Lots of candidates file on last day -- but not in every race

Ricardo Lugo filed late yesterday afternoon to oppose Eulalia "Evie" DeLaRosa for the Ponce De Leon vacancy in the 6th Subcircuit.

Licensed in Illinois since 2001, Lugo was an Assistant Public Defender in Wisconsin from 1991 to 2000. He currently works for the Clerk of the Circuit Court. Lugo also sought a 6th Subcircuit vacancy in 2012.

No one filed to run against Matthew Link in the 14th Subcircuit -- but, then, no one filed to run against Regina Ann Scannicchio in 2012 either. And Daniel J. Pierce in 2010... and James N. O'Hara and Edward Arce in 2008... and James R. Brown and Lawrence O'Gara in 2002... and Maura Slattery Boyle in 2000 were all elected from the 14th Subcircuit without opposition. (There are those who might consider this a pattern.)

In stark contrast, there are now nine candidates for the countywide Johnson vacancy. Six filed on December 14, the first day of the special filing period. Three more filed yesterday: Cassandra Goodrum-Burton, Bonnie Carol McGrath and John P. Carroll.

South Side practitioner Goodrum-Burton has been licensed in Illinois since 1987. Cassandra Goodrum Burton is a former assistant state's attorney now in private practice; she ran for 6th Ward Alderman in 2011, losing the election but receiving the Tribune's endorsement. Bonnie Carol McGrath is a writer as well as a solo practitioner; her Chicago Now blog, "Mom, I Think I'm Poignant," has been linked from this page for some time. She has been licensed in Illinois since 1993. There are three John P. Carrolls licensed to practice law in Illinois, according to ARDC, and, until I have actual information, I can do no more than report this candidate's name.

There are now four candidates for the countywide Palmer vacancy. Only 'pre-slated' candidate Pat Heneghan filed on December 14. Yesterday, however, Susana L. Ortiz, Deidre Baumann, and Camela A. Gardner all filed; there will be a lottery between Baumann and Gardner to determine who will have the last position in the ballot in this race.

Susana Ortiz has been licensed in Illinois since 2001. She is a staff attorney at the IIT Chicago-Kent Law Offices. Deidre Baumann has been licensed in Illinois since 1992. She practices with the Firm of Baumann and Shuldiner. Camela A. Gardner is an attorney with the Illinois Department of Public Heath; she has been licensed in Illinois since 1989.

Rolling Meadows criminal defense attorney Jameika Mangum was the only candidate to file for the Eadie-Daniels vacancy on December 14 -- but, oh, how that's changed: At the moment, there are seven candidates in this race. I told you yesterday morning that both Associate Judge Leonard Murray and Daryl Jones filed for this vacancy yesterday morning. (Jones filed without withdrawing from the race for the Williams vacancy; according to the ISBE website, he still hasn't).

Subsequently, Mary Alice Melchor filed for the Eadie-Daniels vacancy -- but only after she did withdraw from the Williams vacancy. Also filing yesterday afternoon for the Eadie-Daniels vacancy were H. Yvonne Coleman, Jo Anne Guillemette, and Celestia Mays.

H. Yvonne Coleman filed for a countywide vacancy in the 2014 primary election cycle but withdrew her candidacy; she has been licensed as an attorney in Illinois since 1988. Guillemette was a candidate for a countywide vacancy in 2012. She is an employee of the Chief Judge's office and has served as Assistant Attorney General. Guillemette been licensed as an attorney in Illinois since 1987. Celestia Mays served as President of the Cook County Bar Association in 2014-15. She maintains a Loop law office where, according to her LinkedIn profile, she handles divorce, child support, custody, visitation and paternity, guardianship and estate matters. Mays has been licensed in Illinois since 1990.

The expansion of the field in the race for the Eadie-Daniels vacancy has resulted in a significant contraction of the field in the race for the 5th Subcircuit Williams vacancy. Judge Robin Denise Shoffner remains in this race, as does Gwendolyn Dale Anderson and (for the time being, anyway) Daryl Jones. Both Anderson and Jones face petition challenges.

Four new candidates filed yesterday in the two new 12th Subcircuit races, two Republicans and two Democrats. I told you yesterday about James Leonard Allegretti, who filed in the Republican primary for the Mathein vacancy. He was the only Republican to file there. Meanwhile, Thomas William Flannigan was the only candidate to file as a Republican candidate for the Kazmierski, Jr. vacancy. Flannigan sought a 12th Subcircuit vacancy in 2008, a countywide vacancy in 2010, and ran for the Illinois Supreme Court in 2012. He has a law office in the Loop.

Both of the candidates filing yesterday as Democrats in the 12th Subcircuit are seeking the Kazmierski, Jr. vacancy. The new candidates are Frank J. Andreou and Jennifer E. Bae. Andreou has an office in the West Loop, practicing with the firm of Andreou & Casson, Ltd. He has been licensed in Illinois since 1995. Jennifer Bae has sought judicial office twice previously, once from the 4th Subcircuit in the 2008 primary and, in the 2012 primary election cycle, from the 12th Subcircuit. (A successful petition challenge kept Bae off the ballot in 2012; her name also did not appear on the ballot in 2008.) Bae has been licensed as an attorney in Illinois since 1997; she practices from a law office in Des Plaines.