Contests now in every 7th Subcircuit race

There are four vacancies to be filled from the 7th Subcircuit.

Jones vacancy

Aicha Marie MacCarthy and Melanie Rose Nuby are the declared candidates in this race.



Here's a video by MacCarthy from the Westside Minister's Coalition in which she describes her credentials. MacCarthy has been an Illinois attorney since 1997.

Nuby was a 7th Subcircuit candidate in 2008; she filed for a countywide vacancy in 2010, but withdrew. (She was also a candidate from the 1st Subcircuit in 2004 and from the 7th Subcircuit Subcircuit in 2006.) An Assistant Public Defender, Nuby has been an Illinois attorney since 1994.

Starks vacancy

Judge Tommy Brewer was appointed to this vacancy by the Illinois Supreme Court and filed to keep this seat. RoxAnne L. Rochester filed to oppose Judge Brewer on Monday.




Rochester is a staff attorney with the Circuit Court of Cook County. She's been an Illinois attorney since 1989. According to her campaign website (and, yes, that's a link and one has been added to the sidebar as well), before going to work for the Circuit Court, Rochester had her own firm for a decade or so. Before that, according to her campaign website, she worked in a firm focusing "on corporate, securities and commodities law." Rochester is a director of the Women's Bar Association of Illinois.

Terrell vacancy

The Illinois Supreme Court appointed Judge Lorna Propes to this vacancy, but the Democratic Party slated Judge Propes for the Pucinski vacancy, making this an effectively open seat.

Two candidates have now filed for this vacancy. I'd previously mentioned Pamela Reaves-Harris and linked to her campaign website. Filing Monday to oppose Reaves-Harris was Oak Park criminal defense attorney William G. Gamboney. An attorney since 1977, Gamboney's client roster has included former Chicago Police Commander Jon Burge. Gamboney spent 15 years as a Cook County prosecutor before setting up his own practice in 1994.

Toney vacancy

FWIW readers will recall that the Supreme Court appointed Judge Arthur P. Wheatley to this vacancy. His campaign website is linked in the sidebar.

As of last weekend, only Mable Taylor, a 2010 candidate for the Illinois legislature, had come forward to challenge Judge Wheatley.

Two more candidates filed before the Monday deadline, however, Kimberly D. Lewis and Mark Battaglia.

Kimberly D. Lewis has been an Illinois attorney since 2001 and has served as a hearing officer for the City of Chicago. (That's a link to her campaign website in the preceding sentence; a link has also been added to the sidebar.) Her law office is located on South Western Avenue, in the Beverly community.

Mark Battaglia, the last candidate in this race, was introduced to FWIW readers in this November 20 post. His campaign website is also linked in the sidebar.