In This Issue: Lessons Learned ......... 1 Shootings ..................... 5 LESSONS LEARNED BY A FIRST-TIME CANDIDATE ComCon Opens ............. 1 Reflections ................... 5 by Jennifer Bishop Jenkins ComCon Immigrants ................... 7 photos ......... 2, 3, 10-12 DREAM Act .................. 7 The other day, I saw a friend for the first time Car Loans, Congress Watch ........... 9 since the election. His first words to me were, Jobs, Lies. .................. 4 State of Union ............ 12 “Sometimes the right people, the best people For information or to volunteer: for the job, just don’t get elected.” The truth Email us at [email protected] of his observation, meant to be comforting, is Or visit our website at www.tenthdems.org why many of us have been in collective pain Or call us at 847.266.VOTE (8683) Or write to Hon. Lauren Beth Gash, Chair, since November 2. Tenth Dems, P.O. Box 523, Deerfield, IL 60015 This was my first-ever run for office, for the Editors: Barbara Altman, Susan Friedman, Cook County Board, 14th District. A year and Jennifer Bishop Jenkins introduces herself at Allan Sperling a half ago, when we first analyzed if this race Editorial Staff: Jack Altschuler, Joan a Tenth Dems pre-election event. Attenberg, Hon. Lauren Beth Gash, Jennifer was winnable, the national picture was very Bishop Jenkins, Adrienne Kirshbaum, different. That’s one of the major problems The facts of my race are actually somewhat Leslie Lipschultz, Michael L. Millenson, with our nation’s LONG election cycles (no consoling—that I was a good candidate, that Sharon Sanders, Steve Sheffey, Ilya Sheyman, Laurie Kaplan Singh other country comes close)—candidates have I was blessed with great support, and that we Design: Sean Kealey to make a decision to run way ahead of the ran a very good race. I worked very hard every Photos by: Steve Rosenzweig; Matt Flamm actual serious election season. And conditions single day. I helped advance important issues Distribution: Ravi Ganapathy, Glenn Stier, Dave DuBordieu, Cosette Winter can change dramatically in a year, as we saw. in my district. I helped voters feel heard and The opinions expressed are those of the writers, and not continued on page 4 necessarily endorsed by Tenth Dems www.tenthdems.org FEBRUARYTenth 2011 Illinois Tenth Congressional District DemocratsNews Newsletter Volume 8, Edition 2 Community Connection Opens Its Doors by Ilya Sheyman On the 82nd anniversary of the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., the new Tenth Dems Community Connection Center officially opened its doors to the public. More than 200 elected officials, community leaders, and activists from Waukegan, North Chicago, and across the 10th Congressional District (and beyond) came for a strategy meeting and open house to learn more about the Center’s mission, to discuss the work already begun in the community, and to plan ways to collaborate with the Center and with one another. Tenth Dems’ own David Bonner and John Hmurovic kicked things off with a discussion of the Center’s genesis and an appeal for poli- tics to focus on “helping people, rather than just electing people.” Larry McShane of Waukegan shared reflections on the meaning of Dr. King’s vision and the lessons it provides for the Center’s work. Elected officials and community leaders at ribbon-cutting ceremony. And Ilya Sheyman introduced the Center’s core purpose of con- Patricia Jones, and other volunteers and notables kicked off the necting individuals with the government and the social services discussion of key needs and opportunities in the northern part of needed to improve their own lives. Ilya then facilitated an inclusive the district. conversation about how the Center can best work together with The conversation quickly revealed common priorities like creating the community. jobs (the unemployment rate in North Chicago is over 18 percent, and Introductions by local high school students, Mayor Bob Sabonjian in Waukegan it is over 12 percent), promoting small business growth, of Waukegan, Mayor Leon Rockingham of North Chicago, State improving public education, working to reduce the challenges of re- Representative Rita Mayfield, and Waukegan Township Supervisor entry into society after incarceration, and increasing voter turnout. continued on page 2 ✶ SEE INSIDE FOR OPINIONS ON THE TRAGIC ARIZONA SHOOTING ✶ 7 Community Connection continued from page 1 Many attendees also highlighted the opportunity the Center will provide for all local Democrats and progressives to come together under one tent for the purpose of bettering the community. Following the formal conversation, the standing-room-only crowd had an opportunity to eat, drink and mingle, to sign a “thank you” card for congressional candidate Dan Seals, to continue to exchange ideas about the Center and its mission, and to sign up to volunteer. Several neighboring restaurants