Waking up in Trump's America... some initial thoughts

I didn't think it possible that Trump would win.

I dare say that most of the people who visit this blog didn't think it possible either.

The polls said the popular vote would be close, but that Secretary Clinton would start out with a nearly insuperable advantage in electoral votes. Mr. Trump would have to win all the battleground states to have a chance at an upset. It looked like an early evening for the Clinton campaign---cute, I thought, that her party was in a room with a glass ceiling---was she going to break it, at least symbolically, at least some small part of it, during her acceptance speech? The real action, I thought, would be in the Senate races: How many Senate seats besides Illinois would the Democrats pick up?

And then the vote counting started.

Right now, in the morning, Ms. Clinton leads in the popular vote by 180,000 votes or so. The margin has widened in the last few hours. She was down by over a million when Mr. Trump claimed victory; she was up by 130,000 a few hours ago. The gap may widen or close some in the coming days; Trump may yet win a plurality when all the votes are counted. But ours is a federal republic, a union of states, and our chief magistrate is chosen by 538 electors, three from the District of Columbia, and the other 535 apportioned among the states according to their respective seats in Congress. Illinois has 20 votes in the Electoral College because we have 18 congressional districts and, of course, like every state, two senate seats.

Mr. Trump carried enough states to ensure victory in the Electoral College, 289 votes so far according to CNN, 19 more than necessary for victory. With results in Michigan and New Hampshire and Minnesota still not complete, Trump's electoral margin may yet grow.

Like many of you, perhaps, I watched a lot of the CNN coverage last night and into this morning. I found the county-by-county breakdowns remarkable... and very telling.

Here is CNN's county-by-county breakdown for Illinois:

If you click on the link, and go to the linked CNN website page, you'll see the map is interactive. You can see that Secretary Clinton's margin in Cook County was roughly 1.1 million votes. And she won the suburban collar counties, too -- yet her margin in the State as a whole is only 800,000 votes or so.

Similarly, in New York, according to the CNN county-by-county map, Secretary Clinton's 1.5 million vote lead comes largely from New York City:

The margin in California is 2.4 million votes, but the CNN map shows that most of it comes from the urban areas of San Diego, Los Angeles, and San Francisco.

In an ordinary election year, the Electoral College functions as a mandate multiplier. There are few blowouts in national elections. In 1972, when Richard Nixon beat George McGovern, he had only 60.7% of the popular vote to McGovern's 37.5%. But Nixon won in the Electoral College 520-17 (a nominally Republican elector from Virginia cast a ballot for someone other than Nixon that year). In 2008, when Barack Obama defeated John McCain, Obama had only 52.9% pf the popular vote -- but he bested McCain in the Electoral College 365 to 173.

This year, if Mr. Trump fails to regain the lead in the popular vote count, the Electoral College will not serve that mandate-multiplying function. Some will be tempted to call for abolition of the Electoral College because it 'frustrated' the 'will of the people.' But the genius of our system is that, to become President of this enormously diverse republic, one must win votes in the majority of states, not just supermajorities in a handful of urban areas. That should not be tossed away lightly.

I will leave it to the pundits to explain why Secretary Clinton's "Blue Wall" crumbled and why a rich Manhattanite with clown hair captured the loyalty, or at least the votes, of so many blue-collar, or formerly blue collar, voters. Or why Ms. Clinton in 2016 underperformed Mr. Obama's 2012 results in jurisdiction after jurisdiction (even in True Blue Illinois). Of course, these would be the same pundits who assured us we would never have to face this day.

But we do.

Two Republicans, Two Democrats apparent winners in 12th Subcircuit; O'Donnell apparent victor in the 13th

Appointed Judge Carrie Hamilton will apparently hold her seat in the 12th Subcircuit. With only eight precincts still outstanding (233 of 241), Hamilton leads Republican David Studenroth, 67,138 to 63,836.

Associate Judge Marguerite Anne Quinn is up 67,480 to 62,632 over Republican Thomas William Flannigan.

On the other hand, Republican James Leonard Allegretti leads Democrat Janet Cronin Mahoney 70,687 to 60,485 and Republican Steven A. Kozicki leads James Edward Hanlon, Jr. 68,999 to 63,263.

