ForestParkReview_022526

The

race to replace Danny Davis

By BILL DWYER Contributing Reporter

With the announcement that Cong. Danny Davis would retire after his current term, a torrent of Democratic candidates has joined the race to re place him, competing in a crowded Democratic primary on March 17 that will effectively select the 7th District’s representative in this overwhelmingly blue district. With Davis having held the seat for 30 years this is a once in multiple

By JESSICA MORDACQ Staff Reporter

On Feb. 6, Forest Park police visited USA Beverage Company — the liquor store in the historic building at the corner of Madison and Harlem — to deliver an official notice of condemnation for the business and property, which includes apartments upstairs. Then, the fire department secured the building with padlocks and shut off its water

JA ZMIN ROBINSON LA SHAWN FORD

ANABEL MENDOZA KINA COLLINS FELIX TELL

THOMAS FISHER REED SHOWALTER

JASON FRIEDMAN DAVID EHRLICH

ANTHONY DRIVER JR

RICHARD BOYKIN

RORY HOSKINS

MELISSA CONYEARS-ERVIN

In collaboration with Dominican University School of Education

A Conversation with Dr. Eve L. Ewing:

Education, Equity and Justice from Original Sins to Superheroes

Thursday, April 16 at 7 p.m.

Dominican University Lund Auditorium | 7900 Division Street, River Forest

Dr. Ewing is the author of numerous books, most recently the acclaimed Original Sins: The (Mis)education of Black and Native Children and the Construction of American Racism. A New York Times and USA Today bestseller, Original Sins was named a Best Book of the Year by The New Yorker, Esquire, Elle and the Chicago Public Library and was longlisted for the Andrew Carnegie Medal. The book explores the American school system’s historic role in reinforcing the idea of White intellectual superiority and upholding the country’s racial hierarchy.

Dr. Ewing also has been involved in several projects for Marvel Comics, most notably the Black Panther and Ironheart series, and is currently writing Exceptional X-Men. Ironheart, which provides the Chicago backstory of genius inventor Riri Williams following her introduction in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2021), was made into a television series last year by Disney+. She also has published the poetry collections Electric Arches and 1919 and wrote the non ction work Ghosts in the Schoolyard: Racism and School Closings on Chicago’s South Side. Her rst book for young people, Maya and the Robot, was published in 2021. She also co-wrote a young adult graphic novel, Change the Game, with Colin Kaepernick, and a short story, Timebox, with Janelle Monae. No Blue Memories: The Life of Gwendolyn Brooks, a play co-written with Nate Marshall, was presented in 2017 by Chicago performance collective Manual Cinema.

Dr. Sara Rezvi, assistant professor of education at Dominican’s School of Education, will moderate the conversation with Dr. Ewing.

Photo: Jaclyn Rivas

Board of Health recommends village hire social worker, create mental health directory

Suggestions for Forest Park followed a wellness survey the group conducted last year

By JESSICA MORDACQ Staff Reporter

In Forest Park, residents want a more comprehensi accessible way to access mental health resources.

That was one of the main findings of the wellness survey and community assessment that the village’s Board of Health carried out early last year. The group presented the results at the first council meeting of February.

Of 158 Forest Park households — which the board acknowledged was a small sample size compared to the village’s over 7,000 homes — 69% experienced anxiety in the past year, and 56% have experienced depression.

“One of the important things we wanted to know is, would the residents know who to call if they had a mental health crisis, and we had a 56% positive reply to that, which is pretty high,” said Susan Buss, one of the board members. She added that the number is similar to the results of a similar question asked in an Oak Park survey.

After seeing the survey’s results, the board created a free monthly speaker series at the Forest Park Public Library, where different locals talk about topics around mental or physical health — like neurodivergent parenting or selfcare activities.

In order to further address barriers and access to health in Forest Park, the Board of Health listed five recommendations to the village council at the Feb. 9 meeting. They also acknowledged the village’s current financial situation, as auditors presented to the council before the Board of Health did.

“I want to state up front that some of these recommendations do require financial investment and others do not,” said Lindsey Baish-F lynn, a board member. “But re gardless of their current feasibility, these recommendations are rooted in data and the collective expertise of the Board of Health, and hopefully they are going to provide a bench-

mark to work towards within this community.”

Here are the recommendations:

■ Invest in a re gularly updated directory of mental health resources for community members and civic employees. The board said, in the short-term, Forest Park could repurpose existing directories of resources from surrounding communities. In the long-term, locals could work to build resource hubs into village or library websites.

■ Invest in personnel to facilitate mental health resources, preferably a licensed social worker. The board suggested that such personnel could be based out of the community center and could also serve village staf f.

■ “This is a really timely recommendation given the retirement of our community treasure, Karen Dylewski. She was not an official social worker, but our research

showed that she very much acted unofficially in this capacity for residents, so this would be a huge hole to fill,” Baish-F lynn said.

■ Strengthen partnerships with neighboring communities to improve access to mental health resources.

■ Re gularly solicit feedback from residents on the state of their mental health every two years.

■ Provide more training and support for frontline civic employees for their own mental health.

This survey marked one of the Board of Health’s first initiatives since it was restructured in 2023. The board launched in 2002 but was inactive for over a decade.

Two years ago, the board started engaging representatives from village departments to see how they thought mental health services could improve in the village. There were requests for a central location for residents to access services and a database or handout with listed resources, but also more resources and training within the departments themselves.

“There was a strong sense of overwhelm,” Buss said. She cited statistics about the Forest Park Fire Department that were referenced earlier at the meeting. “When we hear the numbers about the fire department number of calls, it makes a lot of sense, the overwhelm and bur nout.”

Following the Board of Health’s presentation, Commissioner Michelle Melin-Rogovin said: “I appreciated the depth of the analysis and the work that you did to engage the community and our partners in the village about this. I’m still digesting the re port because it was a lot of information, but I definitely am interested in conversations and welcome the opportunity to talk further.”

“I think we all have some ideas of what we might find in seeing some of the responses and doing some digging,” Commissioner Jessica Voogd said. “But to have this rooted in data, to have some of those questions clearly answered, it’s really helping us see how to move forward and in what areas to focus our limited resources on.”

“I’m very interested in hearing from the board and how we can help keep this momentum going. I don’t want this to just be something that’s shelved,” Voogd added, “especially some of the things that we can do that are very affordable that we can g et started on now.”

ADOBE IMAGE

Residents want basketball court, more involvement in park updates

e Park District o Forest Park is pla to renovate the m playground and next year

By JESSICA MORDACQ Staff Reporter

With the Park District of For dating its main playground and the area sur rounding it at 7501 Harrison St., asking for a free, outdoor basketball and a better field to play soccer on park district updates the existing one next year as a part of the project.

About 50 residents attended, and man shared comments, at the Feb. 19 pa meeting. During the meeting, RV and Landscape Design, for merly Hitchcock Design Group, presented plans for the park district project and recorded public input.

top space.

The project includes a new turf field, main park playground, and an updated area surrounding the two — including an outdoor classroom, game tables and a putting green, which are required in order to receive a $600,000 matching state grant the park district received from Open Space Lands Acquisition and Development in January. The park district will likely have to pay an additional $500,000 to finance the project, estimated to cost $1.75 million in total.

After several residents shared during public comment that they wanted a free, outdoor basketball court, Jackie Iovinelli, the park district’s executive director, said there wouldn’t be the space or money to include that in this project, which was designed around updating the turf field and playground. But the park board said it would add discussion for a new basketball court to its next meeting on March 19.

With residents asking why the park district can’t amend the area it’s working on or replace some of the tennis courts that they rarely see people on with a space for basketball, board members explained how that wasn’t in the scope of this project.

“The tennis courts were never a part of this” said Kristen Lyons, vice president of the park board. She added the park district could apply for another grant to build basketball courts, but that they physically would not fit in the area of its current project.

Suggested renovations to the park district soccer eld and for areas surrounding the main playground.

“I think an overarching theme with the basketball courts and everything else is everybody kind of feels a little surprised that things are this far along in the process, and there also isn’t any kind of coordination,” said Samantha Abernethy, a Forest Park resident, during the meeting. “Shouldn’t you guys be coordinating with the school district, with the town, with the village, to figure out what is best for this community? Because the kids at the middle school do need some place to play basketball, and it would make sense for the park to help them out and be part of that.”

New turf eld

Forest Park residents have long requested a new turf field at 7501 Harrison St. After over a decade of use, the field, after construction, is expected to be striped for soccer, as well as football and lacrosse. Estimated to cost $560,000, a new field was the impetus for the park renovations.

Tim Gillian, the park board’s president, said that, when the park district applied for the OSLAD grant, “the overriding concer n was the soccer field. It’s clearly something that gets the most play, other than the pool. The grant was tailored to fit redoing the soccer field.” He added there will be opportunities for the public to weigh in at future park board meetings before the board votes on the project’s final bid package and contractor With construction on the field likely start-

Football League has requested to use the turf fields but “They couldn’t because youth soccer had monopolized its time.”

Iovinelli said that, once the turf is redone, the park district should re-examine its pay structure for all sports that use its fields.

“It makes me a little worried to hear it called ‘a multi-purpose field,’ said Forest Park resident Bambi Alexander of the additional striping on the new turf. “Because that soccer field is booked all the time. There are not enough soccer fields in the area.”

