Kelly Cassidy State Representative for the 14 District
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Kelly Cassidy State Representative for the 14th District Kelly Cassidy is an American politician from Chicago. She is a Democrat and a member of the Illinois House of Representatives. She was selected to represent the 14th district, on Chicago's North Side, in April 2011 following incumbent Harry Osterman's election to the Chicago City Council. She was sworn-in on May 16, 2011 by Justice Mary Jane Theis of the Illinois Supreme Court. Cassidy is a longtime assistant in the Cook County state’s attorney’s office. She has served since 2001 as the director of programs and development for the state's attorney's office and, before that, worked as the office's legislative liaison. Previously, Cassidy had worked as the legislative director for the Chicago chapter of the National Organization for Women and once worked for state senate president John Cullerton, running his district office. Following state representative Harry Osterman's election as 48th ward alderman in February 2011, Cassidy was one of 23 candidates to seek appointment as his successor in the state house. The 14th district, which Osterman was vacating and Cassidy now represents, includes the neighborhoods of Edgewater, Andersonville and Rogers Park. Per Illinois law, the vacancy was filled by Democratic committeemen from the wards making up the district, their votes weighted to reflect the share of the district falling in each ward. Because more than half of the 14th district's voters live in Chicago's 48th ward, that ward's committeeman – former state senator Carol Ronen – cast more than half of the votes and could singlehandedly pick Osterman's successor. On April 17, the committeemen unanimously selected Cassidy to fill the vacancy. Cassidy is openly lesbian. She lives with her three sons in Andersonville. She is one of three openly LGBT members of the Illinois General Assembly, alongside Reps. Greg Harris and Deb Mell, both Chicago Democrats. .