The New Trier Democratic Organization has endorsed Patrick Keenan-Devlin in the 18th District Illinois House race.
The New Trier Democratic Organization has endorsed Patrick Keenan-Devlin in the 18th District Illinois House race.
The group has members in Wilmette, Kenilworth, Glencoe and Winnetka, which make up a significant portion of the district. The district also includes all but the northwest corner of Evanston and a portion of Rogers Park.
At the weekend endorsement session, Keenan-Devlin promised “to fight for a responsible state budget, which will allow us to protect vital social services, fully fund education, and address our chronic budget deficit.”
He also promised support for a woman’s right to choose. “I’ll be the sort of progressive fighter that New Trier Democrats respect, and that we need in Springfield right now,” Keenan-Devlin said.
Keenan-Devlin also received the personal endorsement of New Trier Committeeman Bill Crowley.
On Saturday, Keenan-Devlin received the endorsement of Citizen Action, where he worked as legislative director. Citizen Action/Illinois is the state’s largest public interest organization and a key player in the fight for social and economic justice at the state and national levels.
Keenan-Devlin is a board member of the NTDO. He has worked for campaign finance reform and improved access to health care for all citizens. He successfully advocated for an independent governing board to oversee Cook County’s Hospital system, and has sponsored legislation to provide oversight of the pay-day loan industry.
Michael Deheeger is campaign manager for the Keenan-Devlin campaign.
An Un-biased Endorsement?
Wow! Being endorsed by an organization that you serve on their board. Very impressive. Any of the other candidates sit on the board of the New Trier Democratic Organization? Not that I know of.
Hopefully we all will give this as much credibility as if Jeff Smith got endorsed by the Central Street Neighbors Association (for which he serves as President).
Some un-biased endorsements would be appreciated.
Reply:
Sounds like you’re saying people who know someone should not endorse that person because they would be biased.
Wouldn’t that mean Mayor Tisdahl shouldn’t have endorsed Jeff Smith? And that Jan Schakowsky shouldn’t have endorsed Robyn Gabel?
Looking forward, the DPOE holds its endorsement session this Sunday. But Keenan-Devlin is on the board there, too.
— Bill
Wait, how can Keenan-Devlin
Wait, how can Keenan-Devlin serve on BOTH the New Trier and Evanston Township Democratic boards? That seems strange to me. He lives in both townships?
Reply:
Don’t know that either group has a residency requirement. They are volunteer organizations, after all. But it’s an interesting question.
–Bill
DPOE Bylaws concerning membership
ARTICLE II: MEMBERSHIP
Section 1. Qualification of Members. Any person of the age of 18 years and upward, or anyone who will be 18 at the time of the next primary or general election, shall be eligible for membership.
Section 3. Eligibility to Vote. Only those members who reside in the Township of Evanston or within the boundaries of District 65 and District 202 School Districts, and have paid their dues for the current year may vote [at] a Membership Meeting.
(An endorsement meeting is a Membership Meeting.)
http://dpoe.org/about/bylaws.pdf
Great…
Another community organizer.
Thanks for the information.
Thanks for the information. Maybe it’s just me but something rubs me the wrong way when one candidate is a member of both party organizations in a district, then proceeds to get their endorsements (well one so far, we’ll see about the other). Like a previous poster said, the deck seems a bit stacked and flies in the fact of fairness in letting the people decide. But then again, I’m not one to go much on endorsements to begin with, and take them all with a grain of salt.
Endorsements
Kim,
You are definitely on the mark where endorsements are concerned. If memory serves me correctly, Schakowsky, Suffredin, Hamos and several others all attended a community meeting at the Levy Center where they told the attending citizens (of which I was one) that it was very important we vote for Blagojevich and Stroger. What pearls of wisdom they distributed during that meeting!
If we didn’t learn something about endorsements after that debacle, then fool me twice.
Cheryl
Patrick Keenan-Devlin is
Patrick Keenan-Devlin is making a fool of himself by essentially endorsing his own candidacy. Not to mention the fact that most of his yard signs can be seen lining Sheridan Road where the most colossal houses can be found. If I remember correctly, those people vote Republican, but hey that’s just generalizing right? I think I’ll be voting Gabel.