Please Pick Me Up, I’m FREE! There is much to be learned in these pages Fall / Election - 5769/2008 ’S MOST RESPECTED JEWISH PUBLICATION In the right corner it’s John McCain and in the left corner it’s In a Main Event for the Ages! Shapiro Alvarez and Peraica challenges face off for Brown for States Attorney Clerk of the Circuit Court Santos, Meany & Avilla run for MWRD reelection

Complete Election Guide Inside Have we got some quality Judges for you? The Most Complete Judicial Review in Town! His candidacy never really got very far out of the starting gate. A scandal in the deployment Jewish Chicago Election Analysis of New York resources for his benefit (not cash, but personal interests) and poorly conceived campaign strategy caused him to drop out of the race right before primary election day in Illinois, by Avy Meyers but after Jewish Chicago had hit the streets and endorsed him for the Republican nomination. McCain was second choice. Through out the two years that this presidential election campaign has been underway, there Governor Mitt Romney, who was favored by some, contended very early, but not for long. have been a never ending series of surprises. While this close to the November 4th election, the McCain wrapped up his parties nomination early in the process, and stood by and watched outcome seems apparent, the surprises should continue well after election day and the inauguration Senator Hillary Clinton and Obama go at each other. He laid off attacking early, preferring to of our new president. build his base and save his best shots for later. McCain has been a consistent friend and supporter Before running down every office from the presidency to the judiciary and a call for a new of Israel through out his career. There have been better friends, but not very many. constitutional convention, it is important for everyone to know the criteria used in making McCain has always been thought of as a decent man, especially for an elected official. The endorsements and recommendations. We are looking for the best combination of quality for both maverick label is more than just a campaign tag, he has often had the courage of his convictions the Jewish community as well as our city, county, state and country. Want a President who is to publicly battle the leadership of the Republican Party. Of course the Democrats brought up going to appoint liberal or conservative justices to the supreme court? That is not our concern. McCain’s role in the Keating Five scandal in which five senators, Alan Cranston (D-CA), Dennis We subscribe to neither party or ideology. We want the best candidate. We believe in practical DeConcini (D-AZ), John Glenn (D-OH), John McCain (R-AZ), and Donald W. Riegle (D-MI), solutions for practical problems while always keeping the best interest of the Jewish Community were accused of improperly intervening in 1987 on behalf of Charles H. Keating, Jr., chairman of in mind. the Lincoln Savings and Loan Association, who was investigated by the Federal Home Loan Bank While I produce and host a weekly cable television neighborhood news show, it is a different Board (FHLBB). The FHLBB did not take any action. entity than Jewish Chicago. The Senate Ethics Committee determined in 1991 that Alan Cranston, Dennis DeConcini, and If you are reading this publication at http://avyworld.com/ on a computer that is hooked up to Donald Riegle had interfered with the FHLBB in its investigation of Lincoln Savings. Cranston the web, all you have to do is double click on any active web address in this publication and that was reprimanded. Senators John Glenn and John McCain were cleared of improper actions but web site will open in a secondary window. criticized for exercising “poor judgment”. Israel and the Jewish Religion That is about the only real scar on his record and it can be argued that he has learned well from Every true Jewish soul understands that our spiritual home is, was and will be Israel. It can’t just this incident and has become a better man as a result. be any old stretch of land where we gather. When Menachem Begin was Prime Minister of Israel, In the 2000 Republican Primary he was the victim of dirty tricks courtesy of the George W. he visited the Moetzes G’dolei HaTorah, the council of great Rabbinical Sages for advice and Bush campaign. McCain and Bush made peace, which is something virtually every intelligent council. They told him, that whenever someone asks what claim the Jewish people have to Israel, politician who wants to survive, does with his party’s victors if he wants to remain on the scene. tell them it is ours because G-d gave Israel to our forefather Avrohom and to his