including Jerry’s Tacos, Fong’s Kitchen, Big Ed’s BBQ, and El Buen Gusto dropped by to welcome Tenth Dems to the community by sharing some of their delicious specialties. After months of hard work by volunteers, including a cheerful crew Volunteers socialize while Tenth Dems Chair, Hon. Lauren Beth of patchers and painters, led by Chuck Knight, who spent who Gash works. spent the previous Saturday whipping the premises into shape for this grand opening, the Tenth Dems’s Community Connection Center in downtown Waukegan is now ready to serve the needs of the community on an ongoing basis. “Community Connection truly exemplifies grassroots Democratic politics in action,” said Tenth Dems Chair Lauren Beth Gash. If you are interested in lending your time and talents to this exciting project, you can email us at [email protected],or call us at 847-266-VOTE (8683). Or just drop by on a Saturday afternoon and we’ll put you to work. TD David McArtin, Wendy Warden, and Avon Township Supervisor Sam Yingling pause for a moment. Lee Goodman, former candidate for Congress, and wife Nancy, Tenth Dems Executive Vice Chair John Hmurovic, intern supervi- with Waukegan Alderman Rafael Rivera. sor Stephen Ark, and Leadership Committee member Linda Gohlke interact with volunteers. Dr. Wadell Brooks with wife, Dr. Daisy Brooks, recipient of the Lake County Board member Bill Durkin 2010 Citizens Medal, recently awarded by President Obama at the White House. 2 Volunteers sign “thank-you” card to Dan Seals. Tenth Dems Managing Vice Chair Karen McCormick with Executive Vice Chair Hmurovic and volunteer, Monica Johnson Jen Clark helps with sign-in as Sharon Sanders waits her turn. David Bonner and Ilya Sheyman make introductory remarks. Drs. Daisy and Wadell Brooks with Waukegan Mayor Bob Tenth Dems Vice Chair John Hmurovic makes some opening Sabonjian and North Chicago Mayor Leon Rockingham . remarks. MORE PHOTOS BEGIN ON PAGE 10 Tenth Dems interns listen intently to speakers. Members of the Tenth Dems legal team include: Elizabeth Albert, Linda Gohlke, Monica Johnson, and Laura Tomsky 3 continued from page 1 can voters’ minds: helping to create American jobs; educating our First-Time Candidate youth so we can once again compete globally on the cutting edge cared about. I met thousands of people, learned more than I have of technology; preventing the devastation that is global warming; ever learned in my life, and made new friendships that will last a life- ending wars; or making a society that works for everyone, not just time. I earned lots of important endorsements and tens of thousands the top 2 percent. of people voted for me. My one regret is not for myself but for those people who really sacrificed to help me because they believed in my What I learned on November 2 is that political district line draw- ability to bring needed reform to Cook County government. ing is very, very important. The fact that the Democrats in Illinois retained both houses of the General Assembly and the governor’s The comment that stuck the most with me on election evening office, thereby controlling redistricting, is actually the best news was from a campaign field organizer. He said, “You know, Jen- of that painful evening. nifer, you could have spent a million dollars and it would not have For many years, I was a teacher. Having taught the Constitution made a difference.” And he was right. and U.S. Government, instilling a sense of pride in citizenship to The majority of voters in the north and northwest suburbs simply our young people, it is actually very hard to see so many Ameri- did not vote for the best person. They did not research the can- cans now making such incredibly bad choices. didates or think ahead about what a vote for a Republican would But we simply have to work harder to point out the difference mean for the future of this area and for this nation. between good public policy and bad public policy. The Democrats More tax breaks for billionaires is what they promised us—and who ran in the 10th District offered better policies. Let’s regroup it’s what they will deliver. What was clearly not on those Republi- and redistrict and beat them in 2012. We must. TD Car Loans, Jobs, and Lies by Jack Altschuler I just saw an advertisement for FreeScore.com. The ad advised me vice president. “Vice president” was a good title for Agnew, as he that any one of my three credit scores could keep me from getting a was involved in vice when he was governor of Maryland and pled loan to buy a car, so I’d better buy their service so that I know all my nolo contendere to criminal charges and resigned his office. scores. Last month, John Boehner told me that if we were to allow the Agnew repeatedly attacked the press, perhaps at Nixon’s bidding, Bush tax cuts for fabulously wealthy people to lapse, we’d kill job cre- since Nixon thought the “Eastern liberal press” was out to get him.