Transparency about updates

RVi Planning and Landscape Design held its first community input meeting in August at the main playground, though many residents were unable to attend. Some said it seemed like the park district already knew what it would build before getting feedback from residents.

ing in spring 2027, the park district had a professional inspect the field last fall and will do the same this spring but says the field currently doesn’t need any repairs before the spring soccer season.

Residents attending the meeting disagreed. “What are we going to do for the safety of the kids?” said Kerry Feczko, whose daughter plays with the Forest Park Youth Soccer Association. “There are so many games every single day, and kids are going to get hurt. You can run all the reports you want, but it is in terrible condition.” She asked if, because of the field’s status, FPYSA could practice on the park district’s softball fields, since she’s never seen anyone there while using the turf field

Iovinelli said that the softball fields are frequently in use. During the spring, Little League baseball — which the park district runs with River Forest and, last year, had 45 Forest Parkers participate — practices at the softball fields Monday through Friday 3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. They practice for 29 hours for the season and pay $50 an hour. The Park District of Forest Park’s in-house softball team uses the fields at least three hours a day, six days a week during its season.

The 150 kids in FPYSA’s league use the turf field 678 hours a year for $4 an hour, according to Iovinelli. She added that Forest Park Middle School uses the turf field 74 hours a year and pays $20 an hour. And that the Youth

“It seems like the scope was established before community was really included,” said Forest Park resident Lisa Hyatt. “I went to the August meeting with my daughters to see a fully designed park already. … the basketball courts, no matter what, if we would have engaged in the first place, it seems like that wouldn’t even be included.”

Forest Park resident Alec Bloyd-Peshkin said he worried that some aspects of the park that are currently planned for wouldn’t be as used as much as a basketball court might.

“I have this fear that we’re going to put that $27,000 into a putting green and almost never see it used, like the bocci ball courts. That should be reconsidered, and I’d say the same for the concrete ping pong tables, where residents have to bring their own paddles to use them,” Bloyd-Peshkin said. They would also need to bring their own clubs for the putting green.

“Some of the items that seem like they’re funny or maybe don’t get as much use or seem odd, there is a strategy to achieve grant funding, and that is a diversity of elements,” said Eric Hornig of RVi Planning and Landscape Design at the park board meeting.

In the $1.75 million project, the turf field is expected to cost $560,000, the playground $729,000, the putting green $30,000, the outdoor classroom and recess games $140,000, the game table area $27,000, landscaping $26,000, and CPA and testing costs $230,000. The project’s design and engineering will take place through June, and the permitting process will occur in the summer. Officials expect bidding to occur in fall and construction to start in spring 2027.

JESSICA MORDACQ

Pollinator garden coming to Betsy Ross with state grant

Every student has the chance to plan t a piece of the garden

BY HOPE BAKER Contributing Reporter

Betsy Ross Elementary School has been awarded $1,992 from the Illinois Schoolyard Habitat Action Grant program for the development of a pollinator garden. And this spring students at the kindergarten through second grade school will each have a hand in planting the school’s new garden.

Two teachers, Aimee Edwards and Constance Hill, were instrumental in securing the grant for Betsy Ross, 1315 Marengo Ave., Edwards and Hill thought a pollinator garden would give students a more hands-on experience with the school’s science curriculum, so they decided to apply.

A pollinator garden, as defined by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, is a landscaped area specifically designed with

native plants to provide nectar, pollen, and habitats for pollinators such as bees, butterflies and hummingbirds

According to Edwards, the garden will be planted in May, in an area of the school’s playground that is visible to the public

“Every child in the school will get to plant something, which is fun and exciting,” Edwards said.

Sponsored by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources and the Illinois Conservation Foundation, the grant supports the development or enhancement of wildlife habitats on school grounds and other public spaces. Up to $2,000 per project is awarded to schools, nature centers, and youth groups that are selected as recipients. Schools and community organizations apply for these grants in order to buy tools and materials -such as native plants, mulch, topsoil, gloves, rakes, hoes and shovels -- that are needed to build their wildlife habitats.

Earlier this month, nearly $40,000 in grants for 24 projects throughout Illinois were awarded by the program for the 2026 application period. Although the grants are awarded annually, this is the first time that Betsy Ross has applied.

Hill said she hopes the students feel a sense of pride and ownership when they look at the

pollinator garden. Since the plants will not be in full bloom until summer, she hopes students and their families will come visit the garden during June, July and August.

“This will be right in their play space,” Hill said. “It’s something that they can take care of and it’s also an opportunity for them to see the lifecycle of plants.”

The list of plants that will be grown in the pollinator garden at Betsy Ross includes swamp milkweed, wild bergamot, black eyed susans, purple coneflowers, New Jersey tea, showy goldenrods, wild senna, and royal catchfly

“My teachers are amazing,” said Tinisa Huff, Betsy Ross principal. “I’ll always support anything they do that’s going to influence the students and give them new skills, and I think the garden will be beautiful for our school community.”

Applications for the next grant cycle will be accepted later this spring through Nov. 30. Application materials and additional information are available on the IDNR education grants website. For additional information, call 217- 524-4126 or email dnr.teachkids@illinois.gov.

PROVIDED

Aimee Edwards, ELL teacher at Betsy Ross

HISTORIC BUILDING Condemned

from page 1

Through the village can move to demolish the building at 7200 Madison St., it is first looking to have the owners make necessary repairs.

According to building inspection records obtained by the Review through the Freedom of Information Act, an inspection this January revealed that the building’s fire alarm system and many smoke detectors are disabled because of water damage, that exterior exits are blocked with materials, there’s defective or exposed electrical wiring, plus holes in ceilings, floors and walls. According to the inspector, the building is not approved for occupancy and “has many violations that have not been corrected in years. Structural engineers are required to evaluate structure for safety.”

Inspection records from 2017 show the village gave the building’s previous owner a long list of violations that needed to be corrected, including the installation of a whole-building fire alarm system and to rehab apartment units in order for them to be OK’d for occupancy. While many repairs were completed, the previous owner neglected to replace the building’s roof, fixtures on the top floor and multiple areas on the exterior that need brick and mortar repair.

In order for the building to no longer be considered condemned, “the building owners need to ensure the building is structurally sound,” Village Administrator Rachell Entler told the Review in an email.

Chirag Patel is listed as an owner in inspection records but did not return a request for comment by publication. If and when the owners or contractors need to access the building, they will need to contact the fire department to unlock it

In recent years, “staff has repeatedly told the owners to fix the hole in the roof,” Entler said of an opening that’s existed for over two years. “Water damage from the unrepaired hole in the roof has led to additional damage tha t has now affected the structural integrity of the building, which is why the village issued the condemnation order.” Entler added that many of the upstairs windows have been open for years for ventilation and to prevent mold

7200 Madison St. has long marked a historical intersection in Forest Park. In 1898, Nick Shank’s original saloon, later called Fuch’s Hall, was built at the address. Then, a pharmacy occupied the cor ner for 72 years.

Condemning a building is a rare occurrence in Forest Park.

“Condemnation does not happen often,” Entler said. The last building she remembers the village condemning was the for mer Roos Building, now the site of the park district’s Roos Recreation Center. “A microburst had come through town and damaged the north wall so badly that village officials determined it was unsafe and issued a condemnation order.”

PROVIDED

Building on the southwest cor ner of Harlem and Madison in its heyday.

GCM donates publications to nonpro t news group

NEWSWELL, a liated with Arizona State U, has assumed leadership of Wednesday Journal, Austin Weekly News, Forest Park Review and Riverside-Brook eld Landmark; goal is nancial stability

By BRENDAN HEFFERNAN Staff Reporter

For the first time in the newspapers’ long histories, Wednesday Journal, Austin Weekly News, Riverside-Brookfield Landmark and Forest Park Review will ha out-of-state owners.

The papers, run as nonprofit publications under the Growing Community Media umbrella since 2020, are now pa nonprofit journalism group NEWSWEL portfolio of publications. The GCM papers are the organization’s first titles outside of the state of California and the only weekly print publications included among the group’s portfolio.

No immediate changes for the papers are anticipated.

GCM will dissolve as an entity following a transition period, with the organization donating its publications to NEWSWELL. All of GCM’s employees are being of employment by NEWSWELL, including Executive Director Max Reinsdorf, til now carried an interim title, and longtime Editor Dan Haley.

The move comes amid longstanding financial issues for GCM, with the organization terminating its lease last summer for the Oak Park office space that staffers had occupied since the 1980s.

help is desperately needed for the four papers, Reinsdorf said.

This deal re presents the clearest path to financial sustainability for the papers in recent memory, Reinsdorf said in an interview.

“Our struggles showed that we didn’t necessarily have a guaranteed path to continued news coverage for the decades to come, and that was a realization that the GCM board had over the summer,” said Reinsdorf. “We have a path towards standing the test of time with NEWSWELL, and it puts us in a position to be stronger and more resilient than we were before.”

Founded in 2024, NEWSWELL is a nonprofit affiliated with Arizona State University (ASU) that provides centralized support to bolster local publications in areas including le g al support, business strateg y, audience development, marketing and human resources administration. Re porting and editing remains local. That

“Donating these assets to NEWSWELL allows us to g et the expertise and the resources that GCM had been seeking that had been out of reach for us,” he said. “From a financial perspective, there’s revenue upside and there’s also savings to be had by NEWSWELL taking over the backend functions.”

“It allows me to see a much stronger financial picture for us.”

T he group’s other publications include Stocktonia covering Stockton, CA, Times of San Diego covering San Diego County and Santa Barbara News-Press, the onetime bankrupt paper of record for the oceanside city that NEWSWELL recently helped resur rect as a digital publication.