In the 13th Subcircuit, with 199 of 225 precincts reporting, Republican Kevin Michael O'Donnell is ahead of Judge Ketki "Kay" Steffen, 58,792 to 55,375.

O'Donnell holding lead over Steffen in 13th Subcircuit

Republican Kevin Michael O'Donnell holds a 2,600+ vote lead over appointed Judge Ketki "Kay" Steffen, running as a Democrat in the traditionally Republican 13th Subcircuit. With 171 of 225 precincts reporting, O'Donnell leads 49,132 to 46,438.

Updated results in the 12th Subcircuit

Quinn, Allegretti, Hamilton, and Kozicki, two Democrats and two Republicans, are leading in the four contested judicial races in the 12th Subcircuit. Here are current results from Cook County Clerk David Orr's office:

Click on the image to enlarge or clarify it.

No retention judges appear to be in peril

The Chicago Bar Association rated all 58 Cook County jurists seeking retention "qualified," recommending a "yes" vote for each.

The Alliance bar associations largely agreed (there were a few judges receiving negative recommendations from this group of that one, but every single retention candidate was recommended by a large majority of the screening bar groups).

It appears that Cook County voters have agreed. Every retention candidate appears to be comfortably ahead of the 60% + 1 threshold necessary to remain on the bench.

Early results: Close votes in 12th, 13th Subcircuits

There are only five contested judicial races in Cook County, four in the north suburban 12th Subcircuit, one in the far northwest suburban 13th subcircuit. With just over 40% of the precincts reporting, in 12th Subcircuit races, Republican James L. Allegretti is holding a significant lead over Democrat Janet Cronin Mahoney. Judge Carrie Hamilton, a Democrat, is ahead of Republican David Studenroth. Republican Steven A. Kozicki holds a slim lead over Democratic candidate James Edward Hanlon, Jr. Associate Judge Marguerite Anne Quinn, the Democratic candidate, is leading Republican Thomas William Flannigan.

In the 13th Subcircuit, with 87 of 225 precincts reporting, Republican Kevin Michael O'Donnell is leading appointed Judge Ketki "Kay" Steffen, the Democratic candidate.

None of these leads are commanding at this point.

Link to Rhonda Crawford interim suspension order

This broke last night, but I didn't know how or where to find the Order. The Cook County Record had the link in a story by Jonathan Bilyk posted earlier this morning.

The Order apparently does not prevent Crawford from being elected; rather, it says she may not take the oath of office on the first Monday in December if elected (as is likely) a week from today.

On October 21, after the Administrator of the ARDC filed a Petition with the Supreme Court seeking an order suspending Crawford's law license, the Supreme Court entered an order directing Crawford to 'show cause' by October 28 as to why her license should not be immediately suspended. Crawford's response to that 'show cause' order asked for additional time (to November 11) in which to answer the 191-page Petition filed by the ARDC. Among other things, Crawford noted that she had only been served with the ARDC Complaint (that's one of the exhibits to the ARDC Supreme Court Petition) on October 13; one of her principal lawyers, George Collins, died the following day.

Among other things, Crawford stated in her Response to the 'show cause' order, "To address concerns of adverse impact upon the public’s perception of the dignity and integrity of the judiciary, Respondent agrees to not oppose entry of an order that would delay her from assuming office as a circuit court judge until the disciplinary case has been resolved." That's a little different than agreeing to voluntarily forego taking the oath, as it was widely reported.

On the other hand, Crawford said she needed more time to "to appropriately address the issue of whether the Administrator has presented grounds sufficient to warrant that Respondent be stripped of her law license without a hearing."

This is what the Supreme Court said 'no' to yesterday.

In a related Order, also entered yesterday, the Supreme Court granted the ARDC Administrator's motion for leave to amend the Petition against Crawford to include the criminal charges filed against her.

For those interested in write-in candidates....

FWIW readers have followed the story of Judge Maryam Ahmad's struggle to be a write-in candidate for the Hopkins vacancy in the 1st Subcircuit.

