Former Cook County Commissioner John A. Fritchey is apparently planning to seek an 8th Subcircuit vacancy in the 2022 primary.
So far it's a quiet affair -- an announcement has apparently been made on his private Instagram account -- I can verify that Fritchey has an IG account, and that it's private. That means I can't vouch for the announcement personally. The copy of the brief announcement that has been forwarded to me contains the following statement:
I am confident that my experience, background and beliefs would enable me to be an effective judge who can apply the law fairly while never forgetting the impact our system has on all of us. Whether dealing with criminal cases, custody cases or business disputes, our judges have a major impact on our residents and our residents need to put experienced people on the bench.
According to ARDC, Fritchey has been licensed to practice law in Illinois since 1989. ARDC says that Fritchey now works for F4 Consulting Ltd. His LinkedIn profile says that Fritchey serves as Government Relations Director for that firm.
Before his service on the the Cook County Board, from 2010-2018, Fritchey served as a member of the Illinois House (from 1996). Fritchey did apply for associate judge in 2021.
My search of the State Board of Elections website this morning revealed no obvious Fritchey judicial campaign committee. But whether he's begun raising money yet or not, he should automatically be a credible candidate for whichever 8th Subcircuit vacancy he chooses. Name recognition is important for any political candidate, especially for those in down-ballot races, and Fritchey, as a long-time serving elected official, should have significant name recognition right from the start.
Jack,
ReplyDeleteHe is running. Shia Kapos ran the announcement in her column in today's Politico and the same announcement can be found on Fritchey's Facebook page. The real mystery is which vacancy is he seeking? Well, that, and where are the petitions for Trowbridge, Swedlove and Casey. I haven't seen them in the last two weeks.
Sean Tenner is going to $%it a brick when he hears this.
ReplyDeleteWithout his former father-in-law's support, he won't be much trouble. And name recognition is a double-edged sword where, as here, the voters threw him OUT of office. This much is certain: TWO women will run and win in the 8th Subcircuit this cycle. No more sausage factory elections in the 8th. Not after the last cycle.
ReplyDeleteDid he ever practice law? Not a knock, a legitimate question.
ReplyDeleteAgain, not sure why I'm being name-checked by an anonymous poster since everyone is welcome to reach out to me anytime, or why I am supposed to be apoplectic at this news. As someone else noted, this was already covered by Politico and not a secret, nor is it a secret that lots of good people want these seats. Feel free to reach out to me directly.
ReplyDelete"Beliefs?" One's beliefs have nothing to do with applying the law.
ReplyDeleteFritchey has only litigated some zoning cases. He's not qualified to be a judge. It's very annoying that career politicians think they're qualified to be judges.
ReplyDelete