T he group has ambitions to expand to wherever local news needs support, said NEWSWELL’s Executive Director Nicole Carroll. T he GCM newspapers fit exactly what the group was looking for, Carroll said.

“I’m really impressed with the four news titles, all of them make a difference in their communities, all of them are the source of truth for their communities, they’re all respected,” she said. “That’s really important for NEWSWELL; when we partner with someone … it’s important that they do solid journalism, that they’re of their communities and that they’re respected by those communities. The four titles check all those boxes.”

Carroll also works as a professor of practice at Arizona State University’s famed Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication and previously served as top editor for the Arizona Republic and editor-in-chief of USA Today. She said that bringing the GCM papers into the NEWSWELL portfolio also makes sense as another link between Chicago and Arizona, alongside Cubs and White Sox spring training, Portillo’s and Lou Malnati’s franchise locations and Frank Lloyd Wright architecture.

“There’s a well-worn path from Chicago

to Phoenix,” she said.

NEWSWELL’s mission comes in response to the widespread closures of local news outlets and the dramatic reduction ournalism jobs seen across the counover the last 20 years. Hyper local outlets, like the four GCM papers, are worth protecting, Carroll said.

“We want to go where we’re needed, wanted and can make a difference,” Caroll said.

he papers’ newsg athering and editorial processes will remain unchanged, except for some additional support on estigative projects that NEWSWELL will provide, said Haley, who was a founder of Wednesday Journal in his mid-20s NEWSWELL offers journalism support to ts network, including investigative editing and le g al support for public records requests and pre-publication review.

“The goal we have had since the very start was to create intensely local, authentic, inde pendent journalism,” Haley said. “This step is a big ste p, but it’s in my mind an extension of everything we’ve one up until now. This is another variation on the goal of creating an inde pendent viable local news model, and I’m really excited about what this of fers us

“We’ve found an entity that’s as focused on legit local news as we are.”

T he papers will continue on their re gular print schedules for the foreseeable future, Haley and Reinsdorf said.

While the NEWSWELL donation will buy the papers more room to breathe, the deal doesn’t re present an immediate exit from choppy financial waters, Reinsdorf said. T he operations of the papers will still largely be paid for through local fundraising and subscription and advertising revenue.

True financial sustainability for the papers will almost certainly involve a more for malized reader membership progr am, Reinsdorf said.

“It is not a money cannon; we’re still responsible for fundraising at a similar level,” he said. “One of the first major goals will be to launch a membership program. We need a reader revenue model to generate new income and to reinvest in our newsroom.”

7TH DISTRIC T DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY

Felix Tello’s congressional run for constituents:

‘The people are my agenda’

Engineer created an app that allows public voting on individual bills with results sent to representatives

By JESSICA MORDACQ Staff Reporter

Editor’s note: Ahead of the March 17 primary, Growing Community Media is profiling the candidates running in the 7th Congressional District in Illinois. Whoever wins the November election will succeed Rep. Danny Davis, who is retiring after nearly 30 years in the position. This week, GCM re ports on Felix Tello.

Felix Tello’s platform in the 7th district congressional race is to be nothing but a voice for constituents. His new secure app, Vote Our Way, is available to download as a way for voters to submit to re presentatives their preferences on individual bills — in just 15 minutes a week from the comfort of their home.

“It’s not my job to come up with the agenda or the needs of the people. It’s the people’s job to tell me,” Tello said, adding that currently, constituents have little access to their re presentatives. “These congresspeople are bringing forward their agenda as they think the district wants. I don’t have an agenda. The people are my agenda.”

plans to further develop the app for state governments.

“If I don’t win, my journey hasn’t ended. I am here to represent the people, and to hold whoever gets to Congress accountable,” Tello said. “I know I can do it because I’ll have the data.”

Though Vote Our Way is now live, while door-knocking before its launch, Tello heard from constituents some feedback that spurred him to propose five new acts:

■ The Democracy Forward Act would put provisions in place to prevent executive overreach.

■ The Economic Engine and Jobs Act would empower non-union workers by funding skill improvement opportunities and having large companies allocate a certain percentage of profits to employees.

■ The Immigration Reform Act would retain the economic power of immigration while addressing violent crime and ending mass deportation.

An engineer by trade, Tello had the idea for a platform like Vote Our Way over 20 years ago. When Richard Nixon was president, he started realizing how cor rupt Congress is and wanted to find a way to change that.

“They make promises to the district to do something, and they get to Congress and they completely get assimilated. They get assimilated by the money, by the party, and they forget about who elected them, who hired them to do the job,” Tello said.

So about five years ago, Tello gathered 20-some people across the country to help him build Vote Our Way to allow constituents a direct voice in Congress by voting on every piece of legislation. After the primary election,

■ “Not only is it wrong to treat people that way,” Tello said of how the Trump administration is dealing with immigration, “but it’s stupid with the economy. If you want to get the criminals out, go for it, but do it constitutionally. Don’t violate their rights to do it. You don’t want to take a broad stroke at it because undocumented people produce $350 billion in economic value nationally.”

■ The Health and Human Rights Act would keep the government from interfering in anyone’s medical or health decisions. Tello is for universal health care and said Congress needs to appropriate more money to it by restoring Trump’s cuts to the Af fordable Care Act. He also wants to create another entitlement program for those who don’t get health insurance either through their jobs or Medicaid.

■ The Village Act would create legislation that lifts up those who are economically, physically, mentally or educationally disadvantaged. It would create a federal agency to oversee funds to charity, allow individuals and businesses to opt into a tax with full credit, and create programs for job training, mental health, housing and education.

■ In an interview the day civil rights leader Jesse Jackson died, Tello quoted him, “‘We’re not a perfect people, yet we are called to a perfect mission. Our mission is to feed the hungry, to clothe the naked, to house the home-

less, to teach the illiterate, to provide jobs for the jobless, and to choose the human race.’ That’s what I want to turn my Village Act into, and I want to turn the Austin neighborhood first because they’re the furthest behind.”

Tello worked as an engineer for 37 years, many at Siemens, where he said he learned how to be an expert in change, identifying the goals and solutions for specific problems.

“I’ve got more experience and wisdom in doing that because that’s what I did for 37 years,” Tello said. “When I get to Congress, it’s not only my job to introduce the priorities and the legislation, it’s my job to make progress on that agenda and to ne gotiate across the aisle. … little chewable bites at a time. But the Democratic Party is all about one big elephant — swallow it all, Republicans, because we want it all.”

The 28th Amendment

Born in Colombia, Tello became a citizen at 21. Today, he carries around a pocket-sized version of the U.S. Constitution and considers himself a constitutionalist.

“The Constitution says, ‘We the people,’ starts with those three freaking words. ‘The people’ is gone. It doesn’t exist in this country because of Congress, because of the cor ruption that exists,” Tello said.

As a constitutionalist, Tello aims to educate voters across the country about the 28th Amendment, or Equal Rights Amendment, which prohibits discrimination based on sex, gender identity or sexual orientation.

First drafted in the 1920s, both the Senate and House passed the amendment in 1972. In a preamble that’s not legally binding, Congress gave a deadline of 7 years for the standard three-fourths of the country’s states to ratify an amendment before it becomes national law. In 2020, the 38th state ratified the amendment, but the Trump Administration said the deadline to add the amendment to the Constitution had passed.

“Millions of people are suffering. They can’t get an abor tion when they want. They can’t see their medical doctor. They can’t get married across the country. They can’t free the nipple if they want. They can’t breastfeed when they want,” Tello said.

Other Democratic candidates who have thrown their hats in the ring for Davis’s seat include Richard Boykin, Kina Collins, Melissa Conyears-Ervin, David Ehrlich, Anthony Driver Jr., Dr. Thomas Fisher, La Shawn Ford, Jason Friedman, Rory Hoskins, Anabel Mendoza, Jazmin Robinson and Reed Showalter. Republican candidates are Chad Koppie and Patricia Easley

Tello

FELIX TELLO

Spring Performing Guide Arts 2026

This concert will take you on a musical journey through American traditions and the music that reflects the richness of 250 years of our country and its people. Wonderful and surprising arrangements of America the Beautiful by Frank La Rocco and the Star Spangled Banner by Paul Laprade, a premiere of Lacrimosa by Paul Carey, the well-known Alleluia by Randall Thompson, and an exciting Alleluia by Jake Runestad. The program will cover a variety of music genres representing our history from the Civil War to the present as we celebrate America’s 250th birthday. Please join us on this musical journey through American history.

April 19 • 4pm Trombone Treat (music of Schubert, Higgins and Bernstein)

June 14 • 4pm Superb Stars (music of Suk, Bruch and Groesch)

Concordia University Chapel, River Forest

March 15 • 3pm Chamber Conversations (music of Handel, Mauldin, Mozart and Bach)

April 26 • 3pm Chamber Stars (music of Beethoven, Ravel, Haydn, Brahms and Bartok)

Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, 611 Randolph, Oak Park

Tickets at SymphonyOPRF.org; students through college admitted free of charge. TheSymphonyOPRF@gmail.com • 708-218-2648 SymphonyOPRF.org

AND THE MAN

APRIL 24-MAY 10

MADISON STREET THEATER

DISH ABOUT A DISH

O’Sullivan’s patty melt is a special sandwich

When a grilled cheese and a hamburger fall in love

By RISÉ SANDERS-WEIR Eats Reporter

For diner Nora Rowley the question of her favorite meal in Forest Park required no lengthy pondering. It’s the patty melt at O’Sullivan’s Public House, 7244 Madison St.

