth) announced recently that he will challenge Rep. Brad Schneider (D-Deerfield). This will be the third time Dold has run for Congress in the 10th District.

The Hill listed Dold as one of John Boehner’s “100 loyal soldiers.” While in Congress, Dold voted with the Republicans more than 80 percent of the time. If you’re concerned about gridlock in Washington, the last thing you want is another Republican voting against anything President Obama supports.

Dold is a rare bird: A challenger with a record. We won’t forget why we voted Dold out last year.

Dold Voted to Allow Drilling in the Great Lakes. On February 16, 2012, Dold joined House Republicans and voted against a measure that would have prevented oil and gas exploration in the Great Lakes and the Florida Everglades. [HR 3408, Vote #70, 2/16/12; Congressional Record, H884, 2/16/12]

Dold Voted to defund Planned Parenthood. Dold voted for a bill that would have “reinstated the D.C. abortion ban, eliminated the Title X family-planning program, defunded Planned Parenthood, reinstated the global gag rule, and eliminated funding for the United Nations Population Fund.” [HR 1,Vote #147, 2/19/11; NARAL’s Congressional Record on Choice, 2011]

Dold Opposed Employee Non-Discrimination Act. Dold filled out a questionnaire from the Illinois Family Institute indicating that he opposed the Employment Non-Discrimination Act of 2009 (ENDA), which “gives homosexual and transsexual individuals protected class status in the workplace,” according to the Institute. [Illinois Family Institute Voter Guide for Illinois Primary Election, accessed 5/02/13; HR 317, introduced 6/24/09]

Dold Opposed Marriage Equality. In 2010, Dold said “I believe marriage is between a man and a woman.” [Daily Herald, 10/26/10]

Dold Voted for Ryan Budget That “Would Essentially End Medicare.” Dold twice voted for the Republican budget plan authored by Rep. Paul Ryan. The Wall Street Journal wrote, “The plan would essentially end Medicare, which now pays most of the health-care bills for 48 million elderly and disabled Americans, as a program that directly pays those bills.” [H Con. Res. 34, Vote #277, 4/15/11; Wall Street Journal, 4/04/11; H Con Res 112, Vote #151, 3/29/12]

In previous elections, Dold and his allies harped about how terrible it was that Dan Seals lived outside the district, even though Dan’s kids went to school in the district, his house was within the boundaries of the district under the previous map, and one could throw a football from his backyard into the district.

Dold now lives much farther outside the district than Dan did and Dold’s kids don’t go to school in our district. Dold got a pass on this issue in the last election, but he’s had plenty of time now to move. Dan said he’d move if he won, but that wasn’t good enough for Dold. Let’s see if Dold applies the same standard to himself that he applied to others.

Brad Schneider is fighting for our agenda in Congress. Brad serves on the Foreign Affairs Committee and the Small Business Committee. He’s only been in office for four months, but here’s some of what he’s done so far:

• Helped introduce the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, which prohibits employers from firing, refusing to hire or discriminating against an employee based on sexual orientation or gender identity.
• Cosponsored the Safe Schools Improvement Act.
• Joined his colleagues in calling on the Supreme Court to overturn the so-called Defense of Marriage Act.
• Supported the Illinois General Assembly’s marriage equality bill.
• Cosponsored and voted for the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2013.
• Cosponsored and helped introduce the Nuclear Iran Prevention Act.
• Cosponsored the United States Israel Strategic Partnership Act.
• Introduced the bipartisan American Manufacturing Efficiency and Retraining Investment Collaboration Achievement (AMERICA) Works Act to help build a skilled American workforce.
• Cosponsored the Gun Trafficking Prevention Act, which would finally make gun trafficking a federal crime.
• Backed the President’s plan to close the gun show loophole, extending basic background checks to all retail gun sales; to enact a new Assault Weapons Ban, which will take deadly military-style weapons off the streets; to outlaw the sale of high-capacity magazines that accommodate dozens of rounds of ammunition; and to enhance the national system of background checks, combining information from all 50 states.
• Cosponsored the Paycheck Fairness Act that helps uncover gender pay discrimination.

Congressman Schneider has earned our support. Robert Dold has earned our distrust. We can and will do all we can to re-elect Brad Schneider.