future generations The Democrats linking McCain to Bush is a good strategy due to Bush’s low popularity with the (us) until the end of time as stated in the Torah. American people. Prime Minister Begin followed their advice and in doing so not only told it the way it is, McCain is his own man and he has his own ideas. Of course Republican’s will have more but sancitified G-d’s name in the process. It is important to remember that Judaism is in fact a similarities than they do with Democrats and the opposite is of course true. religion. In an October 14th article in Forbes, (http://www.forbes.com/opinions/2008/10/13/israel- mccain-obama-oped-cx_mbo_1013oren.html) Michael B. Oren, a Senior Fellow at the Shalem The Presidential Election Center, a Jerusalem-based research facility, where he specializes in the diplomatic and military Neither Senator John McCain or Senator Barack Obama was the first choice of very many history of the Middle East, has written extensively for The New York Times, The Wall Street Jewish voters. Journal, and The New Republic, has been interviewed on CNN, Fox, The Charlie Rose Show, The On the Republican side, former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani was the first pick of many, he Daily Show, and Today. Oren, the CBS Middle East expert, found the following in comparing the stood extremely strong for Israel and had a great history with New York’s Jewish community. His Israel policy of John McCain and Senator Barack Obama. (The following 6 paragraphs, the first actions during 9/11 made him a national hero. five in open quotes, through the final paragraph which has an end quote are taken directly from this very Forbes article.) “Apart from their common commitment to Israel and to the search for peace between it and the Arabs, Barack Obama and John McCain differ significantly on virtually every issue. “McCain, for example, favors transferring the U.S. embassy, situated in Tel Aviv, to Jerusalem - an action certain to antagonize the Arabs - while Obama has not supported the move. Obama, on the other hand, has expressed reservations about Israeli settlement-building in the West Bank, while McCain has overlooked the matter. “McCain has called on the Palestinian Authority to live up to its obligations to clamp down on terror, but Obama has stopped short of making such a demand. Obama has supported Israel’s cease fire with Hamas in Gaza and its peace talks with Syria; McCain opposes both. “McCain insists that the Arab-Israeli conflict cannot be solved without first confronting Islamic radicalism. Obama believes that the Arab-Israeli dispute, though not the root of all Middle Eastern conflicts, is nevertheless a “constant sore” that “infects all of our foreign policy. “The differences between the candidates on a continued American military presence in Iraq and proposed talks with Iran are well-documented. McCain favors the first and opposes the second, and Obama’s positions are exactly reversed. Regarding the war on terror, Obama advocates a return to the Clinton-era treatment of terrorists as criminals who should be tried by the justice system. McCain, by contrast, upholds the Bush Doctrine of preemption and the defeat of terror by extra-Constitutional means. “Which of these policies are best for Israel depends on one’s definition of best. Some might prefer an America that is even-handed in peace talks, dedicated to achieving a comprehensive Arab-Israeli agreement and open to dialogue with its enemies. Others favor an America that is more sympathetic to Israel in negotiations, committed to fighting Islamic radicalism and ready to act preemptively - unilaterally if necessary - against terror. An America led by McCain or Obama will pursue substantially different courses in the Middle East, impelling Israel down widely divergent paths.” This country usually works best when the Democrats and Republicans take turns being in power and neither has control of the presidency together with both houses of Congress. Clinton was president for 8 years, then it was time for a Republican, but certainly not George W. Bush. Jewish Chicago backed McCain in the 2000 primaries and none of the Democrats. When it came up Bush v. Gore, I backed Gore. I still can’t believe that at that time, anybody ever voted for Bush for Dog Catcher, let alone Governor or President. By the same theory, it would seem to be that this is the right time for a Democratic Presidency. Jewish Chicago strongly backed Hillary Clinton and stated in our primary issue: “there is absolutely no reason any Jewish person should be voting for Obama, none!” Conservative, pro-Israel columnist Dennis Prager in a recent column (http://townhall.com/ columnists/DennisPrager/2008/10/14/there_are_two_irreconcilable_americas) opined that he always felt that both liberal and conservative Americans had a vision of the same America, they just differed on ways to get there. He now says he realizes the left have a whole different vision of the America they envision than he and his right wing colleagues. Good morning Dennis. The Law Office I have never understood why it is that certain issues have never been permanently resolved. Democratic Vice-Presidential Candidate Joseph Biden stated on Meet the Press that he feels of that way about abortion. He says that as a practicing Catholic he is personally not for abortion but understands that many feel differently and that there is no stopping abortion in this country. Therefore, he says no law or actions should be made or taken to prohibit abortion, but as so many morally and religiously oppose abortion, the government should not fund abortions. They need to stay out of the entire area of abortion permanently which is a highly intelligent stance with which I totally agree. Instead let’s focus on top issues such as National Security, the Economy and Health Care. There are other problems that fall into the same category that aren’t being resolved after James P. Nally, P.C. decades of fighting because there are increasingly larger divisions between the Democratic and Republican parties stronger left and right wings. While I still believe that the majority of Americans would prefer a moderate administration, the extremists in each party have prevailed all too often in recent years, In 2004 Senator John Kerry’s voting record was the single most liberal of all 100 Senators not to mention he was the wealthiest of all 535 members of Congress. As bad as Bush is, it took that sort of record, plus a lesser support of Israel on Kerry’s part for Jewish Chicago to hold its’ nose and endorse Bush last time. In 2008, the single most liberal United States Senator is Illinois’ own Barack Obama who according to the highly respected National Journal had a composite liberal rating of 95.5. His Eight South Michigan vice presidential running mate, Senator Joseph Biden at 94.2 is third. Interestingly enough, the first self-proclaimed socialist to become a US senator, Bernie Saunders, I-Vt., is fourth with a Suite 3500 93.7 rating. By comparison, Hillary Clinton is 16th at 82.8. John McCain’s last conservative rating was among the least conservative and most moderate Chicago, Illinois 60603 in the Republican party. That unquestionably explains why many of the Republican faithful were not all that excited up about McCain’s candidacy and why he chose someone as conservative as Alaska Governor Sara Palin for his VP. Palin appeals to the party faithful, she not only talks the talk, giving birth to a downs syndrome baby shows she more than walks the anti-abortion walk. She seemed like a total breath of fresh air and her choice brought McCain’s numbers up in the polls. Her lack of grasp on international issues explains some of McCain’s slide, but the economy is what is really burying McCain these tel 312-422-5560 days. Some may say she is not qualified to be president because until recently, she had no reason to fax 312-346-7999 familiarize herself with many of the issues in the Presidential campaign. It is a valid question, though note that you should be voting for the presidential portion of the ballot, not the vice president. Since Obama is only in his fourth year of his term, and probably started running for President around the time he made his speech at the Democratic Convention a little over 4 years ago, he also lacks reason to start getting into Obama’s relationship here with convicted felon Tony Rezko, experience. William Ayers, et al. They have been covered ad infinitum. Read John Kass in the Tribune or Now my favorite local Rabbi disagrees with me. He Steve Rhodes of Division Street (http://divisionstreet.wordpress.com/) and the Beachwood compares Obama to a blank sheet of paper. There is a lot to Reporter (http://www.beachwoodreporter.com/) for a detailed view on what is real. that. Look at Obama’s history. While he presided over the I do find Obama’s 20 year relationship with Reverend Jeremiah Wright, extremely Harvard Law Review, he never wrote an article. He voted disturbing. Obama must have heard those hate filled sermons early and often. He surely present 130 times in the , an unacceptably thought enough of Wright to chose him to preform his marriage ceremony. He never would ridiculously high amount. Listen to Obama speak. He has a have left the church if it wasn’t going to hurt him politically. special