“The bread is perfect and somehow they figured out the exact amount to grill it on both sides,” Rowley said. “When I ask for it medium rare, I actually get it. That’s not easy to do on a grilled sandwich.”

The rye bread comes from Turano Bakery. The beef and cheese are top-notch, according to O’Sullivan’s general manager Anthony Crawford.

More than 30 years ago Jerry Sullivan opened the ancestor bar that bore the same name a few miles east, near the corner of Grand and Milwaukee Avenues in Chicago.

The locati on became Emmit’s Pub (R.I.P.) when three of Sullivan’s ne phew s, Matt, Paul and Dan, opened their version of O’Sullivan’s where the Beacon Pub stand today in Forest Park.

“It ’s a true half p ound patty. It ’s a classi c take on a really simple sandwich,” Crawford said. “It’s the b est of b oth wo rl ds. It ’s li ke a burg er and a g rilled cheese had a baby. A burg er may only have one slice of cheese, whereas our patty melt has three, as well as the caramelized, g rilled onions It really boils down to q uality and c onsistency. ”

After a 10-year r un, f ast forward to when Matt Sullivan partnered with Jim and Dan Watts to recreate the magic in the current building. It’s in the for mer location of T he Park Louge with Lee Choi Restaurant inside. Doors opened here on April 5, 2003.

A Sullivan still works the bar, Sally Sullivan. She is the niece of the originator and sister to the proprietors of the earlier Forest Park version. In many ways, both Crawford and Rowley said, she is the hear t of the operation.

“Sally is an icon and she reco gnizes me and is always kind to me,” Rowley said. “I come here by myself most of the time, and I always feel very welcome. It’s a very comfortable place to sit at the bar. I can’ t imagine anyone who wouldn’ t be welcome here.”

T he rest of the pub’s menu contains what you would expect at a bar and then some items that you might not.

“We got specials that break the mold as far as what bar food is,” Crawford said. “All the soups are

Diner Nora Rowley and GM Anthony Craw ford

Get in on the avor osullivansfp.com

7244 Madison, Forest Park Daily 11 a.m. – 1 a.m.

made from scratch. We have a shrimp Dijon. And then we’ve been doing specials: g rilled seafood platter, stuffed orang e roughy. Even with those more elevated specials, we try to keep everything under 30 bucks a plate.”

T he patty melt is $16.95 with a choice of a side.

“Even the potato chips are f antastic,” Rowley said.

“We buy them pre-cut, froz en, but then we cook them to order,” Crawford said. “It’s not a bag of chips that’s been on the shelf for a while.”

It’s the attention to details that O’Sullivan’s prides itself on.

“There’s four pillars, which is what we build ourselves on,” Crawford said. “Sure it’s the food and drink, but it’s also a sense of people and place.”

Sláinte!

O’ Sullivan’s Public House, 7244 Madison, Forest Park

RISÉ SANDERS-WEIR

RISÉ SANDERS-WEIR

Police evacuate Walmart for bomb threa

By JESSICA MORDACQ Staff Reporter

Police were dispatched to Walmart late on Feb. 22 after a woman called police and said they got a call from an unknown man who said he put a bomb in the Forest Park Walmart before hanging up. Police evacuated the store around 10:30 p.m., contacted the Cook County Sherif f’s Police Department and requested the K-9 team sweep the store. Police found nothing in the store and were unable to reach the caller.

Fights and disturbances

Around 3:30 p.m. on Feb. 19, police were dispatched to the Roos Recreation Center for a fight. When police arrived a large crowd of young people outside dispersed. Witnesses said two young men exchanged a few punches before another separated them. No one was charged.

Burglary from motor vehicle

Police were dispatched to the 900 block of Circle Avenue the morning of Feb. 20 for two men tampering with cars. A witness told police she saw the men through her Ring camera pulling on the car handle of her daughter’s vehicle and that she wished to sign complaints. While canvassing the area, a woman waved police down to say her car had been ransacked and that two rolls of quarters were missing from the center console. Police found and detained the two men at Marengo and Lexington, who each had a roll of quarters on them. They were both charged with burglary from a motor vehicle, and one was also charged with criminal trespass to a vehicle.

Criminal damage to property

Police were dispatched to Forest Printing Co. on Madison St. in the early hours of Feb. 21 after someone passing by the business called to re port a shattered window. Police didn’t see any possible offenders in the area or inside the business. The business owner said he’d check cameras but

re ported that nothing seemed to be missing and said he did not wish to sign complaints

Possession of controlled substance

A McDonald’s employee waved police down the afternoon of Feb. 21 because someone was causing a disturbance inside the Madison Street business. A man said he was sitting in McDonald’s when another man walked up and took a ring of f his finger before leaving. Police located the man and returned the ring to the victim, who said he didn’t want to sign complaints, but was found to have a warrant for violating his parole. He was charged with the warrant. The man who stole the ring said he had PCP on him and was charged with possession of controlled substance.

These items were obtained from Forest Park Police Department reports dated Feb. 16-23 and represent a portion of the incidents to which police responded. Anyone named in these reports has only been charged with a crime and cases have not yet been adjudicated. We report the race of a suspect only when a serious crime has been committed, the suspect is still at large, and police have provided us with a detailed physical description of the suspect as they seek the public’s help in making an arrest.

7TH DISTRIC T

g enerations opportunity to win a seat in Cong ress. T he 13 Democratic candidates for the seat re present an array of political views, levels of experience and races. And they seek election in a vast cong ressional district which has seen substantial demo graphic shifts as neighborhoods around the Loop have increased with a well-to-do, largely white population, even as the Black population of the West Side has diminished and a growing percentage of Proviso Township has become Hispanic.

What’s the impact of that demographic change? Why are voting habits more important than total population groups? How will substantial outside campaign funding impact the final month of the race? What’s the impact of key endorsements and the planned turn-out-the-vote campaigns a handful of those endorsements will bring?

Finally, in a nation actively rejiggering congressional districts with an eye on the midterm elections in November, is the Illinois 7th District still meant to be a “Black district”? And what does that mean?

Veteran Chicago political journalist Laura Washington penned an intriguing column in the Chicago Tribune Jan. 26, pondering the possibility that demographic shifts and a crowded Democratic primary field might combine to throw the election to a white candidate. There are 3 white candidates in the race.

Noting the district’s 53 years of Black leadership — 30 under Davis — Washington said demo graphic shifts have seen the district “ … evolve from a predominantly Black domain on Chicago’s West Side to a sprawling territory that includes downtown areas such as Fulton Market, South Side wards, Chinatown and the west suburbs of Oak Park, Maywood and River Forest.”

Wealthy real estate executive Jason Friedman, she said, “could change the racial equation, as the only white candidate who brings significant money and clout,” which, combined with “the large number of high-profile and established Black politicians might fracture the vote.”

“If Friedman can galvanize and consolidate the white vote, he could prevail,” she noted. “It’s a very big “if,” but it raises interesting questions.

7th Congressional District map

Cancellation

Washington’s column centered on two issues: the possibility of “cancellation,” in which groupings of candidates with similar characteristics — progressive, establishment, white, Black — battle for the same pool of limited primary votes. There is also the clear desire of Black political leadership to retain control of the 7th Congressional district.

“That’s one of the things that can happen with a large field,” said Dr. Kent Redfield, professor emeritus at U of I Springfield, who’s studied Illinois politics since the 1970s. “In races with smaller candidate fields, it’s easier to see the effect,” Redfield said. “If it’s (three candidates) and the two moderates are eating up each other’s votes … the progressive with 40 percent is in pretty good shape.”

There are five progressives running, in-

cluding activist Kina Collins, union official Anthony Driver, immigrant rights organizer Anabel Mendoza, human resources executive Jazmin Robinson and for mer White House advisor and attorney Reed Showalter.

An ef fort has be gun in Oak Park to unify progressive support behind Collins.

There are several more established, moderate candidates, including three currently holding elected office; state Rep. LaShawn K. Ford, Melissa Conyers-Ervin, the Chicago city treasurer since 2019, two term Forest Park mayor Rory Hoskins and for mer County Commissioner Richard Boykin.

There are three putative front runners: Ford, who has been endorsed by both Davis and Illinois House Speaker Chris Welch; Conyears-Ervin, who ran against Davis in 2024; and Friedman, who has raised $1.8 million.

Friedman presents himself as a sea-

soned businessman who creates jobs and gets things done. Ford has stressed his legislative experience, his networks and his record of standing up for people’s interests. Conyears-Ervin portrays herself as a fighter ready to take on the Trump administration and protect safety net programs. Conyears-Ervin is also the recent recipient of a $2.8 million cash infusion from the controversial American Israel Public Affairs Committee

Then there’s Collins, who has little money but solid name reco gnition from running against Davis three times, including a 45.7 percent performance in the 2022 primary. And Dr. Thomas Fisher, an ER physician who had strong 4th quarter fundraising and who has been endorsed by Cong. Lauren Underwood.

Along with Friedman and Showalter, the

WIKIPEDIA

other white male in the primary is for mer Congressional staffer and professor David Ehrlich.

Experts Growing Community Media spoke with said that while it’s difficult to predict a winner, there are key indicators, including candidates with effective political organizations, quality endorsements and who is able to tur n out to vote.

Washington, also a political analyst for ABC 7 Chicago, said a crowded field for a Congressional seat that is open for the first time in many years is not unusual.

