The sleepy northwest suburbs of Skokie, Morton Grove, and Niles seem unlikely sites for the hottest political race in the November 6 election. But that’s exactly what voters have got in the 56th legislative district, where the race for state representative is up for grabs.
“If Conn wins, you’re putting a long-standing liberal seat into the conservative column, and that would be dramatic change,” says Charlotte Jaffe, whose husband, Aaron, held the seat for over a decade, until he resigned in 1985 to become a Cook County circuit court judge. “I think that most voters side with Schoenberg on the issues. But it comes down to organization. He’s got to get his people to the polls. If they don’t vote, he can’t win.”
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Few people can remember the last time the district had a Republican representative. There are pockets of Republicans, particularly in Morton Grove and Niles (the bulk of the district is bounded by Central on the north and Dempster on the south and is centered around the Edens Expressway). But many voters in the district are Jews whose familial roots in liberal Democratic politics date back to the New Deal days of FDR.
“Sutker was selected because, as committeeman of Niles Township, he had the most weighted votes of all the committeemen,” says Schoenberg. “In essence, he elected himself. It looked a little strange, and it didn’t sit well with a lot of people.”
“I wasn’t ready to run against Sutker again because, quite frankly, I didn’t think I could beat him,” says Schoenberg. “But I’ve always wanted to serve in the state legislature. It’s a dream job that I’d like to have for many years. All the important decisions on education, environment, taxes, and right to choose are being made on the state level.”
The candidates differ on almost every issue. Conn, for instance, supports the tax-accountability amendment, which would increase the number of state legislators needed to approve a tax hike from 50 to 60 percent.
“Not every district needs the same amount of money,” says Conn. “Teachers in Schaumburg make about $50,000; teachers downstate make about $30,000. Should they make the same salaries? I think that’s an issue for those teachers and their local boards to decide. State mandates only raise the cost of education. For example, the state requires that every school has to have so many hours for gym. That’s fair for the inner city, but maybe kids who live on a farm don’t need gym. They get a lot of exercise working in the fields.
