Candidates Declare Runs For Open 59th District State Rep Seat

Six candidates, including the former mayor of Buffalo Grove, a freshman township supervisor, a college senior, a third-term village trustee, a Buffalo Grove police officer and a Lake Forest lawyer, have announced they’re seeking to replace outgoing 59th District state Rep. Carol Sente (D-Vernon Hills), who announced in September she would be stepping down after her term.

So far, two Republicans and four Democrats have declared they’re running to represent the district, which includes parts of Buffalo Grove, Deerfield, Lake Bluff, Lake Forest, Lincolnshire, Mettawa, Mundelein, Park City, Riverwoods, Vernon Hills, Waukegan and Wheeling.

Let’s take a look some of the contenders:

Karen Feldman

Lincolnshire Republican Karen Feldman announced her candidacy Nov. 1. She's a realtor with @properties in Winnetka and a mother of three who is currently serving in her third term as a village trustee in Lincolnshire.

Feldman describes herself as a fiscal conservative who plans to bring jobs and money back to Illinois through commonsense reforms. The most pressing issues she wants to address include balancing the state budget, relieving the burden of property taxes on homeowners and enacting for term limits for elected officials.

"We can all agree that Illinois is an example of a 'One Party State.' There is little diversity of thought in Springfield and nothing will ever change unless the quality of our representation changes," she said, in a news release announcing her campaign.

Feldman is a first-generation American whose parents emigrated from Germany and started a successful small business in Chicago before moving to the suburbs. She attended Niles West High School and worked at the Chicago Board of Options Exchange and the Chicago Board of Trade while attending DePaul University in the evenings.

"I decided to step up, as I believe Springfield has been dysfunctional for far too long. Our lives and prosperity lie in the hands of a few who determine our success," she said.

Feldman has become an active member of the community in Lincolnshire, where she decided to settle to raise a family with her husband, Jeffrey. According to the release, she is an advocate for bettering systems in education and volunteers for local schools and community programs.

"Government should work for the people and not the other way around. I hope to help change the landscape of the House of Representatives to a more responsible and accountable government," she said.

• Read more from the Facebook page for Karen Feldman's campaign

Marko Sukovic

Lincolnshire Republican Marko Sukovic announced Monday he is gathering signatures to run for the for seat. A graduate of Stevenson High School, he’s currently in his senior year at the University of Illinois. He has worked his way through college as a public relations consultant, served as political director for former Congressman Robert Dold and was influential in establishing the college conservative group Turning Point USA, according to a news release announcing his candidacy.

Sukovic cited Illinois’ loss of young professionals to neighboring states as an inspiration for launching his campaign.

“The statistics are troubling, and they show that Illinois is hemorrhaging. Springfield has adopted a culture of complacency in the status quo” that’s failing young people and families of the 59th District, Sukovic said.
People want opportunity, not handouts, he said. Keys to improvement include “term limits, independent maps, governemnet consolidation, and tax and regulatory reform that will entice investment and entrepreneurship,” according to Sukovic, who blamed “insurmountable barriors” for citizens “voting with their feet” and “moving to states that have built a more conducive business environment and offer a higher quality of life.”

Sukovic said he was optimistic Illinois could be turned around, but voters need to change the kinds of people they send to Springfield.

Sukovic is a second generation American whose paternal and maternal grandparents came from the former Yugoslavia to achieve the American dream. They believed that hard work, education and an environment of opportunity could provide a better life for themselves and their family, and Sukovic said he intends to work to ensure that dream remains available in Illinois.

• Read more from the Facebook page for Marko Sukovic's campaign

Daniel Didech

Buffalo Grove Democrat Daniel Didech won a seat on the Vernon Township Board in April with nearly 62 percent of the vote. He announced his candidacy Thursday, along with endorsements from outgoing state Rep. Sente, state Sen. Terry Link (D-Waukegan) and other local elected officials. Didech hopes to fight for fair property taxes and streamline government in Springfield, according to a news release announcing his run.

“I was raised in Buffalo Grove in a family of small business owners, and I understand the struggles that middle-class families and entrepreneurs in our community face every day,” Didech said. “I’m frustrated by gridlock in Springfield that overshadows commonsense reforms.”