–Tenth Dems

(Front, l-r) Cynthia Plouché, Anne Flanigan Bassi, Gail Feiger Brown; (Back, l-r) Cindy Wolfson, Dwayne Douglas, Amy Zisook, Olga Gomez Aguilar

Democrats will continue to provide outstanding, cost-effective service to Moraine Township residents for the next four years.  The team that was unanimously slated by the Democratic caucus last December won the April 9, 2013, general election:  Anne Flanigan Bassi, Township Supervisor; Cynthia Plouché, Township Assessor;  Gail Feiger Brown, Township Clerk;  Olga Gomez Aguilar, Dwayne Douglas, Cindy Wolfson, and Amy Zisook, Township Trustees.

“We are fortunate that individuals of this caliber stepped forward to serve our residents,” said Lauren Beth Gash, Moraine Township Democratic Organization Chair.

“Our team represents a cross-section of the age, geographic and cultural demographics of the township, and has devoted decades of volunteer effort to helping residents in our community,” noted Bassi, who has represented most of the Moraine Township geographic area on the Lake County Board for the last ten years. “We can leverage our resources more effectively through partnerships, and my experience on the County Board will help us understand the regional resources available to help our residents here in Moraine.”

Members of the team are committed to working hard to ensure that Moraine Township government operates with compassion to provide a safety net for our neediest residents.
–Tenth Dems

Democrats, even those who lost their overall races, won every 2012 race on the ballot by landslide margins within Moraine Township on November 6, 2012.  Virtually all of them won at least 60% of the vote.   The high vote totals in Moraine Township demonstrate that voters in the township share Democratic values and trust Democrats to handle important issues, both nationally and locally.

The next event scheduled for MTDO is a Candidate Meet-and-Greet at 7 pm on Tuesday, March 19, at Miramar Bistro, 301 Waukegan Avenue in Highwood. Many local candidates running in the municipal elections on April 9 will be in attendance, including those running for city councils, park boards and school boards and the Democratic slate running for Moraine Township offices.

For more information or to RSVP, visit morainedems.org, email info@morainedems.org, or call 847-433-8344.

Moraine Township includes most of Highland Park, all of Highwood, and parts of Deerfield and Lake Forest.

Dawn Clark Netsch

Dear Friends,

We mourn the loss of Dawn Clark Netsch, an icon in Illinois government and Democratic politics.  As you may know, she passed away Tuesday, March 5, at the age of 86.

Dawn’s reputation as a straight shooter helped her break barriers throughout her career. Over the course of her nearly sixty years of public service, she served as state senator and state comptroller—one of the first women elected to the state Senate and the very first woman elected to an Illinois statewide office. During my first years as a state legislator in Springfield, I had the privilege of working with her when she was state comptroller, and I am grateful for her in-district help in my campaigns.

In 1994, Dawn became the first woman from either major party to win the primary nomination for governor in Illinois. As a public servant and as a law professor at Northwestern University, where she taught state and local government (in fact, she was my professor for that course before I served in the state legislature), she inspired countless people to be involved in their communities.

She remained active in politics and nonprofit work during the last years of her life. She was an early and influential advocate for marriage equality, common sense laws to prevent gun violence, and ethical and campaign reforms in politics and government.

Dawn very recently renewed her membership with the Tenth Congressional District Democrats, and we have been honored to count her as a member of our Tenth Dems family.

She will be missed by those who knew of her and her work. She was a trailblazer for women and an inspiration to all.

Dawn Clark Netsch was a true Illinois hero.

Lauren

P.S. Services will be private, followed by a public memorial. Details to be announced.

On December 4, our Team*Moraine was unanimously nominated by the Moraine Township Democratic Caucus to run for township government in the April 9 election. Collectively, we represent a cross section of the age, geographic, and cultural demographics of the township and have devoted decades of professional and volunteer effort to helping residents of our community.   We ask for your help and support to take our commitment to a new level of service.