According to Cook County Clerk David Orr's website and the Chicago Board of Elections website, Judge Ahmad is the only recognized write-in candidate for any Cook County judicial vacancy. If you write in anybody else's name in any judicial race, that vote won't count (see this 2012 post for an explanation as to why this is so).

But if you've clicked the link on either the Clerk's website or the City's, you've seen a long list of names of candidates for President and Vice President (only presidential candidates are shown on the City list).

Who are these people?

About the only thing I could find out about Joann Breivogel is that she claims affiliation with the Republican Party of Illinois. I couldn't find anything out about Jonathan Lee, Kevin P. McKee, or David G. Stack at all. Roy Wayne Tyree apparently got three write-in votes in 2012; he seems to have run as a write-in candidate in 1992 as well. But I couldn't find out anything substantive about who he is or what he stands for. But your write-in votes for any of these candidates would count in Cook County.

Other write-in candidates have tried to get their message to We the People.

Darrell Castle (pictured at right) and Scott Bradley are the standard-bearers for the Constitution Party.

Duff Cooper Smith A.K.A "Coop Smith" doesn't have a running mate. On his website, Smith says he'd let Congress choose his Vice President for him. He writes, "It is urgent for all of us that feel uncomfortable with the nominees of the major parties to consolidate our votes around Gary, Gill and myself, Coop Smith." I'm guessing that "Gary" is Gary Johnson, the Libertarian Party candidate (the Tribune's choice for President, if you'll recall). But who is Gill? I couldn't figure it out.

Ben Hartnell, a high school history teacher and the candidate of the Harty Party, is campaigning to "Make America Bearded Again." His campaign website is electthebeard.com. Hartnell's running mate, Dave Marshall, is also his cousin.

Tom Hoefling's campaign website describes him as "a long-time national conservative political activist, writer, publisher, organizer, and consultant. He is known primarily for his pro-life work and his defense of traditional marriage." Hoefling and running mate Steve Shulin, a conservative activist from South Carolina, are the candidates of America's Party.

According to an October 24 post by Ben Casselman on FiveThirtyEight.com, Laurence Kotlikoff "is a Harvard-trained economist, a Boston University professor and, yes, a candidate for president." The linked article says Kotlikoff is actually on the ballot in Colorado and Louisiana. His running mate is UCLA Professor Edward Leamer. Leamer is not a listed write-in candidate.

Kotlinkoff's campaign website is kotlikoff2016.com. Among other things, Kotlikoff says, "Traditional banking is unsafe at any speed." He promotes the Purple Financial Plan "to fix the financial system from scratch." Kotlinkoff describes his plan as "a 'show me' banking system that can't fail, even if Uncle Sam defaults, and is remarkably simple to implement." He claims that "[p]rominent economists and policymakers, including Bank of England Governor, Mervyn King, and former U.S. Secretary of Treasury and U.S. Secretary of State, George Shultz, have either strongly endorsed the plan or urged its careful consideration."

Joseph A. Moldonado is the name one would have to write in in order to vote for Joe Exotic, a private zookeeper from Oklahoma, whose campaign website is joeexotic2016.com.

The lion is not Moldonado's running mate; Douglas Keith Terranova is. Only Mr. Moldonado is listed as a write-in candidate, however.

If the Washington Post may be believed, Evan McMullin has a chance to carry the State of Utah. The Post describes McMullin as "is a 40-year-old Mormon who spent a decade at the CIA and later became the policy director for the House Republican Conference." His running mate (not listed as a write-in candidate here) is Mindy Finn. McMullin's campaign website is evanmcmullin.com.

Laio Morris has a campaign website describing her as a "write-in candidate for President of the Un-United States of America." She posts a more detailed biography on a campaign Facebook page.

Morris's platform calls for abolition "of the credit system (equifax, transunion, experian)" and for elimination of individual debt ("wipe all credit clean"). Her "Project Fresh Start" proposes "supplemental income" of $5,000 a month "for those who are working, in school, has a business/wants a business, disabled or handicapped--certifications in consumer counseling, budgeting, investments and money management required."

