Editorial: More choices for the Illinois House primary: Tarver, Slaughter, Wilson, Sheppard, Syed, Dias, Cain

This is the Tribune Editorial Board’s second installment of endorsements for contested Illinois House races in the June 28 primary.

25th District

For the last three and a half years, Democrat Curtis Tarver II has represented this district, which includes the Hyde Park, South Shore, South Chicago and East Side neighborhoods. He’s not afraid to buck the party line. For example, he sees the election-year folly in Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s tax-relief bone thrown to voters that suspends the 1% sales tax on groceries for a year, and freezes a scheduled gas tax hike. Tarver told us an Illinoisan “would have to spend $25,000 for groceries to save $250 and $25,000 for gas to save $550.” A better way to provide relief, Tarver said, would be to “focus more on those who are housing insecure, and those who house them.”

Tarver agrees with us that Illinois’ deeply troubled child welfare agency, the Department of Children and Family Services, is in need of an overhaul. And he voted against a Democratic initiative that would allow for more security cameras in public places, while exempting law enforcement from subjecting content from those cameras to Freedom of Information Act requirements. His opponent, Josef Michael Carr, is an accountant from the South Shore neighborhood who says he would turn the office into a “true service center” and would use his financial background to help families escape economic hardship. Tarver’s done well so far, and has earned another term. He gets our endorsement.

27th District

This district includes several South Side neighborhoods such as Auburn Gresham, Roseland, Morgan Park and West Pullman, along with south suburban Alsip, Blue Island, Crestwood, Midlothian, Orland Park, Palos Heights, Palos Park and Robbins. Though we’d like to see incumbent Justin Slaughter show more independence from the Democratic Party line, he gets our endorsement. Running against Slaughter is Jasimone Ward of Alsip, who didn’t respond to our efforts to reach her.

29th District

Democratic incumbent Thaddeus Jones of Calumet City is under criminal investigation for tax issues involving his campaign funds, the Tribune reported in April. Included in documents that the Illinois State Board of Elections submitted to federal investigators in response to a subpoena were details of a 2017 board hearing on a complaint alleging Jones improperly reported tens of thousands of dollars in loans to and from his campaigns, and spent political cash on personal expenditures, the Tribune reported. No charges have been filed, but the ongoing probe should serve as a red flag to voters.

We’re also not comfortable with Jones’ double-dipping — in addition to getting a paycheck as a state lawmaker, he’s also on the municipal payroll as the mayor of Calumet City. We did not endorse Jones in 2016, 2018 and 2020, and we won’t endorse him this time around. His opponent, Monet Wilson, 45, is a Calumet City alderwoman. She’s right in supporting a pension reform referendum that would ask voters to change the state constitution so that future pension benefit growth would be reined into affordable levels, while current earned benefits would be left untouched. “We are deep in crisis regarding the pension,” she told us. “We need to stop the bleed and redirect the state towards becoming more fiscally responsible.” We enthusiastically endorse Wilson.

36th District

The winner of this GOP primary faces Democratic incumbent Kelly Burke in the November general election. David Sheppard is the police chief of south suburban Robbins. He says he would work to cut taxes, rein in spending and impose term limits for lawmakers. His opponent, retiree Robbie Katherine Segina of Oak Lawn, leans far right. She wants to outlaw mask mandates for children and has a big problem with, as she puts it, “critical race theory, a.k.a, equity training” in schools. Sheppard is endorsed.

51st District

Two young, energized Democrats are vying to face GOP incumbent Chris Bos in November in this northwest suburban district that includes parts of Palatine, Inverness, Rolling Meadows, Barrington, Vernon Hills, Hawthorn Woods and Lake Zurich. Chelsea Laliberte Barnes, 37, is a licensed social worker from Palatine. After her brother died of a drug overdose in 2008, she established a nonprofit that helps individuals struggling with substance abuse. She also co-founded the Lake County Opioid Initiative, a nationally recognized effort aimed at reducing dependence on opioids.

Her opponent, 23-year-old Nabeela Syed from Inverness, is a digital strategist for a national nonprofit that combats voter suppression. She tells us one of her major priorities is to save money — and reduce property taxes — by stripping away levels of government that are duplicative or unnecessary. “When was the last time we looked at the efficiency and need for each layer of government on our property tax bills?” she asks. She has a point. She’s also tired of the halfhearted attempts to fix DCFS and wants a “complete rebuilding.” Syed is endorsed.

District 62

Democratic incumbent Sam Yingling of Grayslake decided to run instead for the Illinois Senate, which makes this an open seat. Three candidates are running in the Democratic primary for this Lake County district. Thomas Maillard, a senior adviser for Waukegan Mayor Ann Taylor, puts ethics reform high on his list of priorities. Laura Faver Dias is a small business owner and village trustee in Grayslake, a suburb with a fiscal policy that has made the municipality debt-free and ensures that the police pension is 96% funded. Dias says she would take that kind of fiscal responsibility to Springfield. She is endorsed. Also running is Terry Wilke, a Lake County Board member from Round Lake Beach.

District 66

In the GOP primary for this district that encompasses parts of Kane and McHenry counties, both candidates, Connie Cain of Gilberts and Arin Thrower of West Dundee, stick to the Republican Party playbook when it comes to national issues. They’re both anti-abortion and pro-gun rights. But this is a state legislative race, and on Illinois issues, one candidate’s agenda stands out.

Connie Cain’s views sound like a blueprint for the kind of change Illinois needs. As we do, she thinks the state’s severe pension crisis is a top priority, and she adamantly supports asking voters to amend the state constitution to allow a reduction in future benefit growth to affordable levels while keeping current benefits untouched. She’s also right when she says consolidating school districts can cut down administrative costs and create savings for taxpayers. She believes in school choice and making Illinois a “right-to-work” state. She also believes reform at DCFS starts with firing agency director Marc Smith, who has been cited for contempt of court numerous times for failing to appropriately place children in the agency’s care in the proper setting.

But there’s a hitch. At a League of Women Voters forum in late May in Carpentersville, she sounded uncomfortable speaking publicly. She didn’t come across nearly as polished as Thrower, a former television reporter for an ABC affiliate in Michigan, and currently the Dundee Township supervisor. Thrower’s better on the podium, but Cain’s understanding of what Illinois needs to do to fix its finances is stronger. It’s a tough decision for us, but our endorsement goes to Cain. The winner faces Democratic incumbent Suzanne Ness of Crystal Lake.

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