For Supervisor

Anne Flanigan Bassi

Township Supervisor: Oversees human services provided by township and administers office.  Anne served from 2002-2012 on the Lake County Board, Lake County Forest Preserve Board, Lake County Stormwater Management Commission, Lake County Affordable Housing Commission, and many other regional public/private partnerships. She also was a member of the Highland Park/Highwood District 111 School Board. Currently she serves on the Highland Park Human Services Task Force, Friends for Health, Community Family Center, Advisory Board for Community Partners for Affordable Housing, Highland Park, and Hospital Community Advisory Committee. She is a former co-president of the Highland Park/Highwood League of Women Voters and served on other community boards, including that of the North Shore Unitarian Church.  Anne holds an M.S. in taxation from DePaul University and a B.S. in accounting from Drake University and is a licensed C.P.A.  She and her husband, Vic Bassi, have called Highland Park home since 1973 and raised two daughters here.

For Clerk

Gail Feiger Brown

Township Clerk: Serves as the local election authority, responds to Freedom of Information Act requests, and maintains documents.  Gail has more than two decades of leadership with the League of Women Voters, having served as president of both the Highland Park and Lake County Leagues, voter registration chair, and past co-chair of the Illinois League’s Election Administration Reform Committee.  She currently serves on the Highland Park Human Services Task Force and co-chaired its Needs Assessments Workshops.  She is also a court-appointed Special Advocate for CASA Lake County.  Gail devoted many years to co-chairing Welfare Council, formerly with United Way and now with the Highland Park Community Foundation.  Among other  community activities, she serves on the Community Family Center Board and is active at North Suburban Synagogue Beth El.  A graduate of Chicago-Kent College of Law with an undergraduate degree from Smith College, Gail was a Cook County Assistant State’s Attorney.  She and her husband, Andrew, grew up in Highland Park and raised three children here.

For Assessor

Cynthia Plouché

Township Assessor: Establishes property values and assessments.  Cynthia is an Illinois C.I.A.O. (Certified Illinois Assessing Officer) and holds an M.B.A. in finance from the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, and a B.A. in psychology and social relations from Harvard University.  Her twenty-five years of experience in financial services and investment management industries include a decade as Audit Committee Chair and Lead Trustee for AXA Premier VIP Trust, a family of mutual funds.  Her public and community service includes the Moraine Township Board, North Shore School District 112 Board of Education, State of Illinois P-20 Council, and Congregation Solel’s Board of Directors and social justice and finance committees. Cynthia and her husband, Joe Rafson, have three daughters and have been township residents for more than twenty years.

For Township Trustees

Trustees: Provide budget oversight, policy development, and community outreach.

Olga Gomez Aguilar

A lifelong resident of Highland Park and Highwood, Olga is a graduate of Highland Park High School and Oak Terrace School  in Highwood, which her children now attend. Olga is president-elect  of the Oak Terrace P.T.A. (the first Latina to hold the position) and served on the board of Tri-Con Child Care Center (her former preschool).   Olga is employed by Lake County’s North Shore Health Center in Highland Park and has helped connect client families with Moraine Township services; she was instrumental in initiating the Moraine Township Pantry Plants Garden Project.  Olga and her husband, Roman, are raising their two young children in Highwood.

Dwayne Douglas

Dwayne has served as a Moraine Township Trustee since 2009; he is the township’s  liaison to the Latino Advisory Committee and the Highland Park Human Relations Commission and is ethics advisor for Moraine Township government. Dwayne is president of the Jefferson Inn of Court, an organization of lawyers and judges dedicated to ethics, legal education, and professionalism, and is co-chair of Prairie State Legal Services’ Campaign for Legal Services. In 2004 and 2012,  Dwayne received awards from the Lake County Bar Association for his service to the indigent. Dwayne is a graduate of Chicago-Kent College of Law.  He and his wife, Chris, have lived in Highland Park since 2003; their daughter attends Edgewood Middle School.

Cindy Wolfson

Active in community service her entire adult life, Cindy has focused on domestic violence education and on awareness and advocacy of issues affecting the lives of women, children, and families. She serves on the board of the National Council of  Jewish Women, leading this national network of state policy advocates on issues such as equality, health care, immigration, and social justice.   She has called Highland Park home for the past twenty-seven years and, along with her late husband, Larry, raised three daughters here.

