A Call for New Leadership for the Democratic Party of Illinois
We come from across Illinois; from Bloomington to Rockford and from Carbondale to Chicago. We are or were elected officials, Democratic Party officials, or Democratic candidates. We represent the socioeconomic and geographic diversity that is the true strength of the Democratic Party of Illinois, and today we echo the call for new leadership for our party and for the Illinois House.
We’re each brought to this point by different circumstances, but are united around a simple belief: Illinois Democrats are in dire need of new leadership.
We’re not commenting here on guilt or innocence in the legal sense. This is about the ability to lead our party as we enter the most important election in living memory, and to lead the House as we encounter the most difficult challenges Illinois government has faced in decades.
We survived the Rauner administration, we’re making our way through this pandemic, and our hope for rebuilding this state lies in the Fair Tax amendment and our candidates up and down the ballot. It has become clear due to the ongoing corruption scandal that Michael Madigan’s leadership is threatening Illinois Democrats’ ability to achieve these goals.
Illinois Democrats are strong. We support the brave women in the General Assembly who called for new leadership before we did. We know when this anchor is lifted, our people and our ideas will rebuild our state. We urge Michael Madigan to do right by the people of Illinois and step down from his roles as Speaker and as Chair of the Democratic Party of Illinois.
Sincerely,
Rebecca Abraham, District 219 School Board Member and IL-9 DNC alternate delegate
Heath Alberts, Winnebago County Precinct Committeeperson
Greg Andrus, Democratic Party of Evanston Vice President
Florence Appell, DuPage County Precinct Committeeperson
Nathan Arroyave, Winnebago County Democrats Young Dems Chair
Art Bardsley, IL-16 DNC delegate and former Precinct Committeeperson, 16th District State Central Committeeman candidate, and Winnebago County Democratic Party 2nd Vice Chair
Chad Bell, Will County Precinct Committeeperson
Emily Biegel, Frankfort Township Democrats Chair and Will County Precinct Committeeperson
Daniel Biss, former State Senator and State Representative
Erica Bray-Parker, Wheaton City Council Member and DuPage County Precinct Committeeperson
Muriel Briel, Plainfield Township Democrats Vice Chair and former IL-16 congressional candidate
Dr. Dylan Burdette, Lake County Precinct Committeeperson
Jennifer Carrillo, Bloomington City Council Member
Lynn Casey-Maher, Winfield Township Democratic Organization Chair
Sharon Chung, McLean County Board Member
Jody Coss, Stephenson County Precinct Committeeperson and former 17th District State Central Committeewoman candidate
Jeff Crabill, Bloomington City Council Member
Sara Dady, former IL-16 congressional candidate
Thomas Day, Democratic Party Veterans and Military Families Council Illinois State Director
Tony DelGiorno, Sangamon County Board Member
Shellie DeYoung Dunn, DeKalb County Precinct Committeeperson
Janet Diaz, Will County Precinct Committeeperson
Julie Emig, Bloomington City Council Member
Carolyn Fitzgerald Sweeney, Lee County Precinct Committeeperson
Joan Garnier, DNC delegate IL-16
Michelle Gerritsen, DeKalb County Democrats Treasurer
Justin Gibson, Madison County Precinct Committeeperson
Larry Gilman, New Lenox Township Democratic Organization Chairperson
Aaron Goldstein, former Chicago 33rd Ward Committeeperson and Attorney General candidate
Patrick Gordon, Elgin Township Democrats Secretary
Pamela Gronemeyer, former 13th District State Central Committeewoman candidate
Maria Hadden, 49th Chicago Ward Alder
Vincent Hardt, DuPage County Winfield Township Precinct Committeeman
Joshua Hartke, former Champaign County Board Member
Elliott Hartstein, former Mayor of Buffalo Grove
Heidi Henry, LaSalle County Precinct Committeeman
Ryan Hollister, Kane County Precinct Committeeperson
Ryan Huffman, former IL-6 congressional candidate
Peter Janko, 14th District State Central Committeeman
Adrienne Schwarzbach Johnson, former West Deerfield Township Trustee
Elizabeth Johnston, McLean County Board Member
Jennifer Kanosky, Stephenson County Precinct Committeeman
Chris Kennedy, former candidate for Governor
Kyle Killacky, Young Democrats of Illinois Exec Board member, former Democratic nominee for Will County Board
Ed Klein, Stephenson County Precinct Committeeperson and former 17th District State Central Committeeman candidate
Michael Leone, Lake County Precinct Committeeperson
Germaine Light, Vermillion County Democrats Vice Chair and Democratic nominee for Vermillion County Board
Melissa Lindberg, former 5th District State Central Committeewoman candidate
Elizabeth Lindquist, Roscoe Township Trustee, Winnebago County Dems Exec Board Township Rep, Democratic nominee for Winnebago County Board
Ana Lopez-Alcantar, Chicago 40th Ward Deputy Democratic Committeeperson
Derek M. Lough, Young Democrats of Illinois Policy Director
