Thomas McGill

Thomas McGill

Campaign 2022: Garfield Ridge man to run for state senate

Spread the love

McGill to focus on law enforcement issues

By Bob Bong 

As it turns out, Democratic state Senate candidate Mike Porfirio looks like he will face a Republican challenger in November’s general election.

Porfirio, a Lyons Township trustee, had filed to run for the 11th Illinois Senate seat on the same day incumbent Sen. Steve Landek withdrew from the race.

There was no Republican candidate on the June 28 ballot.

ThomasMcGill2022

Thomas McGill

All that changed last week when Cook County and Chicago Republican leaders filed petitions to run a candidate in the 11th Senate race and dozens more in races that the GOP had left vacant including all of the top Cook County posts.

Garfield Ridge resident Thomas “Mac” McGill is the Republican who filed to challenge Porfirio in November. He’s a former Cook County Sheriff’s Police investigator, according to his Twitter account.

Positioning himself as a pro-police candidate, McGill told the Clear-Ridge Reporter he plans to use his campaign to focus on four specific pieces of legislation:

  • HB 5712, a bill to recall Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx.
  • HB 3653, a bill to reform law enforcement agencies across the state.
  • SB 1609, a measure concerning bail for those accused of crimes.
  • HB 3332, a rent subsidy bill.

McGill said he will speak in greater details about the bills in the weeks ahead.

Some other local folks also filed to run in November.

  • Rob Cruz, who was kicked off the Oak Lawn School District 229 board earlier this year and ran unsuccessfully for the Republican nomination in the 6thCongressional District in June, is now on the ballot in the Board of Review 1stDistrict. He’ll face off with 12th Ward Ald. George Cardenas, who beat incumbent Tammy Wendt in the Democratic primary.
  • Anna Biedrzycki, of Palos Hills, will take on incumbent Cook County Commissioner Donna Miller in the 6thDistrict.
  • Palos Heights’ Todd Thielmann, who happens to be Wendt’s cousin and worked for her at the Board of Review, is running for Cook County Assessor against Democrat Fritz Kaegi.
  • Peter Costa, of Palos Park, and James Staszcuk, of Orland Park, both filed for South Palos Township Sanitary District trustee.

Orland Park’s Beth O’Neil is running against state Rep. Justin Slaughter in the 27th House District.

  • Republicans also filed to run locally in the 17thSenate race. Anthony Wilson, of Chicago, will take on Elgie Sims. Lupe Castillo, of Chicago, will challenge Edgar Gonzalez Jr. in the 23rdHouse District. Matthew O’Keefe, of Chicago, is running against Emil Jones III in the 14th Senate race. Thomas Hurley, of LaGrange Park, will challenge LaShawn Ford in the 8th House race. Carlos Alvarez will take on Angie Guerrero-Cuellar in the 22nd District.

Two of the Republican candidates at the county level are former Democrats. Former Chicago alderman and frequent candidate Bob Fioretti will now carry the Republican banner in the race for County Board president. He unsuccessfully challenged Toni Preckwinkle in the past as a Democrat.

Another former Dem joining Fioretti on the Republican slate is a veteran of county politics, attorney Tony Peraica. He filed to run for Cook County clerk and against incumbent Karen Yarbrough. He’s the former Cook County Commissioner for the 16th District. He lost the seat in 2010 to Jeff Tobolski.

Businessman Peter Kopsaftis is running for Treasurer, and Chicago Police Department Detective Lupe Aguirre will take on incumbent Sheriff Tom Dart.

In all, the Cook County Republican Party and Chicago Republican Party slated more than 30 candidates including 11 women and 16 minority candidates. They are seeking three Board of Review seats, nine Cook County Commissioner seats, seven Illinois Senate seats and 17 Illinois House seats.

The party recruited candidates and collected over 8,000 signatures in just a 16-day period.

“We are very proud of the efforts of our candidates and volunteers who stepped up to collect over 8,000 signatures in just 14 days to place the largest number of Republican candidates running in Cook County in more than a generation. Cook County voters are demanding a choice at the ballot box. They will now have a clear choice in November,” stated Cook County GOP Chairman Sean Morrison in a release.

“We believe the citizens of Cook County should be given a choice and let them decide,” he added.

He did not respond to phone calls or emails asking for further comment.

Tim Hadac contributed to this story.

Local News

Sorry, we couldn't find any posts. Please try a different search.