“Already in my tenure as township supervisor, I’ve modernized the township’s food pantry and proposed cutting the township’s property tax levy by over 5% for local homeowners,” said Didech, a municipal attorney at Del Galdo Law Group in Berwyn.

On the Vernon Township board, Didech said he took local township officials to task for voting to increase their own pay while raising taxes on middle-class families.And in addition to rejecting pay raises and proposing the property tax cut, he promised to support a property tax freeze and an increase to state public education funding if elected to the General Assembly.

“I have a record of taking on career politicians when necessary, and I’ll continue to do that as state representative,” he said. “I want to thank Rep. Sente for her dedicated service to our community, and I look forward to continuing her impressive legacy of putting politics aside and doing the right thing for our neighbors.”

Outgoing state Rep. Sente endorsed Didech as a “commonsense, fiscally responsible voice,” according to his release.

“Dan has a proven record of managing taxpayer dollars responsibly, cleaning up local government and bucking the status quo in favor of true reform,” said Sente.

Other endorsements touted in the release include Lake County Board Member Vance Wyatt, Buffalo Grove Park District Commissioner Adriane Johnson, former Mundelein Trustee Holly Kim, former state Rep. Lauren Beth Gash, state Rep. Sam Yingling, state Sen. Melinda Bush, and Vernon Township Trustees Jonathan Altenberg, Phil Hirsh and Adam Broad.

Didech lives in Buffalo Grove with his wife Jennifer, a math teacher at Twin Groves Middle School.

• Read more from Daniel Didech's Facebook page

Elliott Hartstein

Former Buffalo Grove Mayor Elliott Hartstein announced his candidacy last month. After weeks of circulating petitions and speaking to residents, he identified the departure of 15 percent of state representatives from Springfield as a serious concern. He said he felt his experience as a mayor and a school board member, as well as other governmental experience, would allow him to be immediately effective.

Hartstein said he understands how to deal with the most pressing issues the state faces in a way that's both fair and fiscally sound. In a press release announcing his campaign, he said he believed he'd be a strong voice for reform and change in the House, suggesting it was important to maintain Democratic control of the seat because of efforts by the federal government to "tamper" with issues impacting Illinois.

“We need at the state level to protect our residents from that Trump barrage and need to likewise create reforms to move our state forward and to Build a Better Illinois," Hartstein said. Governor Bruce Rauner, according to his announcement, has made matters worse by staying in campaign mode since he was elected, and that it was important to see a change in the Governor’s mansion.

He said electing a Democrat as the next governor would not be enough to put the state on the right course, but that a legislature that would "fight for change and reform" was also needed.

Hartstein described himself as "independent thinking pragmatic Progressive Democrat." He said that means he will stay committed to keeping an open mind and working on a bipartisan basis whenever possible to achieve positive change and reform.

He said the "four key building blocks to build a better Illinois" were "Economy and Jobs, Enhancing Quality of Life and Opportunity for all; Insuring Rights and Fairness for all, and Initiating Government Reform."

Hartstein also said he wants a fairer tax system in the state including a progressive income tax and was glad to hear all of the Democratic gubernatorial candidates embracing that idea, which will require an amendment to the Illinois Constitution.

Hartstein promised to continue to pound the pavement to hear the concerns of every corner of the 59th District.

UPDATE: Hartstein Dropped Out of the 59th District Campaign, Later Endorses Malter

• Find out more at Elliott Hartstein's website

Tim Kobler

Buffalo Grove resident and Willowbrook police officer Tim Kobler announced released the following news release announcing his candidacy. He promised to "use his proven courage and dedication to stand up for the district and straighten things out in Springfield."

“As a police officer I am often called to handle emergencies and crises. Unfortunately, our state is in crisis and for too long this situation has been allowed to grow to the point that it seems impossible to fix,” said Kobler, who is running as a Democrat. “As Your State Representative, I will take the same approach in Springfield as I do as a police officer. I will work to solve the crisis while protecting the people of the 59th District.”