Linda Lundquist, Winnebago County Precinct Committeeperson
Matt Martin, Chicago 47th Ward Alder
Megan Martin, DeKalb County Election Judge
Dana Meacham, Winnebago County Precinct Committeeperson
Arlys Mills, former Winnebago County Precinct Committeeperson
Neill Mohammad, Democratic nominee for DeKalb County Board, former IL-16 congressional candidate
Myrna Molina, Kane County Board Member
Lucy Moog, Chicago 43rd Ward Democratic Committeeperson
Alicia Morales, Joliet Junior College Trustee
Sharon R Narrod, Lake County Precinct Committeeperson
Missy Norman, Sangamon County Precinct Committeeperson
Sarah Novey, DuPage County Precinct Committeeperson
Maggie O’Keefe, Chicago 40th Ward Democratic Committeeperson
Ugo Okere, Chicago 25th Ward Deputy Democratic Committeeperson
David Orr, former Cook County Clerk, 49th Ward Chicago Alder, and Chicago Mayor
Teresa Osburn, Sangamon County Precinct Committeeperson
Ross Outten, former 5th District State Central Committeeman candidate
Gabriella Palmer, Whiteside County Democratic Party Coloma 1 Precinct Committeewoman and Alderwoman for Ward 1 City of Rock Falls
David Parker, McLean County Precinct Committeeperson and former Democratic nominee for McLean County Board
Peggy Pissarreck, Wheeling Township Democratic Organization Exec Committee
Carmen Polvere, DeKalb County Precinct Committeeperson
Angela Price, Blackberry Township Democrats Treasurer
Amber Quitno, Democratic nominee for DeKalb County Board
Jason Rausch, Plainfield Park District Commissioner
Beth Rice, Will County Board Member
Jennica Roennenburg, Stephenson County Precinct Committeeperson
Craig Roman, DeKalb County Board Member
Rachel Ruttenberg, Democratic Party of Evanston President
Byron Sigcho Lopez, 25th Ward Chicago Alder and Committeeperson
Sheila Simon, former Lieutenant Governor
Amy Sipovic-Boyles, former chair, LaSalle County Democratic Party
Logan Smith, McLean County Board Member
David Soll, former Democratic nominee for Winnebago County Board, Winnebago County Precinct Committeeperson, and Winnebago County Democratic Party 2nd Vice Chair
Alison Squires, Sugar Grove Township Trustee, Sugar Grove Township Democrats Secretary
Lisa Stich, Stephenson County Precinct Committeeperson
Gary Tomlinson, Election Judge Coordinator, Democratic Party of DuPage County
Marian Tomlinson, Former Chair, Democratic Party of Milton Township
David Trost, District 3 Chair McHenry County Democratic Party
Carl Utt, Stephenson County Precinct Committeeperson
Andre Vasquez, 40th Ward Chicago Alder
Rachel Ventura, Will County Board Member, former IL-11 congressional candidate
Robyn Vickers, Kendall County Board Member, Democratic Women of Kendall County President
Arti Walker-Peddakotla, Oak Park Trustee
Jim Walz, Lake County Precinct Committeeperson and former IL-14 congressional candidate
Shayna Watchinski, McLean County Board Member
JJ Wett, DeKalb County Democrats Vice Chair
Thomas Whitt, Precinct Committeeperson, City of Bloomington
Suzanne Willis, DeKalb County Board Member
Laurie Wollrab, McLean County Board Member
Maggie Wunderly, IL-11 DNC delegate, former Naperville Township Democrats Chair and 11th District State Central Committeewoman candidate
Walt Zlotow, former Chair, Democratic Party of Milton Township
A New Call for New Leadership — 11/10/2020
In August, a group of Democratic leaders from across Illinois made A Call for New Leadership for the Democratic Party of Illinois. They predicted the corruption scandal involving Michael Madigan would threaten Illinois Democrats’ ability to pass the Fair Tax and elect downballot candidates. They were right.
“All across our state — and the advertising told the story — we paid a heavy price for the Speaker’s chairmanship of the Democratic Party,” Sen. Durbin said last week in an interview on “Chicago Tonight.”
“The (Illinois) House is about to reconvene in Springfield … and I’m sure this conversation is going to move to a new level now that the election’s behind us,” he said.
We write to help move this conversation to a new level. We write to echo the call of our fellow Democratic leaders. We urge Michael Madigan to do right by the people of Illinois and step down from his roles as Speaker and as Chair of the Democratic Party of Illinois — freeing our people and our ideas to rebuild our state.
Sincerely,
Bryan Amezquita, Winnebago County Precinct Committeeperson
Shana East, 2020 DNC Rules Committee Member
John Laesch, 2020 DNC Platform Committee Member, 2016 DNC Sanders Delegate
Terry Maher, Champaign County Precinct Committeeperson
Denika McMillen, former candidate for State Representative for District 41
Juan Thomas, Aurora Township Clerk, former Chair Aurora Township Democratic Party
Join us!
If you are an Illinois Democratic elected official, Democratic Party official, or Democratic candidate, and want to join our call for new leadership for the Illinois House and the Democratic Party of Illinois, please click here to sign on to our statement. We will confirm with you and add you to the addendum list above.