gift, he sounds so good, but put the words on paper I find the idea that Obama passes himself off as a reformer who will change this country and examine them. Even more than most politicians, he so for the better, particularly laughable. He is a product of a political machine loaded with often says absolutely nothing, but he almost always sounds corruption and has never once reprimanded any of the local leadership. great saying them. His mentor Emil Jones is extra ordinarily skilled at keeping things profitable for his Of course he slipped some in the final debate with McCain family, so many of whom are affiliated with Comm Ed. Jones is more responsible than when he actually started talking about redistributing the anyone for our increasingly higher electric bills. Jones allied himself with Rod Blagojevich wealth. A golden opportunity like many others that McCain to make sure reform didn’t come anywhere near Illinois State Government. In withdrawing failed to work to his advantage. from his November Senate reelection bid, he did so in such a way that his son was simply Obama has to be one of the luckiest men on the face of this appointed to his Democratic slot on the ballot without having to undergo a primary election. earth in that personal scandals involving his main rivals in Jones is awaiting appointment to an important position in the Obama administration. both the primary and general elections led to Obama having The best reasons to vote for Obama is that there will surely be a lot of money flowing into a virtually unchallenged path to his Senate seat. I have no our state courtesy of his relationship with Daley, Jones and the all rest. They are not backing Obama out of the goodness of their heart or their genuine desire for change and reform. So does that make McCain the choice? No. While McCain did warn of possible economic trouble, he has a strong history of deregulation which is a sound idea if everybody is being honest and above board. I am surely no expert on the economy, but it wasn’t hard to figure out that increasingly larger numbers of houses had mortgages that exceeded their worth, making it a virtual no brainer for people to simply walk away from those homes while losing virtually nothing in the process. For this and more, deregulation didn’t work. McCain’s latest plan actually calls for something of a bigger bailout’s than Obama’s and doesn’t make much sense to those in the know. I’m not saying that Obama plan is any great shakes. It would seem doubtful that there is any way to avoid a serious recession. The single worst economic period since the great depression. Generally speaking, Republican style economics, haven’t worked well here. While in actuality, the Clinton administration initiated the present situation, his economic policies were more Republican than Democrat. If Israel is your sole criteria in voting for President, it would be best to go with McCain. Still, McCain has botched opportunities and I don’t much care for how his vision would move this country. When I see Obama, it appears he has been dreaming of running for President his whole life. The same way some pretend they are going to be this, that or the other thing, Obama was pretending to be President. Now it gets real. Obama is an incredibly unpleasant surprise waiting to happen. He is almost a sure winner and has mesmerized otherwise sensible people with his gobbledygook. It really is time for a Democrat, sure wish it wasn’t Obama. Though there are likeable things about McCain, his stance on Israel and his foreign policy experience in particular, there is serious trouble at home he is not equipped to handle. Neither is Obama. Jewish Chicago makes no recommendation in the 2008 Presidential election.

Congressional Races Senator Richard Durbin, the Democratic Whip in the U.S. Senate won election to the house in 1982 as a staunch ally of Israel against Arab ally Congressman Paul Finley. In 1996 he won election to the Senate replacing Senator Paul Simon. While his moderate politics have moved to the left over the years, his support of Israel in unwavering and his voting record according to http://www.washingtonpac.com/ run by former AIPAC Executive Director Morris Amitay, whose columns have appeared in Jewish Chicago since 1982 has a perfect record of support on Israel. Jewish Chicago strongly endorses Dick Durbin for reelection to the US Senate. Congressman Rahm Emanuel has risen to the highest ranks of the Democratic House leadership in a very brief time. He was the last major holdout in Illinois to back Obama. He is a former soldier in the Israeli army and is one of the staunchest advocates of Israel on Capital Hill. Jewish Chicago endorses Rahm Emanuel in the 5th District In the 8th Congressional District, Democratic Congresswoman Melissa Bean is being challenged by Republican Steve Greenberg. Despite Bean’s brief tenure in Washington, she has received the fourth most money of anyone in Congress from super failures Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Her overall performance shows that she largely catered to the special interests that fund her. Greenberg has fresh ideas, an open mind and is solid on Israel. Jewish Chicago endorses Steve Greenberg for Congress. Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky a ten year incumbent in the 9th District and there is speculation she will replace Obama in the Senate after he becomes President. Schakowsky has built a viable political machine and fully acknowledged in an interview on my show that politics is a blood sport. She has been looking to build bridges to enhance her power. At the recent Agudath Israel Banquet, a highly right wing organization, their Political Lobbyist Yechiel (Mark) Kailish asked guest speaker Cook County Commissioner Larry Suffredin to mention Schakowsky and Obama in his speech. While Suffredin was applauded for mentioning most names, the room got real silent when he mentioned Schakowsky and Obama. Suffredin hasn’t always backed Schakowsky’s candidates. Jewish Chicago predicts Kailish and Schakowsky are conspiring against a very decent public official. The original choice for their guest speaker, Mayor Richard M. Daley chose not to return their calls. Republican challenger Michael Benjamin Younan sure has a lot of signs up, but seems to have stopped campaigning. He failed to answer his invitation to appear on my show, be interviewed for Jewish Chicago and failed to return the candidate questionnaire for a suburban newspaper chain, In the 10th Congressional District, Congressman Mark Kirk, a moderate Republican has an exemplary record of support for Israel. His Democratic Challenger, Dan Seals talks the talk when it comes Israel, but given Kirk’s proven track record, he is the pick. Jewish Chicago strongly endorses the reelection of Congressman Mark Kirk. Cook County Races Before Obama got nominated, it looked like there was a real possibility of a serious race for Cook County States Attorney. Obama’s political coat tails will aid virtually every Democratic candidate in Illinois this year. Illinois Democrats will be going to the polls in very large numbers for Obama this year. County Commissioner, Tony Peraica, endorsed by Jewish Chicago narrowly lost to Cook County Board President Todd Stroeger 2 years ago. He breezed through the Republican Primary. To the surprise of most, political new comer, Anita Alvarez, 3rd in command at the Cook County States Attorney’s office defeated 5 male opponents to win the Democratic nomination. Peraica puts on a very entertaining show and his charges of a corrupt “Crook County” Democratic Machine would have rung very true against most of the Democratic males. Not so with Alvarez. In fact Alvarez won with out the support of the regular Cook County Democratic Organization. Both Alvarez and Peraica have appeared twice on my show, The North Town News Magazine. To view footage: http://ntnm.org. Alvarez has a sincere desire to do a good job and put her personal touch on the States Attorney’s office. She has talked about bringing back neighborhood prosecution offices throughout the area which would help bring the office in closer contact to the general public. As much as I like Tony Peraica, in this case, Jewish Chicago endorses Anita Alvarez #32 for Cook County States Attorney. In the race for Clerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County, incumbent Dorothy Brown, faces a Jewish challenger, 46th ward Republican Committeeman Diane Shapiro. Shapiro has spent 32 years in the Clerks Office and says more needs to be done to modernize and bring the office up to date. Brown has taken great pride in her efforts to modernize the Clerk’s office and integrate communications among various County, State Court systems and law enforcement agencies. She has continually been praised by various newspapers for her efforts. Her unsuccessful run for Mayor against Richard M. Daley did not ingratiate her with Daley and his supporters. While Shapiro has some impressive qualities, Jewish Chicago endorses Dorothy Brown #35 for reelection. Recorder of Deeds Eugene Moore #38 faces challenger Gregory Goldstein, who I have never met. Moore’s claim to fame has been computerizing old records and shortly there will be over 50 years of records available on the web for public use. Jewish Chicago endorses Eugene Moore.

