Application for Consideration for 7th Senate District Vacancy Rep.

While it would be impossible to fill the shoes of Sen. Steans, I am excited by the prospect of continuing her pioneering work in the Senate, and of expanding my current service area to familiar territory in West Andersonville, Uptown, Bowmanville, Lincoln Square, Ravenswood and West Rogers Park.

As many of you know, I’ve worked most of my adult life organizing and advocating all along the lakefront neighborhoods of the North Side. Prior to joining the General Assembly in 2011, I worked at NOW, ran the district office of then Sen. , and spent 10 years in the office of the Cook County State’s Attorney, first as part of the legislative team primarily focused on reform proposals, then taking over as chief budget negotiator and director of our grants unit. There, I took the office from roughly $7 million a year in grants to nearly $30 million, mostly supporting programs aimed at domestic violence, sexual assault, hate crimes, victims services, mortgage fraud, and many other innovations over the years.

Taking all of those experiences and combining them into a single toolbox has been key to my ability to be seen as one of the most effective legislators in Springfield.

As a legislator, my practice has always been to carry my bill through both chambers by working closely with the Senate sponsor, giving me a leg up on the operations of that chamber as we head into a particularly impactful year. Having productive working relationships on both sides of the aisle in both chambers will allow me to get right to work as we head into a very challenging session.

This year, we must confront several pressing concerns in Springfield. We face serious budgetary challenges brought on by the failure of the Fair Tax amendment and the impact of COVID-19 on our economy. We must address the needs of residents and businesses in the pandemic. We still have unfinished work around addressing the ills of systemic racism and our broken criminal justice system. And we must also complete our once-a-decade duty to produce fair and representative district maps for Congress and the General Assembly. Given the shifts in population and concerns about the accuracy of last year’s census, this map process will likely be unlike any other, especially in light

1 of Governor Pritzker’s promise to veto any map that isn’t produced fairly. All of this will require experienced leadership to ensure that the needs of our district are addressed.

In my time in the House, I have been fortunate to work in coalition with members on both sides of the aisle to pass significant legislation impacting the lives of Illinoisans. My very first bill protected people from prosecution when they sought assistance for someone experiencing an overdose. Many are familiar with some of the more high profile legislative victories I’ve helped lead on since then, such as the Reproductive Health Act (RHA), the ban on for-profit immigration detention centers, the ban on conversion therapy, legalizing adult-use cannabis, and others. Time and again, I’ve been told that the things I’m taking on are “too big” and that tends to only get me more fired up. Whether it was constantly being told not to fight Speaker Madigan because he couldn’t be beaten, or that it was too much to take on the RHA, cannabis, and ICE detention centers in the same year, I’ve always found that bold leadership in the face of the status quo tends to lead to progress for our communities.

Most recently, I’m proud to have created an alternative path for survivors of sexual assault to seek services without having to go to a hospital in the pandemic. I am invested in the work we do because I know the impact we can have on people’s lives, in large and small ways.

Having played both supporting and leading roles in many of the biggest legislative achievements of the last 9 years, I am aware of the importance of teamwork in bringing about big change. While I was the lead sponsor of the Reproductive Health Act, the victory truly belonged to the first-term women of the 101st General Assembly, who refused to take no for an answer when Speaker Madigan and others tried to prevent the bill’s passage. This experience was satisfying on multiple levels, especially the opportunity to empower new members to take ownership of the issue and elevate their voices.

I hope to take the breadth of this experience with me to the to continue to forge ahead for the causes of racial justice, workers rights, LGBTQIA+ and gender equality, environmental justice and more.

Thank you for your consideration. I hope I can count on your support.

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2 KELLY M. CASSIDY 7366 N. Ashland Chicago, IL 60626 773/742-5100

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

Illinois General Assembly th Representative, 14 ​ district, May 2011 to present ​ ​ Committee Assignments: (102nd GA) Chair of Restorative Justice Committee. Other committee assignments pending. (101st GA) Public Safety Appropriations (Chair), Human Services, Labor & Commerce and Judiciary-Criminal(Vice-chair), Adoption & Child Welfare, Prescription Drug Affordability. Previous assignments include Environmental Health and Higher Education Appropriations.

