The Doings Hinsdale

Preckwinkle launches bid for re-election as Cook County Board president

Wed, 12 Jun 2013 07:32:02 -0500

If re-elected, she’ll focus on public safety and health care, Preckwinkle, 66, said Tuesday night at a a fund-raising event at the Chicago Cultural Center. “We’re working towards the sustainability of our health-care system, and we still have some critical challenges to address in public safety, in particular in reducing the number of nonviolent offenders who are pretrial detainees in our jail,” Preckwinkle said.

Dillard receives service award

Sat, 08 Dec 2012 16:49:36 -0500

HINSDALE — The Life Services Network Award was presented to state Sen. Kirk Dillard, R-24th of Hinsdale, on Nov. 9 during a visit to Park Place in Elmhurst. The award was given for his “commitment and dedication to advancing quality older adult services,” officials said. …

Quigley commands in 5th Congressional

Sun, 09 Dec 2012 06:21:20 -0500

CHICAGO — Incumbent Mike Quigley retained a large lead over challengers Dan Schmidt and Nancy Wade Tuesday night for the 5th Congressional District. With 577 of 586 precincts reporting, Quigley had 168,052 votes, Schmidt 73,553 and Wade 14,501, according to unofficial election results. If Quigley indeed wins, he “is very honored to serve both Washington and the district for a third term,” he said Tuesday. If re-elected, Quigley plans to focus on job growth, environmental issues and health care. “I’m thrilled and excited,” he added. Green candidate Wade has been an activist since the mid-70s and became a community activist …

County commissioners give preliminary OK to new district map

Tue, 19 Jun 2012 16:26:16 -0500

A proposed map redrawing boundaries for the Cook County Board of Commissioners districts received overwhelming preliminary approval Friday. Fifteen of the 17 commissioners signed off on the plan, which is slated for a final vote Tuesday. The lone dissenting vote came from Commissioner Earlean Collins (1st District), who has voiced concerns that population shifts could result in the African-American community losing one of its five seats on the board, which has a total of 17 commissioners. Collins did not return calls seeking comment on Friday. Commissioner William Beavers (4th) did not vote on the proposal. If approved on Tuesday, the …

Dillard outspends Nybo in 24th District State Senate primary

Mon, 28 May 2012 08:13:47 -0500

Incumbent Kirk Dillard outspent challenger Chris Nybo by more than a 2-to-1 margin in the campaign leading up to the March 20 Republican primary for the newly-drawn 24th State Senate District. Dillard defeated Nybo convincingly, 19,145 to 11,928. Financial reports for the period Jan. 1-March 31 from the Illinois State Board of Elections show Dillard spent $248,129, compared to $103,654 by Nybo. Dillard also received substantially more financial support for his campaign during the same period. The incumbent from Hinsdale had contributions totaling $240,450, and Nybo had $42,604. Dillard’s campaign financial report also shows $30,446 from in-kind contributions, which are …

GOP Senators worried about pension, Medicaid funding

Mon, 09 Apr 2012 22:31:46 -0500

If some DuPage Republican Senators have their way, the state won’t be pushing its responsibility to fund teacher’s pensions off on local school districts, said three of the party’s leaders April 5. Sens. Kirk Dillard, R-24th of Hinsdale, Matt Murphy , R-28th of Palatine and Carole Pankau, R-23rd of Bloomingdale, took turns lambasting their Democratic colleagues. The Teacher’s Retirement System, one of five public sector pension systems administered by the state, is unfunded to the tune of $43 million, about half of the state’s total unfunded liabilities. Illinois Senate Bill 512 seeks to alleviate the pension shortfall by imposing a …

Biggert: Business efforts paying off

Tue, 17 Jul 2012 18:12:59 -0500

U.S. Representative Judy Biggert (R-13th District) today issued the following statement after the U.S. Department of Labor reported that the unemployment rate last month ticked down a tenth of a percent, to 8.2 percent, with the addition of 120,000 jobs in March: “At the Aurora Chamber of Commerce this week, I met with small business leaders who are working overtime each and every day to innovate and grow. These efforts are paying off and that means jobs for local families who have struggled too long with financial uncertainty. But we need to tear down the barriers that make it harder …