Such races have different dynamics than re gular elections. There have been three such Democratic Congressional primaries in recent years, the 1st district in 2022, and the 6th and 14th in 2018.

The 1st district primary had 17 candidates, 11 of whom didn’t break five percent. Only four reached double digits, constituting 73.5 percent of the vote, as Jonathan Jackson won with 28.18 percent.

In the 6th district, seven Democratics vied to take on GOP Congressman Peter Roskam. Again, four broke double digits, accounting for 86.4 percent, as Sean Casten won with 29.5 percent.

Lauren Underwood was the exception, winning 57.35 percent in the seven-candidate 14th district primary. None of the

other six got above 13.4 percent.

The 7th Congressional primary is distinct from those races, having not only many candidates, but more competing political and ethnic categories -- Black, white and Hispanic, progressive and moderate, “new guard” and institutionalist.

Money

Redfield said voters want to know a candidate and assess them. “Is this a selffunder who has no policy or political service,” he said. “Or (someone who is) enthusiastic but not resourced or experienced in building a campaign.”

Washington said money has its limits and can’t re place traditional face to face retail politics. “The money is important for lesser known candidates, like Friedman,” she said. “No one knows who he is.”

“If voters see a lot of mailers, but not direct contact, that could backfire,” she said. “People also want to know that person. How can I trust this person? It’s about that ‘touch.’”

“You have to go to (a voter’s) door,” said C.B. Johnson, a long time West Side political activist. “It’s a sign of respect to knock on my door. To ask for my vote.”

Congressional District 7 Race/Ethnicity

Census data: ACS 2024 1-year unless noted

* Margin of error

Source: Census Reporter (https://censusreporter.org/pro les/50000US1707-congressional-district-7-il/)

Race and endorsements

Race — and racism — is aways a factor in Chicago politics, Washington allowed, though with some voters, she said, it’s less about race and more “I matter, my vote matters and my concer ns matter.”

White voters in areas like Oak Park, she said, “respect the desire of African Americans to retain power,” but there is also the

De ant Ford responds to misleading crypto PAC attack ads

By BILL DWYER Contributing Reporter

In a speech equal parts defiance and political critique, with some genuine emotion apparent, State Rep. La Shawn K. Ford responded Monday to political attack ads funded by a crypto currency PAC upset with his vote as a state legislator.

Ford, one of 13 Democratic primary candidates looking to succeed the retiring Danny K. Davis as 7th District representative in Congress, stood with Davis and other supporters at his campaign headquarters to address a video ad and political mailers that falsely imply that he was convicted of felonies related to bank fraud.

The attack ad, created by the Fairshare super PAC, referred to a federal indictment against Ford in 2012, charging him with bank fraud and submitting false infor mation. The video pieces together statements in a way that conveys that one statement made related to the next statement. But they

do not.

Ford, the video intones, “was indicted on 17 counts.” Waiting a moment for effect, they repeat, “17 counts” over a graphic of “17 counts” handwritten on a piece of cardboard.

“The verdict? Ford convicted of tax fraud.” But Ford was not charged with tax fraud in the 17-count indictment. That single charge was in a superseding indictment.

In 2014, after the original prosecutor left office, another prosecutor took over the case, and the U.S. Attorney in Chicago suddenly dropped all 17 felony charges in exchange for Ford agreeing to enter a guilty plea to a single misdemeanor tax charge Ford, who has worked in real estate and property rehab on the West Side, agreed to plead guilty to overstating the rehab costs on one of his properties by about $23,000, which lowered his capital gains taxes when the property was sold, resulting in $3,782 in lost tax revenue to the IRS.

He was sentenced to probation, a $1,000

fine and restitution.

“I am not a felon,” Ford said. “I am a state legislator, I am a real estate broker, I am licensed to be a teacher.” Had he been convicted of any felony, he said he would not be able to be any of those things.

Calling the funding behind the attack “blood money,” Ford said such tactics are “har mful to our democracy.” He said he was targeted by the PAC because of his vote in the Illinois House to regulate the crypto currency industry, “because I stood up for my people.”

“I’m here to protect the community and the people who elected me.”

Davis called the ads “scurrilous.”

“Yes he was charged,” he said of Ford “But it was a lie. And the Justice Department knew it.” He added, “The judge said it was a mistake.”

Ford spoke about his defense attorney, the late Thomas Durkin, saying, “He actually told the courts that ‘this Black man is getting railroaded.’” His voice quavering,

Ford added, “I needed that attorney at that time.” As the room erupted in applause, Ford teared up, covered his eyes and laid his head down on the podium.” He then left the room, returning several minutes later

The crypto industry’s hostility toward Ford stems from his support of a bill that passed the Illinois General Assembly last August, SB 1797. The bill created the Digital Assets and Consumer Protection Act, which directs the Department of Financial and Professional Regulation to regulate digital asset business activity in Illinois and imposes new compliance and consumer-protection requirements on them.

Ford said dark money is playing a negative role in today’s politics

“I think we have a problem when we have dark money in a race that can do whatever they want in the race without any checks,” he said. “We need to change the law and make sure we’re able to have a fair democracy.”

7TH DISTRIC T

feeling that “I shouldn’t be overlooked.”

Race still matters, though, particularly to Black political leadership in this most unusual election cycle. House Speaker Welch, a resident of the district, is among other Black leaders like Davis making it clear they intend to maintain Black political control of the 7th District, and as many Black voices as possible on the Democratic State Central Committee

That goal is supported by Illinois State Senate President Don Harmon, the white township committeeman for Oak Park

“The 7th Congressional District in Illinois has been an important historically Black seat in Congress,” Harmon said. “The district has changed but it is still drawn to perform as a Black district and I expect that the Black political community in particular is going to dig in really deeply on ensuring Black representation continues. Ultimately it’s up to the voters, but I think that’s an important component. It would be a significant loss in Black representation.”

Ford’s campaign manager, Tumia Romero, said on Saturday that the campaign expects turnout to be between 78,000 to 80,000 votes, based on historical data. “We hope that it’s more than that, of course,” Romero said

According to the Illinois State Board of Elections, turnout was 86,158 in the 2024 primary, and 75,612 in the 2022 primary. While declining to provide specific numbers, Romero said Ford is ahead in the latest tracking poll received on Feb. 20.

“He’s still leading, despite (Conyers-Ervin and Friedman) each sending out 10 (negative direct mail) pieces.”

Besides running for the Democratic State Central Committee 7th District seat, Welch has endorsed Ford to replace Davis in the 7th Congressional seat.

Redfield said no serious politician of Welch’s stature makes endorsements lightly, saying, “When they put their name out there they’re expending political capital.”

Redfield said quality endorsements have a “value added” quality, enabling a candidate to “piggyback” onto another politician’s organizational strengths. “If the endorsement brings with it something that adds value,” he said, like communications and ground support, “they carry weight.”

“If they’ll put in the work, put your name on palm cards, use the endorsement in direct mail, (then) the support of any party people does make a big difference,” said Dick Simp-

son, a for mer Chicago alderman and political science professor

“With endorsements has to come a political operation with people to help,” Washington said. In the case of Welch, she said, “That’s significant.”

Welch’s endorsement of Ford, Washington said, “could be the secret sauce that makes the difference.”

Turnout

Redfield said while he was not an expert on West Side Chicago Congressional politics, his “sense of this district is it’s got geographical divisions,” including an older, long established Black West Side and newer residential sections on the near west side.

The question, he said, is “What kind of electorate is going to show up.”

With no more party bosses, he said, “you’ve got to motivate people and get them out to vote.” Ultimately the question political operatives look to answer is, “who’s going to show up at the polls?”

According to one political expert in the field of survey research, an Oak Park resident who asked not to be named, the answer is not found in general population statistics. Recent U.S. Census data, he said, shows ethnic percentages in the 7th district are “approximately 36 percent Black, 29 percent white, 21 percent Latino, and 10 percent Asian.”

Then there’s the racial profile of the actual primary voting population, he said, and “Those demographics are different.”

Experienced campaign professionals, he said, “estimate this number to be about 40 percent Black, 40 percent white, 10 percent Latino, and the rest being a mix of Asian voters and other demographics. They use past voting results to predict this outcome.”

“As far as the estimates for the electorate, each campaign does their own prediction, so there’s no exact source for it,” he said. “It’s just a common knowledge thing that those of us in the profession can acquire from our colleagues.”

“You cannot exactly predict the electorate until it votes,” he said.

A study released in January by Unite America Institute (UAI) sheds some light on that disparity. It found that the voting populace that votes in primaries is different from general elections.

The UAI, a nonprofit organization “that seeks to encourage nonpartisan civic engagement and political participation” found that “self-identified liberals were 20 percent of the population, yet were 29 percent of “decisive primary voters,” roughly “1.5 times more representation than parity would suggest.”

The greatest disparity was with Republi-

2024 Democratic primar y results by Chicago wards in 7th Congressional Distric t

Source: Chicago Board of Elections; https://chicagoelections.gov/elections/results/205

Bolded ward number indicate “Black” ward

can primary voters, which while notable, has little relevance to the deep blue 7th District.

Young Millennial and Gen Z voters, UAI found, “were notably absent” in primaries, with 18- to 25-year-olds comprising nine percent of the population but just three percent of primary voters; 25- to 39-year-olds “comprised 25 percent of the population but only 11 percent of the primary electorate.”

Meanwhile, those 55 and over were 68 percent of the primary electorate despite being just 46 percent of the population.