Amy Zisook

Amy’s career spans business, government and politics; she was a White House Special Assistant to President Bill Clinton and vice president of civic and government affairs at the Chicago Board Options Exchange.  As president of Amy Zisook & Associates, her clients have included the Clinton for President Committee, U.S. Senator Paul Simon, then-Congressman Dick Durbin, and the Chicago Bar Association.  Amy is a  graduate of Miami University of Ohio with a B.S. in finance.  Her community involvement includes tireless work for the Highland Park/Highwood Community Family Center, vice presidency of the Lincoln School P.T.A., and active memberhip in the social action committee of North Suburban Synagogue Beth El.  Amy is a graduate of Highland Park High School, and she and her husband, David Rosen, are raising their family in the community where Amy grew up.

For more information, contact: TeamMoraine@gmail.com or phone (847)579-9873.

Township Team*Moraine
840 Kimballwood Lane, Highland Park, IL 60035

The chapel service was held on Thursday, February 7, at 2:30 pm at the Shalom Memorial Funeral Home, 1700 West Rand Road in Arlington Heights.  For more information, call 847-255-3520.

In lieu of flowers, donations to the following would be welcome:

The Prader-Willi Syndrome Foundation
8588 Porter Park Drive
Sarasota, FL  34238

or

Glenkirk
3504 Commercial Avenue
Northbrook, IL  60062

Thank you.

Congressman Brad Schneider

Deerfield resident Brad Schneider was officially sworn in to the 113th Congress on January 4 in Washington, DC. State Senator-Elect Julie Morrison and State Representative-Elect Scott Drury took their oaths of office in Springfield the following week. The Moraine Township Democratic Organization is proud that Moraine Township played a significant role in their victories.

A recent analysis of November’s election results shows Democrats received an overwhelming amount of support in Moraine Township. In every race, Democrats in Moraine Township outperformed almost every other area in Lake County.

On the top of the ticket, President Obama won 67.4% to Mitt Romney’s 31.5%. In the US Congressional race, Representative Brad Schneider received an incredible 61% of ballots cast, compared to his opponent Bob Dold’s 39%.

Democrats running for Lake County Clerk, Coroner, Recorder, and State’s Attorney won with a nearly 2-1 advantage in Moraine Township, together earning 42,614 votes to the Republicans’ 21,799. Although not every Lake County Democratic candidate won their race, every Democratic candidate won a significant majority in Moraine Township.

“Democrats did well in Moraine Township because our voters share Democratic values,” said Hon. Lauren Beth Gash, Chair of the Moraine Township Democratic Organization. “Our community simply thinks that Democrats are better-suited to handle the issues that matter to us.”

Moraine Democrats’ strength was also demonstrated in state legislative races. In the 29th District State Senate race, Julie Morrison defeated Republican Arie Friedman with a commanding 63.5% to Friedman’s 36.5%, despite the fact that he lives in Highland Park. She will join State Representative-Elect Scott Drury (D-Highland Park) in Springfield. Drury defeated his Republican opponent Mark Shaw 69% to 31%.

Democrat Rupam Dave beat her Highland Park Republican opponent Keith Brin with 57.9% of the vote for Clerk of the Court. Tom Rudd, the Democratic candidate for Coroner, beat Steve Newton, 66.9% to 33.1%. Mary Ellen Vanderventer defeated Bob Bednar in the race for Recorder of Deeds, 72.2% to 27.8%. North Shore Sanitary District commissioner Dan Pierce won his race with no opponent. Democratic State’s Attorney candidate Chris Kennedy outperformed Republican Mike Nerheim by 67.6% to 32.4%.

The Moraine Township Democrats held their quadrennial Township slating caucus with a standing-room-only crowd Tuesday evening, December 4, 2012. Their next event will be held on January 26th. Moraine Township includes most of Highland Park, parts of Deerfield and Lake Forest, and all of Highwood. More information about the 2013 township slate, upcoming events, and the Moraine Township Democratic Organization is available by calling 847-433-8344, by email at info@morainedems.org, or online at http://morainedems.org.

President Obama was reelected easily. We didn’t even need Florida. Closer to home, Brad Schneider edged out Tea Party Republican Robert Dold to become the first Democrat to represent the 10th District in 38 years, and only the second Democrat to represent the 10th District in a century.

It was a harrowing night. Lake County does not release the early votes until all precincts have reported the election day votes, and Brad was thousands of votes behind for most of the night. And then, suddenly, the early votes were tabulated all at once, and Brad was ahead, and ahead to stay.