Biggert blasts Democrats on Medicare scare tactics

Thu, 29 Mar 2012 15:32:43 -0500

U.S. Rep. Judy Biggert (R-13th District) conducted a town hall meeting Friday with seniors at the Lake Hinsdale Village Senior Community to discuss her efforts to safeguard, improve and strengthen Social Security and Medicare for current and future retirees. She issued the following statement: “I’ve always believed that a promise made is a promise kept. And I have no intention of letting the federal government break its promise on Social Security and Medicare. “We have to face facts. Without action, Social Security is expected to go bankrupt by 2036 and Medicare by 2024. We can’t continue to expect systems created …

Biggert pushes Path to Prosperity

Mon, 21 May 2012 01:48:35 -0500

Biggert pushes Path to Prosperity …

Four seeking three spots in DuPage County Board GOP primary

Thu, 29 Mar 2012 16:03:07 -0500

Incumbents Brian Krajewski of Downers Grove and John Curran of Woodridge are facing two challengers in the March 20 Republican primary for three DuPage County Board District 3 representatives. The two Republican challengers are former board member Kenneth Moy of Hinsdale and Burr Ridge Mayor Gary Grasso. Republican incumbent Michael McMahon decided to not seek re-election. Sharon E. Bryant of Bolingbrook is the only Democratic candidate on the ballot. Krajewski, 49, is an attorney and certified public accountan. He served as mayor of Downers Grove from 1999-2007, losing a re-election bid. He was on the DuPage Water Commission from 2000-2005. …

Biggert pushes forward on homeless education

Mon, 30 Apr 2012 01:52:21 -0500

U.S. Rep. Judy Biggert (R-13th) is applauding committee passage of legislation she wrote for homeless kids as part of a bill to revamp the nation’s kindergarten through grade 12 education guidelines. The House Committee on Education and the Workforce on Tuesday voted on a House education package (House Resolution 3990), designed to reform No Child Left Behind. At Biggert’s request, the bill included provisions from legislation, H.R. 1253, the Educational Success for Children and Youth Without Homes Act, which she introduced last March to build upon the McKinney-Vento Education for Homeless Children and Youth programs implemented under NCLB. “Being without …

Dillard, Nybo react to governor’s budget

Mon, 02 Apr 2012 08:34:04 -0500

The two candidates running in the March 20 Republican primary for state senator in the newly-drawn 24th Senate District both are giving some kudos to Gov. Pat Quinn for putting a focus on doing something about pension reform and Medicaid during his Feb. 22 budget address. But incumbent Kirk Dillard of Hinsdale and challenger Chris Nybo of Elmhurst, the state representative in the 41st House District, have very different takes on why they are best-suited to help in the process of the pension and Medicaid problems. Dillard said his experience as chief of staff for then-Gov. Jim Edgar in helping …

Biggert meets with shelter providers, victim advocates

Mon, 27 Feb 2012 17:50:30 -0500

U.S. Rep. Judy Biggert (R-13th District) conducted a roundtable discussion Thursday with local leaders, victim advocates and shelter providers to gather input on congressional reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act, the nation’s primary federal statute aimed at domestic violence. The roundtable was held at Guardian Angel Community Services in Joliet, where Biggert joined representatives from Crisis Center for South Suburbia in Tinley Park, Family Shelter Service in Downers Grove and Mutual Ground in Aurora. Biggert, a co-sponsor of the last VAWA reauthorization in 2005, announced plans to work with her colleagues in the U.S. House on legislation to provide …

Dillard says letter not contrary to statements on Senate remap

Mon, 02 Apr 2012 08:13:51 -0500

State Sen. Kirk Dillard , R-24th of Hinsdale, said a letter he sent in July 2011 to York Township Republican precinct committeemen does not contradict his statements that it was a rhetorical question when he was asked by the Democratic Senate president if he was OK with representing Elmhurst when legislative districts were redrawn last year. Dillard’s opponent in the March 20 Republican primary, state Rep. Chris Nybo, R-41st of Elmhurst, said he “got squeezed in a redistricting quandary” and chose to run against Dillard because he had a special deal done for him by Senate President John Cullerton. After …

Three running to face Roskam in November

Mon, 02 Apr 2012 08:04:06 -0500

Three Democrats are in the running in the March 20 primary, hoping to represent the party in the November election against incumbent U.S. Rep. Peter Roskam, R-6th, who is running unopposed in the GOP Primary. Leslie Coolidge of Barrington Hills, Geoffrey Petzel of Lake Zurich, and Maureen Yates of Barrington are on the Democratic ballot. Tim Ritter of Cary also filed but was removed from the ballot Feb. 2, according to the Illinois State Board of Elections website. The redrawn district stretches from the far northwest suburbs including the Barrington areadown to the west suburbs including portions of Oak Brook, …