Matthew Roberts' stated goal as a presidential candidate is to bring "None of the Above" as an option to the ballot in every election. He had hoped to be listed as Matthew "None of the Above" Roberts in as many states as possible -- but, as FWIW has previously reported, Illinois law does not allow a candidate to use a slogan as a ballot nickname (Lar "America First" Daly couldn't run under that name under current law). But you can find out about Roberts' NOTA campaign by visiting his campaign website, noneoftheabove.vote.

Write-in votes for Roberts will be counted in suburban Cook County, but not in the City of Chicago: Roberts did not file a write-in declaration with the Chicago Board of Elections.

Similarly, write-in votes for Marshall Roy Schoenke and his running mate, James Creighton Mitchell, Jr., will count in the Cook County suburbs, but not in the City of Chicago. Schoenke and Mitchell bill themselves as "common men for an uncommon time" on their campaign website. Schoenke is a Lake County, Illinois native and lives in Lake Villa. Mitchell lives in Lindenhurst, Illinois.

Phillip Seeberg is a Naperville resident. On his Facebook campaign page, Seeberg writes, "I don’t feel that I can vote for either Trump or Clinton, so I decided to vote for myself." Votes for Seeberg will count outside of Chicago, but any votes he gets in Chicago will not be counted. An article in the Naperville Sun (from which the accompanying photograph is taken) notes Seeberg "has self-funded his campaign with only $40, and refuses money from special interests, including his parents, because he said he doesn't want the hassle of filing paperwork."

Write-in votes for James T. Struck are also valid only in suburban Cook County, not in the City of Chicago. It may not matter in his case, as he is, according to his website, already "copresident."

Mary A. Vann filed nominating petitions as the presidential candidate of the Human Rights Party. But a challenge to her petitions knocked her off the ballot. She's a declared write-in in both the City and suburbs.

Write-in votes for Demetra Jefferson Wysinger's presidential bid will count in the City of Chicago but not in suburban Cook County. Her campaign website identifies her as "the virtuous woman."

Cherunda Fox is also a City-only presidential candidate. Based in Detroit, Fox describes herself on her campaign website, as an African-American and American Indian.

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For information about how to make sure your write-in vote counts, visit this page on the Cook County Clerk's website.

Fundraiser Thursday evening for Judge Ketki "Kay" Steffen

Supporters of Judge Ketki "Kay" Steffen's bid to hold the seat to which she's been appointed in the 13th Judicial Subcircuit are planning a fundraiser for their candidate on Thursday, October 27, from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m., at Newland & Newland LLP, 121 S. Wilke Rd., Suite 301, Arlington Heights, Illinois.

The event is hosted by Stephen Newland, Gary Newland and Donald Cosley. Event sponsors are John Russo, Hon. James Etchinham (ret.), Dave Corbet, Ernest Blomquist, Mark Uteg, Larry Cohen, and the Ahmad Law Firm.

Tickets are $50 apiece (tickets are $25 each for government employees). Sponsorships are also available (Bronze - $100, Silver -$250, Gold - $500).

For more information about the event, or to reserve tickets, email rsteffen@steffenlaw.net.

Walls closing in on Rhonda Crawford. What should the sanction be?

FWIW readers following the Rhonda Crawford saga will recall David Thomas's article in the October 14 Law Bulletin about the ARDC petitioning the Illinois Supreme Court, seeking "a rule for Respondent, Rhonda Crawford, to show cause why she should not be suspended until further order of the Court or suspend Respondent on the Court's own motion, and restrain and enjoin Respondent from taking the judicial oath of office or assuming the office of judge, or take such other action as this Court deems just, for having engaged in conduct which threatens irreparable harm to the public, the legal profession and to the orderly administration of justice."

I probably wasn't the only reader who didn't immediately understand that the petition that ARDC filed in the Supreme Court was different from the ARDC Complaint filed against Crawford on October 7. Thomas's linked Law Bulletin article mines the Supreme Court petition in some detail -- and, as damning as the ARDC Complaint may appear, the ARDC's Supreme Court petition is much, much worse. (Mr. Thomas was kind enough to share a copy of the Petition with me.)