Whites were 70 percent of the population but “constituted 84 percent of the primary electorate; Black voters 13 percent of the population but 11 percent of the primary electorate.

Under representation was even larger for Hispanic and Asian American voters, “three to four times less represented than their shares of the population,” the UAI found.

Washington, who has said she’s “not en-

dorsing anyone in this race,” said she’s also not making any predictions. But two candidates, she opined, have an advantage, “at least in name recognition,” from currently holding office — Ford and Conyears-Ervin

“They have bases where they’re somewhat known,” Washington said. And Ford, she said, “has a much higher (public) profile than the typical state legislator.”

Washington said “traditionalist” older Black voters, “would probably lean toward more moderate candidates.”

Allowing that “Danny Davis is progressive,” she said, “I think older Black voters in general are more conservative on some social issues,” and would “tend to support more traditionalist, older candidates, with mainstream political credentials, those who have held elective office.”

PUBLIC NOTICES

STATE OF ILLINOIS

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF COOK COUNTY COUNTY DEPARTMENT –CHANCERY DIVISION

CRUNCH, INC., an Illinois domestic business corporation, Plaintiff,

v. AAIA RML, LLC, an Iowa limited liability company, LOAN FUNDER LLC, SERIES 39875, a Delaware limited liability company, ROC CAPITAL HOLDINGS, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company, and ALL OTHER UNKNOWN OWNERS, LIENHOLDERS, AND NON-RECORD CLAIMANTS, Defendants.

Case No.: 2025CH11675

839 S. HARLEM AVE. FOREST PARK, IL 60130

NOTICE OF FORECLOSURE PURSUANT TO 735 ILCS 5/15-1503 (LIS PENDENS)

The undersigned HEREBY CERTIFIES, pursuant to 735 ILCS 5/15-1503 that the above-entitled Complaint for Mortgage Foreclosure was filed and is now pending:

(i) The names of all plaintiffs and the case number are identified above;

(ii) The court in which said action was brought is identified above;

(iii) The names of the title holders of record is: AAIA RML, LLC

(iv) A legal description of the subject real estate is:

LOT 18 AND THE SOUTH 1/2 OF LOT 19 IN BLOCK 1 IN THE SOUTH ADDITION TO HARLEM, BEING A SUBDIVISION OF THE EAST 1/2 OF THE EAST 1/2 OF THE SOUTHEAST 1/4 OF SECTION 13, TOWNSHIP 39 NORTH, RANGE 12, EAST OF THE THIRD PRINCIPAL MERIDIAN, IN COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS

PIN: 15-13-407-024-0000

(v) The common address of the real estate is: 839 S. Harlem Ave., Forest Park, IL 60130

(vi) An identification of the instrument sought to be foreclosed is: that Mechanics Lien dated February 16, 2025, recorded with the Clerk of this Court and bearing Document Number 2406046000

Dated: November 19, 2025 CRUNCH, INC. an Illinois domestic business corporation, Plaintiff.

ALLEN GALLUZZON HEVRIN LEAKE, LLC

By: One of Its Attorneys

Prepared by and after recording return to:

Nathan W. Friedman ARDC 6340118 nfriedman@aghllaw.com

ALLEN GALLUZZO HEVRIN LEAKE, LLC

839 N. Perryville Rd., Suite 200 Rockford, IL 61107

815-265-6464

Published in Forest Park Review

February 18, 25, March 4, 2026

PUBLIC NOTICES

PUBLIC NOTICE

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that on Monday 16 March 2026 at 7:00 p.m. in the Council Chambers of the Village Hall, 517 Des Plaines Avenue, Forest Park, Illinois, the Planning and Zoning Commission will review a preliminary plat of subdivision and will conduct a public hearing for approval of a map amendment to rezone from B-1 to I-1 and conditional use for a billboard at the following described property.

Concordia Cemetery OF PART OF THE NORTHEAST QUARTER OF SECTION 14, TOWNSHIP 39 NORTHRANGE 12EAST OF THE THIRD PRINCIPAL MERIDIAN COOK COUNTY iLLINOIS

Commonly known as 7900 Madison St. Forest Park Illinois 60130 PINs: 15-14-203-006-0000 (Part of)

The applicant is Concordia Cemetery. The owner of the property is Concordia Cemetery

Further information can be obtained by calling the Department of Public Health and Safety at 708-615-6284.

Published in Forest Park Review February 25, 2026

PUBLIC NOTICE

SECTION I REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL

Landscape Maintenance and Watering 2026: Ogden Avenue, Cermak Road, Roosevelt Road and Depot District

NOTICE TO PROPOSERS: The City of Berwyn (hereinafter City) is seeking Requests for Proposals for the project listed below. A Request for Proposal (RFP) packet is available at the City Clerk’s Office, City Hall, 6700 West 26th Street, Berwyn, IL 60402, or at https://www.berwyn-il. gov/government/bids-rfps Sealed RFPs will be received at the City Clerk’s Office, until the time and date specified below, for: Landscape Maintenance and Watering 2026: Ogden Avenue, Cermak Road, Roosevelt Road and Depot District.

ADDRESS PROPOSALS TO: Attention of the City Clerk’s Office, City Hall, 6700 W. 26th Street, Berwyn IL 60402, on or before 10:00 a.m. on March 18th, 2026. Proposals shall be sealed and clearly marked on the front, “Proposal for Landscape Maintenance and Watering 2026: Ogden Avenue, Cermak Road, Roosevelt Road and Depot District.” Faxed or emailed proposals will not be accepted.

PROPOSALS ARE DUE NO LATER THAN: 10:00 a.m. on March 18th, 2026. Proposers shall submit three (3) paper copies and one (1) electronic copy in .pdf format on a flash drive of their proposal.

QUESTIONS: All questions and clarifications regarding this Request for Proposal (RFP) must be submitted no later than 5:00 p.m. on March 6th, 2026 by e-mailing or calling the following City Representative: John Marchand, Public Works Director, 708-749-6510, jmarchand@ci.berwyn.il.us Published in Wednesday Journal, Forest Park Review, RB Landmark February 25, 2026

REAL ESTATE FOR SALE

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS COUNTY DEPARTMENT - CHANCERY DIVISION

ROCKET MORTGAGE, LLC F/K/A

QUICKEN LOANS, LLC F/K/A

QUICKEN LOANS INC.

Plaintiff,

-v.-

BRANDI CELEBRE MEANY, UNIT-

ED STATES OF AMERICA - SECRETARY OF VETERANS AFFAIRS

Defendants 2023CH08406 2236 S 22ND AVE BROADVIEW, IL 60155

NOTICE OF SALE

PUBLIC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIV-

EN that pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered in the above cause on December 15, 2025, an agent for The Judicial Sales Corporation, will at 10:30 AM on March 18, 2026, at The Judicial Sales Corporation, One South Wacker, 1st Floor Suite 35R, Chicago, IL, 60606, sell at public in-person sale to the highest bidder, as set forth below, the following described real estate:

Commonly known as 2236 S 22ND AVE, BROADVIEW, IL 60155

Property Index No. 15-22-102084-0000

The real estate is improved with a residence.

Sale terms: If sold to anyone other than the Plaintiff, 25% down of the highest bid by certified funds at the close of the sale payable to The Judicial Sales Corporation. No third party checks will be accepted. The balance, in certified funds/or wire transfer, is due within twenty-four (24) hours.

The subject property is subject to general real estate taxes, special assessments, or special taxes levied against said real estate and is offered for sale without any representation as to quality or quantity of title and without recourse to Plaintiff and in ‘’AS IS’’ condition.

The sale is further subject to confirmation by the court.

Upon payment in full of the amount bid, the purchaser will receive a Certificate of Sale that will entitle the purchaser to a deed to the real estate after confirmation of the sale.

Where a sale of real estate is made to satisfy a lien prior to that of the United States, the United States shall have one year from the date of sale within which to redeem, except that with respect to a lien arising under the internal revenue laws the period shall be 120 days or the period allowable for redemption under State law, whichever is longer, and in any case in which, under the provisions of section 505 of the Housing Act of 1950, as amended (12 U.S.C. 1701k), and subsection (d) of section 3720 of title 38 of the United States Code, the right to redeem does not arise, there shall be no right of redemption.

The property will NOT be open for inspection and plaintiff makes no representation as to the condition of the property. Prospective bidders are admonished to check the court file to verify all information.

If this property is a condominium unit, the purchaser of the unit at

REAL ESTATE FOR SALE

the foreclosure sale, other than a mortgagee, shall pay the assessments and the legal fees required by The Condominium Property Act, 765 ILCS 605/9(g)(1) and (g) (4). If this property is a condominium unit which is part of a common interest community, the purchaser of the unit at the foreclosure sale other than a mortgagee shall pay the assessments required by The Condominium Property Act, 765 ILCS 605/18.5(g-1).

IF YOU ARE THE MORTGAGOR (HOMEOWNER), YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO REMAIN IN POSSESSION FOR 30 DAYS AFTER ENTRY OF AN ORDER OF POSSESSION, IN ACCORDANCE WITH SECTION 151701(C) OF THE ILLINOIS MORTGAGE FORECLOSURE LAW.

You will need a photo identification issued by a government agency (driver’s license, passport, etc.) in order to gain entry into our building and the foreclosure sale room in Cook County and the same identification for sales held at other county venues where The Judicial Sales Corporation conducts foreclosure sales.