Now it’s the Republicans’ turn to figure out why they lost and who to run next time. We have our candidate. Strike that. We have our congressman! Brad pulled together a great campaign team and despite being outspent two to one managed to turn the 10th District blue.

We won. Our mission now is to keep the seat. First-term incumbents are frequently vulnerable. The party that controls the White House (that’s us!) tends to lose in mid-term elections, so the Republicans will see this seat, our seat, as a takeover opportunity. We need to keep organizing, keep talking, and keep doing all we can to support Brad so that he wins reelection in 2014.

But 2014 is a long way away. Actually, it’s just around the corner, but we can still take a few moments, perhaps between now and President Obama’s inauguration, to savor our victories and to wake up every day knowing not only that Barack Obama is our president, but also that Brad Schneider is our congressman.

–Steve Sheffey, Tenth Dems

Front row (l-r): Cynthia Plouché, Anne Flanigan Bassi, Gail Feiger Brown; Back row (l-r): Cindy Wolfson, Dwayne Douglas, Amy Zisook, Olga Gomez Aguilar

The excitement was palpable in the standing-room only crowd as Moraine Township Democrats held their quadrennial township slating caucus Tuesday evening, December 4, 2012.   The overwhelming turnout at the Highland Park Recreation Center signaled that, after successfully fielding Democratic slates for Moraine Township government in 2005 and 2009, Democrats are enthusiastic and willing to work for this impressive new team of candidates in the April 9, 2013, consolidated election.

The following candidates were unanimously slated by the Democratic caucus to run in the April 9, 2013, general election: Anne Flanigan Bassi for township supervisor; Cynthia Plouché for township assessor; Gail Feiger Brown for township clerk; Olga Gomez Aguilar, Dwayne Douglas, Cindy Wolfson and Amy Zisook for township trustees.

“We are fortunate that candidates of this caliber have stepped forward to run,” said Lauren Beth Gash, chair of Moraine Township Democratic Organization.  “Moraine Township is statistically about 70 percent Democratic, and a Democratic slate lets voters know that this team shares the values of our community.”

“Our team represents a cross-section of the age, geographic and cultural demographics of the township and has devoted decades of volunteer effort to helping residents in our community,” noted Bassi, who has represented most of the Moraine Township geographic area on the Lake County Board for the past ten years.  “We can leverage our resources more effectively through partnerships, and my experience on the County Board will help us understand the regional resources available to help our residents here in Moraine.”

Plouché, a Wharton MBA and Illinois Certified CIAO running for township assessor, is committed to fairness and equity in the assessment process:  “Residents have a right to understand their assessment, and I will work to ensure transparency.”

“There is rightly a lot of discussion about duplicative and unnecessary layers of government in Illinois,” noted Zisook, who is slated for one of the township trustee positions.  “However, township government is not duplicative of other levels of government, and is the only unit of government designed almost exclusively to address human needs.  Other levels of government correctly prioritize resources for public safety, roads and infrastructure; when resources diminish, basic human services often fall off the agenda.”

Brown, a past president of the League of Women Voters of Highland Park and longtime Welfare Council co-chair, slated for township clerk, observed, “Township government’s cost is less than $50 a year for the average $250,000 house, and nearly half of that amount goes toward the assessor’s functions.  The balance is used to fund general and emergency assistance, para-transit services for seniors, disabled and low income residents, a food pantry, township cemeteries, and grants that have kept our social service agencies afloat during difficult economic times.”  Added Wolfson, long-time community activist and Trustee candidate, “Township government meets human services and needs in a way no other arm of government is prepared to do, and does so efficiently and inexpensively.”

“We are fortunate indeed to live in a community where people genuinely care about their neighbors,” noted Olga Gomez Aguilar, an outreach worker at the North Shore Health Center, also running for township trustee, “and I look forward to serving the community in this new role.”

Dwayne Douglas, currently serving as a Moraine Township trustee and slated for reelection, looks forward to working with this new team to analyze where Moraine Township government might provide even better services to residents efficiently and economically.

Members of the team are committed to working hard to ensure that Moraine Township government operates with compassion to provide a safety net for our neediest residents.

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