And---although I didn't get a chance to post anything during the week---the drumbeat against Crawford continued to grow louder and louder as the week went on. I was able to keep up, more or less, on Twitter:

Tribune reports indictment of Rhonda Crawford #CookCountyJudicial https://t.co/bob9C9AEL1

— Jack Leyhane (@JackLeyhane) October 20, 2016

Law Bulletin has more on Rhonda Crawford indictment #CookCountyJudicial crawford - 10-20-16 https://t.co/IfMFrlLTwq

— Jack Leyhane (@JackLeyhane) October 20, 2016

Debra Cassens Weiss has updated coverage on the ABA Journal website.

Last night on WGN-TV, I saw election attorney Burt Odelson (who is representing Crawford's write-in opponent, Judge Maryam Ahmad) stating that he has also filed a petition in the Supreme Court seeking to knock Crawford off the ballot.

For public consumption at least, despite her indictment, Crawford is insisting that she's not going anywhere. If she is not forced off the ballot (as she would be if the Supreme Court suspends her license), Crawford is almost certain to win election on November 8.

If I was advising Ms. Crawford---and, as you might expect, no one has asked---I'd be urging negotiation. I'd be looking for a soft landing. The price would undoubtedly be high---withdrawing her candidacy---but, at the moment Crawford's license and even her liberty is arguably at stake.

No one---no one outside Crawford's defense team, anyway---is defending what Rhonda Crawford seems to have done in Judge Valarie Turner's Markham courtroom this past August. Putting on a judge's robe and deciding even the most insignificant of cases was a special kind of stupid thing to do.

In a story posted last evening, the AP's Michael Tarm quotes Crawford's campaign as saying that Crawford is "'a pawn' in a behind-the-scenes play by 'Democratic Machine politics' to disenfranchise voters" in the 1st Judicial Subcircuit.

Please. There may be a great many sins of omission and commission to lay at the feet of local Democratic Party leaders, but if anyone has disenfranchised voters in the 1st Subcircuit, it is Crawford herself. It is her own conduct that may yet force her off the ballot; if she stays on the ballot, and is elected by default, she will be unable to serve, at least for the foreseeable future, and quite possibly ever. Either way, the community's judicial choice will be frustrated -- and neither Chairman Berrios, nor President Preckwinkle, nor Speaker Madigan will own a particle of blame.

So many FWIW readers would have traded one or more body parts to have been in Rhonda Crawford's shoes before this incident. I can't help but think that a lot of the anger, maybe even fury, directed at Ms. Crawford is attributable to this. How could she do this? How could anyone think this was OK? It is not just the politicians who have closed ranks against Ms. Crawford; it is the larger legal establishment. (And Ms. Crawford had already forfeited the opportunity to make friends with the legal-powers-that-be by refusing to participate in the evaluation process.)

But in determining the appropriate punishment, is our anger at Crawford's actions causing us to demand punishments that are disproportionate to the real harm caused? Of course, just as Ms. Crawford's ballot status is her negotiating chit, jail time is a pretty strong negotiating chit for those wishing Crawford would just go away.

I hope Ms. Crawford's lawyers are talking to anyone they can.

Thomas William Flannigan campaign website launched

A campaign website has been launched for Thomas William Flannigan, Republican candidate for the Kazmierski, Jr. vacancy in the 12th Subcircuit. That's a link to the site in the preceding sentence; a link has also been added to the blog Sidebar.

Flannigan's website stresses that he accepts no campaign donations -- but, the site notes, "contributions of time will be eagerly accepted. We need help sending out a campaign mailing, posting yard signs and other activities. If you would like to help please email us at Passport@prodigy.net."

According to his campaign website, Flannigan is "one of a handful of American attorneys who speak Japanese fluently," and he has leveraged this skill into a niche practice advising American companies looking to do business in Japan or with Japanese companies. Before opening this practice, in 1993, according to this campaign website, Flannigan worked for a number of firms in Chicago and Tokyo, starting in 1985. Earlier in his career, Flannigan was a law clerk to Illinois Supreme Court Justice William G. Clark. Flannigan has been licensed as an attorney in Illinois since 1983. He is married to Circuit Court Judge Ellen Flannigan.