Legislative achievements include passage of legislation legalizing cannabis, the Reproductive Health Act establishing access to reproductive health care as a fundamental right, prohibiting for profit immigrant detention centers, protections for those who seek medical attention for people experiencing heroin overdose, bullying prevention, marriage equality, criminal record sealing and reentry assistance, and gun control. Member of House Democratic budget negotiating team.

Outside of the legislative session, constituent services and outreach include individual advocacy on behalf of constituents in need of assistance with state services ranging from public assistance to small business supports. Representing one of the most diverse districts in the state provides the opportunity to interact with a wide range of people on a daily basis and requires the ability to quickly resolve problems.

Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office Director of Programs and Development, September 2001 to May 2011 ​ Represent the Office before the Cook County Board, including testimony at hearings, significant involvement in the budgetary hearing process as well as policy initiatives at the county and federal levels. Monitor appropriations process at state and federal level and provide briefings and updates to appropriate staff within the office. Responsible for administration of more than $10 million in 28 grant funded programs. Supervise a staff of three grant writers and researchers. Collaborate with staff throughout the office to determine funding and programming needs. Seek out grant funds for new initiatives, respond to funding opportunities and interact with funding agencies at local, state and federal levels. Participate in peer review panels for grant programs. Offer support and advice to smaller jurisdictions and agencies. Cooperate with partner agencies on developing new initiatives and implementing programs.

Deputy Director of Intergovernmental Affairs April, 1997 to September 2001 ​ Communicate with local, state and federal elected officials on policy initiatives. Extensive lobbying in Springfield and Washington on criminal justice issues. Develop legislative proposals to respond to needs of office. Lobbying, public speaking and outreach on many topics including hate crimes, domestic violence, juvenile justice reform and court alternative programs.

3 Provide briefings on legislative initiatives for the State’s Attorney. Prepare testimony for both state and federal legislative hearings, either for a witness from the office or as a witness on behalf of the office. Worked on many special projects including the office annual report, “The Prosecutors Guide to Hate Crimes,” a manual for prosecutors that has been distributed nationally and a countywide gun dealer control initiative involving a countywide series of public hearings. Created public training programs on significant issues. Created a series of community based trainings on hate crime prevention. Activated constituency advocates on behalf of legislative initiatives such as state and federal hate crimes legislation, domestic violence initiatives and juvenile justice reform. Provided briefing materials and training for advocacy.

State Senator John J. Cullerton Legislative Aide, August, 1993 to April, 1997 ​ Manage daily operation of district service office and staff. Advocate on behalf of constituents with state, federal and local government agencies, research legislative initiatives. Respond to constituent inquiries concerning legislation and state government. Work with community leaders and organizations on legislative issues and community events. Design and implement strategies for the Senator's legislative agenda. Produce weekly cable television program. Write newsletters, articles and press releases and plan special events, including a series of town hall meetings with other area legislators. Responsible for maintaining contact with community organizations and leaders in a very diverse district and communicating with groups about the Senator's efforts in Springfield in his absence. Additional responsibilities include speech writing, coordinating testimony and lobbying efforts on legislative issues, legislative correspondence, scheduling and making presentations to colleges, schools and community groups on the legislative and electoral processes.

Cullerton for Congress Deputy Campaign Manager, January, 1994 to March, 1994 ​ Supervised field operation, scheduling, and mandatory Federal Elections Commission reporting. Prepared position papers and briefings. Supervised setup and daily operation of campaign headquarters. Maintained computer systems and database. Responsible for coordinating endorsement efforts, responding to candidate questionnaires and communicating with community organizations, planned and executed community forums and fundraising events.

National Organization for Women, Chicago Chapter Legislative Director, February, 1991 to May, 1993 ​ Provided staff guidance for Legislative Action Committee, worked with National and Illinois NOW as well as other chapters nationwide on legislation and education. Coalition work with other political and community organizations. Drafted legislation, worked directly with state and federal legislators and staff on legislative initiatives. Responsible for writing position papers, action alerts and fact sheets on the chapter's legislative priorities. Created legislative education program presented to schools, community groups and NOW members. Designed and maintained a database to track voting records, bill status and contact with legislators. Developed and administered a legislative phone tree. Coordinated chapter volunteer and intern activities,

4 fundraising, writing for chapter newsletter, provided staff leadership for chapter's Multicultural Action, Membership and Rights Committees. Considerable media relations and public speaking activities. planned and coordinated special events and fundraisers. Also responsible for electoral organizing On behalf of the Chicago NOW Political Action Committee.

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