Kobler has served as a local police officer for more than 20 years, and during that career he has received the Award of Valor from the 100 Club of DuPage County, the Law Enforcement Award from the Illinois State Bar Association, and three Meritorious Service Awards for going above and beyond the call of duty. He is the current Chairman of the Board for the Illinois Fraternal Order of Police Labor Council, a law enforcement union representing more than 10,000 professionals who work in the criminal justice field throughout the state. Kobler is also part of the Executive Board for the 32,000-member Illinois Fraternal Order of Police State Lodge.

Kobler is the vice president of a $20 million police pension fund that is more than 70 percent funded, compared to most of Illinois' state pension funds which are at or below 40 percent of funding.

“The citizens of the 59th District want good careers, safe streets and assurance that their tax dollars are being wisely spent,” Kobler said. “I know how to stop things that are wrong and uphold things that are right, and pledge to use that dedication and experience as I represent the district and the state.”

Kobler and his wife Chrissy have lived in Buffalo Grove for 17 years and are raising two sons who attend Stevenson High School and Twin Groves Middle School. They are members of Saint Mary Church in Buffalo Grove.

Kobler volunteered as a youth soccer coach for the Buffalo Grove Park District for seven years and was awarded the Fred Bernstein Memorial Coaches Award recognizing outstanding service, leadership, dedication, and fairness to all in making a difference in the lives of Buffalo Grove youth. For the last nine years Kobler has planned and participated in an annual St. Baldrick’s Foundation event that to date has raised approximately $800,000 to fund children's cancer research.

UPDATE: Kobler Drops Out, Endorses Didech

• Find out more from Tim Kobler's Facebook page

Susan Malter

Lincolnshire attorney Susan Malter, 53, filed paperwork Dec. 4 to run in the Democratic primary to become 59th District state representative.

Malter was one of Chicago Magazine's "Chicagoans of the Year" for providing legal support at O'Hare during the first three months of the Muslim Ban. Susan Malter is part of the leadership team of attorneys that developed the new hotline that serves people who interact with CBP at O'Hare. Malter also volunteers assisting Dreamers with DACA renewal applications, fighting fraud in home repair scams, and fighting a legal shakedown scheme involving false claims of copyright infringement that has plagued federal courts in Illinois more than any other state.

Malter also previously served as an Assistant States Attorney in Cook County and was the founder of Profamily, a nonprofit organization focused on education to fill the service gap for children in Chicago where she connected kids and families with health and social services. Susan stated “I will stand up to establishment systems that have failed Illinois. I will push for fair maps to get redistricting out of the back rooms. We must all demand a transparent and fair system. Illinois can get out of its financial crisis. We must all fight for a fair tax system with a progressive income tax where the super-wealthy pay their fair share."

Other major policy concerns for Malter in addition to fair maps and a fair tax system are (1) strengthening early childhood education by lowering the compulsory school age to five years old; (2) making healthcare affordable for everyone; (3) ensuring that our drinking water is safe and that we are notified immediately of toxins or pollutants in the water supply; and (4) raising the standard of care to which Internet Service providers are held with respect to their customers.

"We need a statute in Illinois to ensure that ISP's shoulder an increased duty regarding the security of their customers. Comcast, for example, should not be able to earn money for providing names and addresses of their customers to a business that uses those names to extort payments from those customers. Illinois needs legislation for this to stop the ongoing extortion scheme that has plagued our district. Until that time, our ISP's should not facilitate the racket."

Malter is concerned about redistricting reform. She said:"The entire country suffers from gerrymandering. The strategically drawn districts do more than change who has the majority. What is worse is the type of representation that results from such machinations. Districts must be fairly drawn without the politicians picking their voters and manipulating districts simply for political advantage. The Democratic Party is not successful in Illinois if Illinois is a failing state. Throughout the country, people are more concerned with winning than governing or even living. With leadership that cares only about its own party, the voices that are loudest sound inhumane. I have spoken with the people of this district, Democrats, Republicans, and Independents. We are a caring and productive community. We need leadership that cares more about the work than about the next election or pleasing donors. We need to remember what democracy looks like."

Check out maps of the 59th District from Rep. Carol Sente (animated) or the Illinois Board of Elections (PDF)

Ed. Note: This story has been updated with information about additional campaigns.

Top photo: (left to right) Elliott Hartstein, Daniel Didech, Karen Feldman, Marko Sukovic (Not pictured: Tim Kobler, Susan Malter) | Photos provided