The best run governmental agency in the State of Illinois is the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago. The people that work there act like it is a real business. The Commissioners, led by President Terry O’Brien have a real sense of pride in what they do. They consistently come in under budget year after year. They rebate the leftover money back to the public. They continually come up with new initiatives to make the county greener. The track record of the current commissioners keeping overflows out of Lake Michigan has been exemplary. Three Commissioners out of the nine are up for election every other year. All three incumbents have terrific track records and deserve your vote. Jewish Chicago endorses Kathleen Therese Michael C. Moses Meany #24, Cynthia Santos #25 and Frank Avila #23 for reelection. Attorney at Law State Senate and House In the 8th Senatorial District, 10 year incumbent Senator Ira Silverstein is running for a 4th term. Silverstein, an Orthodox Jew who is the former Springfield office suite mate of Senator Barack Obama has always been johnny on the spot when Jewish legislation needs to be introduced. Whether it was legislation for Mezuzahs in condos or whatever the legitimate 2335 W. Devon Ave needs of the Jewish community, he takes care of things. He introduces numerous bills for the shelter care industry. An independent, he succeeded in trouncing Alderman Berny Stone for the 50th ward Committeeman’s Chicago, IL, 60659 slot. The struggle weakened both and certainly harmed what little power the Chicago Jewish community has. It succeeds in keeping things safe for his legislative partner State Representative Lou Lang and opens the door to Call 773-508-0100 Fax 773-508-0111 cutting a deal with Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky, who backed Silverstein in his fight against Stone. Naisy Dolar who lost to Stone in a runoff and backed Silverstein, is relocating to Florida. Daley who also backed Silverstein 3 bedrooms, finished den and House for Sale: 6755 N. Washtenaw in his race, is a wild card in any future equation. basement. New bathrooms, new roof and Leaf-Guardgutter system, new 2- car garage, Silverstein is actually one of a number of candidates vying to be President of the State Senate up-dated kitchen, refinished hard-floors, new basement windows and much more. Close to in light of Jones’ resignation. Jewish Chicago strongly endorses Ira Silverstein for reelection schools, temples and transportation. Phone 773-931-6755 for more info. to the State Senate. In the 9th District, incumbent Jeff Schoenberg is running unopposed. He is also campaigning www.caps24.org to be President of the Senate. Schoenberg is way too liberal for almost anyone’s taste, but we are suckers for Jewish Day School graduates. He has a terrific mind for finances and is surely one of the most knowledgeable elected officials in Illinois on the subject of finances and the state budget. Jewish Chicago endorses Jeff Schoenberg for reelection. for all your Community Policing meetings and In the 33rd District, incumbent Dan Kotowski is a rare individual that stands by his principles and would rather knock on doors and get to know his constituents face to face than raise a fortune police info for West Rogers Park and Rogers Park of money from special interests. He has held true to his beliefs in his first term. Jewish Chicago endorses West Rogers Park native Senator Dan Kotowski #17 for reelection. For her continual and consistent support of Jewish legislation, much of which, this Ida Crown graduate introduces in the House. Jewish Chicago endorses #20, in the 13th District In the 15th District, State Representative John D’Amico is running unopposed. He has consistently been helpful when the Jewish schools and organizations in his district have asked for his help. Mark #20 for State Representative John D’Amico. In the 16th district, West Rogers Park, Lincolnwood, Skokie and Niles, State Representative Lou Lang is running again. He is the reason why at times this heavily Jewish area gets less money from the State than any other in the Northern half of Illinois. Lang is the primary sponsor of gambling expansion in the state of Illinois. A colleague discussed Lang with a member of the

gaming commission. He opined that Lang seemed like he was in the pocket of the gambling industry. The response: “What an astute observation” Don’t vote for him. 17th District, Democratic Daniel Biss, a member in good standing of Jan Schakowsky’s political army is running against moderate Republican incumbent Representative Beth Coulson who has served her community well. Jewish Chicago endorses Representative Beth Coulson #21. The 18th District finds the star of the Jewish legislative world in Illinois, State Representative Julie Hamos. She deserves a ton of credit for her work in dealing with the CTA and public transit crisis. She is running unopposed, but if you live in her neck of the woods, make it a point to mark ballot #20 for Julie Hamos. Jewish Chicago endorses State Representative Julie Hamos for reelection. The Judiciary For the first time in 12 years, a Jewish Judicial Candidate won a county wide election. Judge Michael B. Hyman was rated highly by every bar organization engaged in rating candidates and we congratulate him on his victory. So many highly qualified Jewish judicial candidates