Dems to fill Hutchinson’s Senate seat

Thanks to the Smoke Free Illinois Act that took effect in 2008, it won’t be the traditional smoke-filled room where Democratic Party leaders convene Friday evening to duke it out for their favorite candidates.

Party bosses will convene at 5 p.m. in the Iroquois Room at Kankakee Community College to appoint someone to serve the 14 months remaining in the term of Toi Hutchinson, who resigned her state Senate seat to become the new “pot czar” for Illinois.

First, they’ll hear from the four candidates vying to fill the vacancy created when Hutchinson, of Olympia Fields, resigned her Senate seat and on Monday began her new job in Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s administration.

Hutchinson will oversee implementation of the state’s new recreational marijuana program, which takes effect on Jan. 1. Hutchinson, 46, was appointed to the Senate seat in 2009 when Debbie Halvorson was elected to Congress. Hutchinson had previously served as Halvorson’s chief of staff, and prior to that was village clerk for Olympia Fields.

The 40th Senate District covers suburban areas of Chicago Heights, Flossmoor, Homewood, Olympia Fields, University Park and other communities in southern Cook County. The district also covers rural areas near Frankfort, New Lenox, Manhattan and other parts of Will County, plus a big part of Kankakee County and a small portion of Grundy County.

Democratic Party committeemen — who are elected by voters — will meet as the Legislative Nominating Committee to decide how to fill the vacancy.

“The nominating committee will be the chairs of the Democratic committees of Grundy, Kankakee and Will counties and the Democratic committeepersons of Bloom and Rich townships of Cook County,” John Willard, chair of the Kankakee County Democratic Central Committee, wrote in a notice published on the party’s website.

Kankakee County has about 40% of the district’s population and Will County has about 25%, Will County Democratic Central Committee chair Bill Thoman said.

“It’s an extremely diverse Senate district,” Thoman said. “I’m interested in a senator who is going to represent the interests of Will County to the best of their ability. The successful candidate will be someone who has a specific plan to accept the views of all constituents.”

One of the party bosses deciding Hutchinson’s replacement is Chicago Heights City Clerk Lori Wilcox, who upset incumbent Terry Matthews in 2018 to win election as Bloom Township Democratic committeeman. Wilcox is also one of four people who have applied to serve out the remainder of Hutchinson’s term.

“I have a say, but it’s not just my vote,” Wilcox said Thursday. “It’s going to be a fair process.”

Monica Gordon, 42, of Flossmoor, also wants the job. Gordon is executive director of the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus Foundation. On Wednesday night, Gordon picked up the endorsement of the Rich Township Democratic Organization, whose committeeman is Calvin Jordan.

“We had transparent candidate interviews and they chose me,” Gordon said Thursday. “I’m the most passionate about the role. I am a public servant with a strong desire to serve the com

munity.”

Wilcox said she is endorsed by state Sen. Elgie Sims Jr., D-Chicago, and state Reps. Marcus Evans, D-Chicago, Will Davis, D-Homewood and Thaddeus Jones, D-Calumet City. She also serves on the Chicago Heights Library Board and runs an afterschool program for a nonprofit organization, she said.

“I have experience and a passion for service,” Wilcox said.

Also seeking the job is Marta Perales, 49, of Momence. Perales said she works as an advocate for Southland Friends of Labor and helps raise funds and recruit candidates for public office. She also serves in a volunteer role as communications secretary for the Kankakee Democratic Central Committee and previously worked for former state Rep. Al Riley, she said.

“I believe I’m the most qualified because of my legislative background and my experience in areas like metro planning and transportation,” Perales said.

The fourth applicant is Patrick Joyce, 57, of Essex. Joyce has operated the enterprise Joyce Farms Recycling, which was founded by his late father, former state Sen. Jerome Joyce, who died in June at age 80.

“Armed with a high school diploma and a take charge attitude, he was elected to township supervisor, then Kankakee County Board and finally the Illinois State Senate,” according to an obituary for Jerry Joyce. “He championed agricultural, environmental and local issues for his community in his 17 years as a senator.”

Patrick Joyce did not immediately respond Thursday to an inquiry about his application for the Senate seat.

The person selected Friday night will serve until state legislators elected on Nov. 3, 2020, are sworn into office on

Jan. 13, 2021, according to the Illinois State Board of Elections.

The three Democrats I spoke with who applied for the appointment said they are circulating nominating petitions and plan to run for the seat in the March 17 primary election.

“What matters at the end of the day is the support of voters in March,” Wilcox said.

Candidates file paperwork for the 2020 election between Nov. 25 and Dec. 2.

Conventional wisdom holds that the person appointed to fill the vacancy has an edge on competitors. The appointee essentially gets to use the power of the office for four months before the primary election to build name recognition and other benefits of incumbency.

Another bit of conventional wisdom holds that the 40th District is predominantly Democratic and that the March primary will essentially decide the contest as opposed to the general election in November 2020. But don’t tell that to Eric Wallace, 60, of Flossmoor.

Wallace is collecting signatures from registered voters and intends to run for the Senate seat as a Republican. He expects a competitive race in a largely rural district populated with many voters with conservative views.

“I think people are tired of corruption and mismanagement of government,” Wallace said Thursday. “Government in Illinois has been irresponsible. We have people being investigated left and right.”

Wallace earned a doctorate in biblical studies and is cofounder and president of Freedom’s Journal Institute. The nonprofit organization is “devoted to the research, education and the advancement of public policy that promotes responsible government, individual liberty and fidelity, strong family values and economic empowerment,” according to its website.

In another state using a different method of filling a legislative vacancy, the Republican Wallace might have a chance to run for the seat in a special election. But in Illinois, only the party of the official who previously held the vacant seat gets to choose the replacement.

“When there is less than half the term remaining and a vacancy in an office such as state senator occurs, the vacancy will of be placed ... for primary nomination of candidates,” the Cook County clerk’s office said in response to an inquiry about why there is no special election for the seat.

Hutchinson is a Democrat, so for now, only Democrats have a say in who gets her old job.

“They’re following the law,” Perales said of the process. Regardless of who is tabbed to temporarily hold the seat, “I would remind voters there is a primary election next March,” she added.