For information, examine the court file, CODILIS & ASSOCIATES, P.C. Plaintiff’s Attorneys, 15W030 NORTH FRONTAGE ROAD, SUITE 100, BURR RIDGE, IL, 60527 (630) 794-9876

THE JUDICIAL SALES CORPORATION

One South Wacker Drive, 24th Floor, Chicago, IL 60606-4650 (312) 236-SALE

You can also visit The Judicial Sales Corporation at www.tjsc. com for a 7 day status report of pending sales.

CODILIS & ASSOCIATES, P.C. 15W030 NORTH FRONTAGE ROAD, SUITE 100 BURR RIDGE IL, 60527 630-794-5300

E-Mail: pleadings@il.cslegal.com

Attorney File No. 14-23-03478

Attorney ARDC No. 00468002 Attorney Code. 21762

Case Number: 2023CH08406

TJSC#: 45-3226

NOTE: Pursuant to the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, you are advised that Plaintiff’s attorney is deemed to be a debt collector attempting to collect a debt and any information obtained will be used for that purpose.

Case # 2023CH08406 I3281792

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS COUNTY DEPARTMENT - CHANCERY DIVISION

U.S. BANK TRUST COMPANY, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, AS TRUSTEE, AS SUCCESSOR-IN-INTEREST TO U.S. BANK NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, NOT IN ITS INDIVIDUAL CAPACITY BUT SOLELY AS INDENTURE TRUSTEE, FOR THE HOLDERS OF THE CIM TRUST 2021-R2, MORTGAGE-BACKED NOTES, SERIES 2021-R2 Plaintiff, -v.-

CECIL PURCHASE, SYNCHRONY BANK

Defendants 2025 CH 08596 910 N 8TH AVENUE MAYWOOD, IL 60153

NOTICE OF SALE

PUBLIC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered in the above cause on December 18, 2025, an agent for The Judicial Sales Corporation, will at 10:30 AM on March 23, 2026, at The Judicial Sales Corporation, One South Wacker, 1st Floor Suite 35R, Chicago, IL, 60606, sell at public in-person sale to the highest bidder, as

REAL ESTATE FOR SALE REAL ESTATE FOR SALE

set forth below, the following described real estate:

Commonly known as 910 N 8TH AVENUE, MAYWOOD, IL 60153

Property Index No. 15-02-314013-0000

The real estate is improved with a single family residence. The judgment amount was $233,965.16.

Sale terms: If sold to anyone other than the Plaintiff, 25% down of the highest bid by certified funds at the close of the sale payable to The Judicial Sales Corporation. No third party checks will be accepted. The balance, in certified funds/or wire transfer, is due within twenty-four (24) hours. The subject property is subject to general real estate taxes, special assessments, or special taxes levied against said real estate and is offered for sale without any representation as to quality or quantity of title and without recourse to Plaintiff and in ‘’AS IS’’ condition. The sale is further subject to confirmation by the court. Upon payment in full of the amount bid, the purchaser will receive a Certificate of Sale that will entitle the purchaser to a deed to the real estate after confirmation of the sale.

The property will NOT be open for inspection and plaintiff makes no representation as to the condition of the property. Prospective bidders are admonished to check the court file to verify all information. If this property is a condominium unit, the purchaser of the unit at the foreclosure sale, other than a mortgagee, shall pay the assessments and the legal fees required by The Condominium Property Act, 765 ILCS 605/9(g)(1) and (g) (4). If this property is a condominium unit which is part of a common interest community, the purchaser of the unit at the foreclosure sale other than a mortgagee shall pay the assessments required by The Condominium Property Act, 765 ILCS 605/18.5(g-1).

IF YOU ARE THE MORTGAGOR (HOMEOWNER), YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO REMAIN IN POSSESSION FOR 30 DAYS AFTER ENTRY OF AN ORDER OF POSSESSION, IN ACCORDANCE WITH SECTION 151701(C) OF THE ILLINOIS MORTGAGE FORECLOSURE LAW. You will need a photo identification issued by a government agency (driver’s license, passport, etc.) in order to gain entry into our building and the foreclosure sale room in Cook County and the same identification for sales held at other county venues where The Judicial Sales Corporation conducts foreclosure sales.

For information, contact CHAD LEWIS, ROBERTSON ANSCHUTZ SCHNEID CRANE & PARTNERS, PLLC Plaintiff’s Attorneys, 6400 SHAFER CT, STE 325, ROSEMONT, IL, 60018 (561) 241-6901. Please refer to file number 25-302598. THE JUDICIAL SALES CORPORATION

One South Wacker Drive, 24th Floor, Chicago, IL 60606-4650 (312) 236-SALE

You can also visit The Judicial Sales Corporation at www.tjsc. com for a 7 day status report of pending sales.

CHAD LEWIS ROBERTSON ANSCHUTZ SCHNEID CRANE & PARTNERS, PLLC 6400 SHAFER CT, STE 325 ROSEMONT IL, 60018 561-241-6901

E-Mail: ILMAIL@RASLG.COM

Attorney File No. 25-302598

Attorney ARDC No. 6306439

Attorney Code. 65582

Case Number: 2025 CH 08596

TJSC#: 45-3298

NOTE: Pursuant to the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, you are advised that Plaintiff’s attorney is deemed to be a debt collector attempting to collect a debt and any information obtained will be used for that purpose. Case # 2025 CH 08596 I3281821

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS COUNTY DEPARTMENT - CHANCERY DIVISION

The Huntington National Bank Plaintiff vs. Linda Hall Defendant 25 CH 1474 CALENDAR 60 NOTICE OF SALE

PUBLIC NOTICE is hereby given that pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure entered in the above entitled cause Intercounty Judicial Sales Corporation will on March 16, 2026, at the hour 11:00 a.m., Intercounty’s office, 120 West Madison Street, Suite 718A, Chicago, IL 60602, sell, in person, to the highest bidder for cash, the following described mortgaged real estate: P.I.N. 15-10-306-027-0000. Commonly known as 228 SOUTH 18TH AVENUE, MAYWOOD, IL 60153.

The real estate is: single family residence. If the subject mortgaged real estate is a unit of a common interest community, the purchaser of the unit other than a mortgagee shall pay the assessments required by subsection(g-1) of Section 189.5 of the Condominium Property Act. Sale terms: At sale, the bidder must have 10% (or 25% if so ordered in the Judgment of Foreclosure) down by certified funds, balance within 24 hours, by certified funds. No refunds. The property is sold AS IS subject to all liens or encumbrances. The property will NOT be open for inspection. Prospective bidders are admonished to check the circuit court case record, property tax record and the title record to verify all information before bidding. IF YOU ARE THE MORTGAGOR (HOMEOWNER), YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO REMAIN IN POSSESSION FOR 30 DAYS AFTER THE ENTRY OF AN ORDER OF POSSESSION, IN ACCORDANCE WITH SECTION 151701(c) OF THE ILLINOIS MORTGAGE FORECLOSURE LAW. For information call Sales Department at Plaintiff’s Attorney, Manley Deas Kochalski LLC, One East Wacker Drive, Suite 1250, Chicago, Illinois 60601. (614) 220-5611. 25001387 INTERCOUNTY JUDICIAL SALES CORPORATION intercountyjudicialsales.com I3281278

ESTATE FOR SALE

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS COUNTY DEPARTMENT - CHANCERY DIVISION CARRINGTON MORTGAGE SERVICES, LLC Plaintiff

vs. JAMES WARREN; DAMON RITENHOUSE AS SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE FOR ROOSEVELT MCGEE, DECEASED, RUTH MCGEE DECEASED, RUTH WILLIAMS RAGGS, DECEASED; UNKNOWN HEIRS AND/OR LEGATEES OF ROOSEVELT MCGEE, DECEASED; UNKNOWN HEIRS AND/OR LEGATEES OF RUTH MCGEE, DECEASED; UNKNOWN HEIRS AND/OR LEGATEES OF RUTH WILLIAMS RAGGS, DECEASED; SERVICE FINANCE CO., LLC; CAPE COD FIVE CENTS SAVINGS BANK; UNKNOWN OWNERS AND NON-RECORD CLAIMANTS Defendant 24 CH 5079 CALENDAR 62 NOTICE OF SALE PUBLIC NOTICE is hereby given that pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure entered in the above entitled cause Intercounty Judicial Sales Corporation will on March 17, 2026, at the hour 11:00 a.m., Intercounty’s office, 120 West Madison Street, Suite 718A, Chicago, IL 60602, sell, in person, to the highest bidder for cash, the following described mortgaged real estate: P.I.N. 15-09-111-011-0000. Commonly known as 249 Marshall St., Bellwood, IL 60104. The real estate is: single family residence. If the subject mortgaged real estate is a unit of a common interest community, the purchaser of the unit other than a mortgagee shall pay the assessments required by subsection(g-1) of Section 189.5 of the Condominium Property Act. Sale terms: At sale, the bidder must have 10% (or 25% if so ordered in the Judgment of Foreclosure) down by certified funds, balance within 24 hours, by certified funds. No refunds. The property is sold AS IS subject to all liens or encumbrances. The property will NOT be open for inspection. Prospective bidders are admonished to check the circuit court case record, property tax record and the title record to verify all information before bidding. IF YOU ARE THE MORTGAGOR (HOMEOWNER), YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO REMAIN IN POSSESSION FOR 30 DAYS AFTER THE ENTRY OF AN ORDER OF POSSESSION, IN ACCORDANCE WITH SECTION 151701(c) OF THE ILLINOIS MORTGAGE FORECLOSURE LAW. For information call Sales Department at Plaintiff’s Attorney, Lender Legal PLLC, 1800 Pembrook Drive, Suite 250, Orlando, Florida 32810. 407-730-4644. LLS12998-IL INTERCOUNTY JUDICIAL SALES CORPORATION intercountyjudicialsales.com I3281434