Marguerite Quinn interviewed on NTNM

Judge Marguerite Anne Quinn, Democratic candidate for the Kazmierski, Jr. vacancy in the 12th Subcircuit, was a recent guest on Avy Meyers' North Town News Magazine program and her interview has been posted online.

NTNM airs Thursdays on CAN-TV at 7:30 p.m., and again on Fridays at 2:30 p.m. NTNM also airs on a number of suburban cable systems on Mondays. Check your local listings for air times. Meanwhile, with the permission of NTNM host and moderator Avy Meyers and his entire technical crew Sonny Hersh, you can watch the interview here.

Janet Mahoney interviewed on NTNM

Janet Cronin Mahoney, Democratic candidate for the Mathein vacancy in the 12th Subcircuit, was a recent guest on Avy Meyers' North Town News Magazine program and her interview has been posted online.

NTNM airs Thursdays on CAN-TV at 7:30 p.m., and again on Fridays at 2:30 p.m. NTNM also airs on a number of suburban cable systems on Mondays. Check your local listings for air times. Meanwhile, with the permission of NTNM host and moderator Avy Meyers and his entire technical crew Sonny Hersh, you can watch the interview here.

Tribune endorses Demorcrats, Republicans and a write-in in judicial races

Earlier this week, the Chicago Tribune announced its endorsements for contested judicial elections and for the retention ballot.

I acknowledge the possibility that I'm a bit oversensitive -- but I thought I detected a degree of snark in the Tribune's comments about the retention election. After first urging readers to look at bar evaluations for the retention candidates, the editorial writer continued:

Typically, the bar groups identify a handful of egregiously incompetent judges. This year the Chicago Bar Association rated all 58 circuit court judges standing for retention "qualified." There are a smattering of negative ratings from the other groups -- the Council of Lawyers recommends a "no" vote on three -- but only one judge earned two negatives from among 12 bar groups. We asked around and could not find cause to single out any judge. If only this were the norm.

We asked around and could not find cause to single out any judge? Because... we really wanted to single out somebody? Because we hate to say anything positive about the legal system?

But, like I said, I'm probably oversensitive.

In the races for the only five contested Cook County judicial vacancies, the Tribune recommends three Democrats and two Republicans. In the 13th Subcircuit, the Tribune recommends Judge Ketki "Kay" Steffen, the Democrat. In the 12th, the Tribune prefers Republicans James Leonard Allegretti and Steven A. Kozicki and Democrats Marguerite Quinn and Carrie Hamilton. Marguerite Quinn is an associate judge; Carrie Hamilton currently serves on the Circuit Court pursuant to Supreme Court appointment.

And interestingly, if perhaps unusually, the Tribune has nothing bad to say about any of the judicial candidates in 12 or 13.

But, do not despair, gentle reader. The Tribune has not gone soft.

The editorial begins with the stunning revelation that Republicans don't field candidates in most judicial races, "so the contests are generally decided in the [Democratic] primary." Captain Obvious has joined the Tribune editorial board. As revelations go, this one is surely on the order of Captain Renault's astounding 'discovery' in Casablanca as he closes Rick's Cafe, "I am shocked -- shocked -- to find that gambling is going on in here!"

For a "lesson in what's wrong with how Cook County's judges are chosen," the Tribune zeroes in on the Hopkins vacancy in the 1st Subcircuit, where Democratic nominee Rhonda Crawford was, until recently, unopposed. Recently, of course, Judge Maryam Ahmad (who lost a bid to hold her appointment to the 1st Subcircuit Brim vacancy in the March Primary) won a court battle to become a write-in candidate against Ms. Crawford. And the Tribune endorses Ahmad.

Of course, in none of the 27 other uncontested judicial races is the nominee accused of pretending to be a judge without waiting for the formality of an election or the administration of the oath of office. So why is l'affaire Crawford illustrative of "what's wrong with how Cook County's judges are chosen" instead of an aberration?

Also, as events later in the week would show, Mother Tribune's stern disapproval may be the least of Ms. Crawford's problems....