have gone down to defeat over the past decade, it is really heartening to finally notch a victory. Jewish Chicago can’t begin to emphasize how important it is to do your homework and vote in the judicial election. We make our picks through a panel of highly rated legal and judicial experts who let us know who is good, bad and ugly, Chances are your life will be more directly impacted by a judge than any other elected official and the decision they hand down can be crucial to your happiness and well being. Do not take these races lightly. Consider also how many truly fine, well qualified Jewish candidates have gone down to defeat in recent years. Some could have won if more Jewish voters had taken the time and trouble to do their civic duty. 16 different judicial candidates have been interviewed this year on The North Town News Magazine which can be accessed at http://ntnm.org Circuit Court While the following judges are running unopposed for the Circuit Court, we still urge everyone to vote yes for these highly rated judicial candidates that we have interviewed: Jesse G. Reyes #48, Maureen Ward Kirby #49, Thomas J. Byrne #51, Debra B. Walker #52, Michael B. Hyman #54 and Joan Powell #55. Judicial Retention Ballot There are 70 judges running for retention for an additional 6 year term. There are 7 Jewish judges and we highly recommend retaining all 7. All of the even numbers next to the retention judges are yes votes, the odd numbers, no votes. Judge Robert E. Gordon Yes, #198 who serves in the Appellate Court. He is a past president of the Jewish Judges of Illinois and a recipient of the President’s Award from the Decalogue Society of Lawyers in 2008. Judge Richard J. Elrod Yes, #108, a jury trial judge for 20 years, former Sheriff of Cook County, he is a recipient of the Justice Award by the Jewish Judges of Illinois. Judge Shelley Sutker Dermer Yes, #128 is the Presiding Judge of the Second Municipal District in Skokie, the last Jewish judge before Michael Hyman to win election county wide to the circuit court and is a Jewish day school parent. Judge Gerald C. Bender Yes #126, is a past President of the Decalogue Society of Lawyers, has done large amounts of pro bono work for Simon Weisenthal over the years. We wish him a refuah shleima b’mheira (a speedy get well). His son Michael Bender is a recent appointee to the bench. Judge Andrew Berman Yes #128 serves in the Juvenile Justice Division. He began his career as an Assistant State Appellate Defender who moved to become an Assistant Public Defender before elected to the Judiciary. Judge Michele F. Lowrance Yes #118 is assigned to the Domestic Relations Division. She practiced law for 20 years with an emphasis on family and criminal law before being appointed to the bench in 1995. Judge Barbara M. Meyer Yes #228 has presided in the Domestic Relations Division since her election to the bench 6 years ago. She is a former President of the Decalogue Society of Lawyers. Other Judges I have interviewed, all of whom come highly recommended by the legal community that can be viewed at http://ntnm.org are Judge William Timothy O’Brien Yes #230, who had a stellar career in the States Attorneys office before being elected to the bench. Judge John J. Fleming Yes #142, a Rogers Park native, highly thought of by his colleagues. Judge Sandra Otaka Yes #194, the first Asian Judge to win election in Cook County. Judge Thomas J. Lipscomb Yes #222, his experience includes a good mix of civil and criminal trial work. Almost as important is who to vote off the bench. G-d forbid, a poorly qualified judge presides over a trial of you or a loved one. Here are the eight Judges who our experts say to vote no on, with the appropriate no button by their names. Kathleen Marie McGury No #121, Evelyn B. Clay No #133, Shelli Williams Hayes No, #149, Vanessa A. Hopkins No #151, Edward N. Pietrucha No #171, Janet Adams Brosnahan No #209, Casandra Lewis No #221, Valerie E. Turner No #239. Proposed Call for a Constitutional Convention The first item on the ballot and one of the most important is the call for a constitutional convention. The one thing that Republicans, Democrats, the wealthy contributors on both sides agree about is that they absolutely positively do not want a new constitution. Why would they? They can pass all the so called reform legislation they like, but in Springfield, it’s perfectly legal to be corrupt. Trace the money the members of our legislature receive in legal contributions and you will see exactly how they vote. The one thing you can be sure of, is that this rarely is to the benefit of the common man. Vote yes for the calling of a new constitutional convention. The citizens of Illinois couldn’t possibly have it any worse then they do now. If they are all out of copies of Jewish Chicago in your neck of the woods, please send this link to your friends, http://avyworld.com where they can read this issue in its’ entirety by clicking on the cover. See you before the next election, thanks for picking up Jewish Chicago. North Town News Magazine Over 46,000 shows watched on Youtube & counting! http://ntnm.org/ Thursdays 7:30 pm, Friday 2:30 pm CANTV-19 Chicago Thursdays 8:00 pm ECMTV-6 Evanston Mondays 6:00 pm - in 25 North and Northwest Suburbs Sponsorship opportunities available - 773-290-2677

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