Neighbors

Appeals court skeptical of Mike Bost’s case to stop ballot counts after Election Day

Appeals court skeptical of Mike Bost’s case to stop ballot counts after Election Day

By HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois hmeisel@capitolnewsillinois.com CHICAGO – A panel of federal appellate judges on Thursday seemed skeptical of legal arguments made on behalf of Republican U.S. Rep. Mike Bost, who claims Illinois’ law allowing counting of mail-in ballots for two weeks after an election is in violation of federal law. Bost’s late 2022…

DCFS hires on-the-spot at hiring events

DCFS hires on-the-spot at hiring events

By BETH HUNDSDORFER  Capitol News Illinois bhundsdorfer@capitolnewsillinois.com Cyrenthia Threat spent Wednesday morning at a hiring event in Fairview Heights waiting for word on whether she was hired by the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services.  Threat wants to move to Illinois from Georgia where she works as a social worker. She has 20 years…

Capitol Briefs: Advocates push for guaranteed income, child care assistance

Capitol Briefs: Advocates push for guaranteed income, child care assistance

By HANNAH MEISEL & DILPREET RAJU Capitol News Illinois news@capitolnewsillinois.com The Illinois Supreme Court on Wednesday agreed to hear the case of actor Jussie Smollett, who was convicted for staging a hate crime against him in 2019 in a case that drew criticism for Cook County’s top prosecutor. Smollett made what turned out to be…

Illinois teacher shortage persists, survey finds

Illinois teacher shortage persists, survey finds

By PETER HANCOCK  Capitol News Illinois  phancock@capitolnewsillinois.com  SPRINGFIELD – Illinois continues to suffer from a shortage of teachers and other education professionals, although recent efforts by the state to ease the strain have made an impact.  That’s according to the latest annual survey of school officials from the Illinois Association of Regional Superintendents of Schools,…

Bills in state Senate would further regulate battery storage and disposal

Bills in state Senate would further regulate battery storage and disposal

COLE LONGCOR Capitol News Illinois clongcor@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD — Two bills that would regulate battery disposal and storage are awaiting action from the full Illinois Senate after unanimous committee approval.   Senate Bill 3481, sponsored by Sen. Sara Feigenholtz, D-Chicago, would require facilities that store electric vehicle batteries to register with the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency…

Prisoner Review Board chair, member resign in wake of boy’s fatal stabbing by released inmate

Prisoner Review Board chair, member resign in wake of boy’s fatal stabbing by released inmate

By HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois hmeisel@capitolnewsillinois.com The longtime chair and a relatively new member of the Illinois Prisoner Review Board have resigned, Gov. JB Pritzker’s office announced Monday. The governor’s office announced the pair’s resignations within hours of each other nearly two weeks after Crosetti Brand was released from Stateville Correctional Center. Brand is…

Highest-ranking woman in state police history reflects on experience as force looks to diversify

Highest-ranking woman in state police history reflects on experience as force looks to diversify

By ALEX ABBEDUTO   Capitol News Illinois  abbeduto@capitolnewsillinois.com  The night before Rebecca Hooks started at the Illinois State Police Academy in 2002, she spoke on the phone with her father and her brother – both of whom worked in law enforcement.  Her father encouraged her, telling her she was strong and could get through the…

After being rebuffed by regulators, utilities file slimmed-down spending plans

After being rebuffed by regulators, utilities file slimmed-down spending plans

 By ANDREW ADAMS Capitol News Illinois aadams@capitolnewsillinois.com CHICAGO — State regulators are once again considering massive electric utility spending plans that would affect the state’s climate goals – and 5.4 million electric customers’ monthly bills – after rejecting previous versions late last year. The Illinois Commerce Commission forced the state’s two major electric utilities, Commonwealth…

After being rebuffed by regulators, utilities file slimmed-down spending plans

After being rebuffed by regulators, utilities file slimmed-down spending plans

 By ANDREW ADAMS Capitol News Illinois aadams@capitolnewsillinois.com CHICAGO — State regulators are once again considering massive electric utility spending plans that would affect the state’s climate goals – and 5.4 million electric customers’ monthly bills – after rejecting previous versions late last year. The Illinois Commerce Commission forced the state’s two major electric utilities, Commonwealth…

After being rebuffed by regulators, utilities file slimmed-down spending plans

After being rebuffed by regulators, utilities file slimmed-down spending plans

 By ANDREW ADAMS Capitol News Illinois aadams@capitolnewsillinois.com CHICAGO — State regulators are once again considering massive electric utility spending plans that would affect the state’s climate goals – and 5.4 million electric customers’ monthly bills – after rejecting previous versions late last year. The Illinois Commerce Commission forced the state’s two major electric utilities, Commonwealth…