Carrie Hamilton interviewed on NTNM

Judge Carrie Hamilton, Democratic candidate for the Tristano vacancy in the 12th Subcircuit, was a recent guest on Avy Meyers' North Town News Magazine program and her interview has been posted online.

NTNM airs Thursdays on CAN-TV at 7:30 p.m., and again on Fridays at 2:30 p.m. NTNM also airs on a number of suburban cable systems on Mondays. Check your local listings for air times. Meanwhile, with the permission of NTNM host and moderator Avy Meyers and his entire technical crew Sonny Hersh, you can watch the interview here.

David Studenroth interviewed on NTNM

David Studenroth, Republican candidate for the Tristano vacancy in the 12th Subcircuit, was a recent guest on Avy Meyers' North Town News Magazine program and his interview has been posted online.

NTNM airs Thursdays on CAN-TV at 7:30 p.m., and again on Fridays at 2:30 p.m. NTNM also airs on a number of suburban cable systems on Mondays. Check your local listings for air times. Meanwhile, with the permission of NTNM host and moderator Avy Meyers and his entire technical crew Sonny Hersh, you can watch the interview here.

October 25 fundraiser for 1st Subcircuit write-in candidate planned

Supporters of Judge Maryam Ahmad's write-in candidacy for the Hopkins vacancy in the 1st Subcircuit have planned an October 25 fundraiser for their candidate, from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m., at Truth Italian Restaurant, 56 E. Pershing Rd.

Tickets for the event are $150 each, and sponsorships are available ($500 - Sponsor, $1,000 - Silver Sponsor, $2,500 - Gold Sponsor). Listed as co-sponsors of the event are St. Sen. Donne E. Trotter, Ald. Roderick Sawyer, Ald. Michelle Harris, Ald. David Moore, St. Rep. Elgie Sims, St. Rep Marcus Evans, Ms. Stephanie Coleman, Commissioner Howard Medley (Ret), Atty. Luke Casson, Atty. John Fotopoulos, Atty. Matthew Hurst, Atty. Burton Odelson, Dr. Phyllis Hayes, Dr. Angelia Roberts Watkins, Ms. Crystal Brown Black, Mr. Harold Davis, Mr. Leonard Noble, Ms. Peytyn Wilborn, and Mr. Craig Wimberly.

For more information about the event, or to reserve a ticket, email electjudgemaryamahmad@gmail.com.

Steven Kozicki interviewed on NTNM

Steven A. Kozicki, Republican candidate for the "A" vacancy in the 12th Subcircuit, was a recent guest on Avy Meyers' North Town News Magazine program and his interview has been posted online.

NTNM airs Thursdays on CAN-TV at 7:30 p.m., and again on Fridays at 2:30 p.m. NTNM also airs on a number of suburban cable systems on Mondays. Check your local listings for air times. Meanwhile, with the permission of NTNM host and moderator Avy Meyers and his entire technical crew Sonny Hersh, you can watch the interview here.

James Allegretti interviewed on NTNM

James Leonard Allegretti, Republican candidate for the Mathein vacancy in the 12th Subcircuit, was a recent guest on Avy Meyers' North Town News Magazine program and his interview has been posted online.

NTNM airs Thursdays on CAN-TV at 7:30 p.m., and again on Fridays at 2:30 p.m. NTNM also airs on a number of suburban cable systems on Mondays. Check your local listings for air times. Meanwhile, with the permission of NTNM host and moderator Avy Meyers and his entire technical crew Sonny Hersh, you can watch the interview here.

James E. Hanlon, Jr. interviewed on NTNM

James Edward Hanlon, Jr., Democratic candidate for the "A" vacancy in the 12th Subcircuit, was a recent guest on Avy Meyers' North Town News Magazine program and his interview has been posted online.

NTNM airs Thursdays on CAN-TV at 7:30 p.m., and again on Fridays at 2:30 p.m. NTNM also airs on a number of suburban cable systems on Mondays. Check your local listings for air times. Meanwhile, with the permission of NTNM host and moderator Avy Meyers and his entire technical crew Sonny Hersh, you can watch the interview here.