EQUAL HOUSING OPPORTUNITY

All real estate advertising in this newspaper is subject to the Fair Housing Act, which makes it illegal to advertise any preference, limitation or discrimination based on age, race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status or national origin, or intention to make any such preferences, limitations or discrimination.

e Illinois Human Rights Act prohibits discrimination in the sale, rental or advertising of real estate based on factors in addition to

those protected under federal law. is newspaper will not knowingly accept any advertising for real estate which is in violation of the law. All persons are hereby informed that all dwellings advertised are available on an equal opportunity basis. Restrictions or prohibitions of pets do not apply to service animals. To complain of discrimination, call HUD toll free at: 1-800-669-9777. -----WJ/FPR/RBLMK-----

Forest Park Review, February 25, 2026

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS COUNTY DEPARTMENT - CHANCERY DIVISION

SELENE FINANCE LP

Plaintiff vs. LERETHA LOWERY; MORTGAGE ELECTRONIC REGISTRATION SYSTEMS, INC.; STATE OF ILLINOIS DEPARTMENT OF REVENUE; UNKNOWN OWNERS AND NON-RECORD CLAIMANTS

Defendant 22 CH 12600

CALENDAR 62

NOTICE OF SALE

PUBLIC NOTICE is hereby given that pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure entered in the above entitled cause Intercounty Judicial Sales Corporation will on March 23, 2026, at the hour 11:00 a.m., Intercounty’s office, 120 West Madison Street, Suite 718A, Chicago, IL 60602, sell, in person, to the highest bidder for cash, the following described mortgaged real estate: P.I.N. 15-16-102-039-0000.

Commonly known as 812 Bellwood Avenue, Bellwood, IL 60104. The real estate is: single family residence. If the subject mortgaged real estate is a unit of a common interest community, the purchaser of the unit other than a mortgagee shall pay the assessments required by subsection (g-1) of Section 18.5 of the Condominium Property Act. Sale terms: At sale, the bidder must have 10% (or 25% if so ordered in the Judgment of Foreclosure) down by certified funds, balance within 24 hours, by certified funds. No refunds. The property is sold AS IS subject to all liens or encumbrances. The property will NOT be open for inspection. Prospective bidders are admonished to check the circuit court case record, property tax record and the title record to verify all information before bidding. IF YOU ARE THE MORTGAGOR (HOMEOWNER), YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO REMAIN IN POSSESSION FOR 30 DAYS AFTER THE ENTRY OF AN ORDER OF POSSESSION, IN ACCORDANCE WITH SECTION 151701(c) OF THE ILLINOIS MORTGAGE FORECLOSURE LAW. For information call Sales Department at Plaintiff’s Attorney, Diaz Anselmo & Associates P.A., 1771 West Diehl Road, Suite 120, Naperville, IL 60563. (630) 453-6960. 1446-190321

INTERCOUNTY JUDICIAL SALES CORPORATION intercountyjudicialsales.com I3281741

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS COUNTY DEPARTMENT - CHANCERY DIVISION

DEUTSCHE BANK NATIONAL TRUST COMPANY, AS TRUSTEE FOR SOUNDVIEW HOME LOAN TRUST 2005-OPT4, ASSET-BACKED CERTIFICATES, SERIES 2005-OPT4 Plaintiff, -v.-

CHARLES E. SILMON, CASSANDRA SILMON, DEUTSCHE BANK NATIONAL TRUST COMPANY, AS TRUSTEE OF HSI ASSET SECURITIZATION CORPORATION TRUST

2006-OPT2, MORTGAGE PASSTHROUGH CERTIFICATES, SERIES

2006-OPT2, STATE OF ILLINOIS - DEPARTMENT OF REVENUE, UNKNOWN OWNERS AND NONRECORD CLAIMANTS

Defendants 2020CH05803 529 49TH AVE BELLWOOD, IL 60104

NOTICE OF SALE PUBLIC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered in the above cause on April 16, 2024, an agent for The Judicial Sales Corporation, will at 10:30 AM on March 30, 2026, at The Judicial Sales Corporation, One South Wacker, 1st Floor Suite 35R, Chicago, IL, 60606, sell at public in-person sale to the highest bidder, as set forth below, the following described real estate: LOT 31 (EXCEPT THE SOUTH 9.95 FEET THEREOF) AND THE SOUTH 13.95 FEET OF LOT 32 IN BLOCKS 3 IN SUBDIVISION BLOCKS 1 TO 4 IN FIRST ADDITION TO HULBERT’S ST. CHARLES ROAD SUBDIVISION A SUBDIVISION IN THE SOUTHEAST 1/4 OF SECTION 8, TOWNSHIP 39 NORTH, RANGE 12, EAST OF THE THIRD PRINCIPAL MERIDIAN, IN COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS. Commonly known as 529 49TH AVE, BELLWOOD, IL 60104

Property Index No. 15-08-408051-0000

The real estate is improved with a single family residence.

Sale terms: If sold to anyone other than the Plaintiff, 25% down of the highest bid by certified funds at the close of the sale payable to The Judicial Sales Corporation. No third party checks will be accepted. The balance, in certified funds/or wire transfer, is due within twenty-four (24) hours.

The subject property is subject to general real estate taxes, special assessments, or special taxes levied against said real estate and is offered for sale without any representation as to quality or quantity of title and without recourse to Plaintiff and in ‘’AS IS’’ condition.

The sale is further subject to confirmation by the court. Upon payment in full of the amount bid, the purchaser will receive a Certificate of Sale that will entitle the purchaser to a deed to the real estate after confirmation of the sale.

The property will NOT be open for inspection and plaintiff makes no representation as to the condition of the property. Prospective bidders are admonished to check the court file to verify all information. If this property is a condominium unit, the purchaser of the unit at the foreclosure sale, other than a mortgagee, shall pay the assessments and the legal fees required by The Condominium Property Act, 765 ILCS 605/9(g)(1) and (g) (4). If this property is a condominium unit which is part of a common interest community, the purchaser of the unit at the foreclosure sale other than a mortgagee shall pay the assessments required by The Condominium Property Act, 765 ILCS 605/18.5(g-1).

IF YOU ARE THE MORTGAGOR (HOMEOWNER), YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO REMAIN IN POSSESSION FOR 30 DAYS AFTER ENTRY OF AN ORDER OF POSSESSION, IN ACCORDANCE WITH SECTION 151701(C) OF THE ILLINOIS MORTGAGE FORECLOSURE LAW.

You will need a photo identification issued by a government agency (driver’s license, passport, etc.) in order to gain entry into our building and the foreclosure sale room in Cook County and the same identification for sales held at other county venues where The Judicial Sales Corporation conducts foreclosure sales.

For information, examine the court file, CODILIS & ASSOCIATES, P.C. Plaintiff’s Attorneys, 15W030

NORTH FRONTAGE ROAD, SUITE

100, BURR RIDGE, IL, 60527 (630) 794-9876

THE JUDICIAL SALES CORPORATION

One South Wacker Drive, 24th Floor, Chicago, IL 60606-4650 (312) 236-SALE

You can also visit The Judicial Sales Corporation at www.tjsc. com for a 7 day status report of pending sales.

CODILIS & ASSOCIATES, P.C. 15W030 NORTH FRONTAGE ROAD, SUITE 100 BURR RIDGE IL, 60527 630-794-5300

E-Mail: pleadings@il.cslegal.com

Attorney File No. 14-20-05247

Attorney ARDC No. 00468002

Attorney Code. 21762

Case Number: 2020CH05803 TJSC#: 46-254

NOTE: Pursuant to the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, you are advised that Plaintiff’s attorney is deemed to be a debt collector attempting to collect a debt and any information obtained will be used for that purpose.

Case # 2020CH05803 I3282341

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS COUNTY DEPARTMENT - CHANCERY DIVISION

Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. Plaintiff, -v.-

Zedrick Burrell a/k/a Zedrick Preston Burrell Defendants. 2025CH01974 532 CLAYTON RD, HILLSIDE, IL 60162

NOTICE OF SALE PUBLIC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered in the above cause on 8/25/2025, an agent of Auction. com, LLC will conduct the Online Only auction at www.auction.com, with the bidding window opening on 3/23/2026 at 10:00 AM CDT and closing on March 25, 2026 at 10:00 AM subject to extension, and will sell at public sale to the highest bidder, as set forth below, the following described real estate.

Commonly known as 532 CLAYTON RD, HILLSIDE, IL 60162 Property Index No. 15-08-317022-0000

The real estate is improved with a Residential Property. The judgment amount was $229,826.07 Sale Terms: Full Sale Terms are available on the property page at www.auction.com by entering 532 CLAYTON RD into the search bar. If sold to anyone other than the Plaintiff, the winning bidder must pay the full bid amount within twenty-four (24) hours of the auction’s end. All payments must be certified funds. No third-party checks will be accepted. All bidders will need to register at www. auction.com prior to placing a bid.

The subject property is subject to general real estate taxes, special assessments, or special taxes levied against said real estate and is offered for sale without any representation as to quality or quantity of title and without recourse to plaintiff and in “AS IS” condition.

The sale is further subject to confirmation by the court. Upon payment in full of the amount bid, the purchaser will receive a certificate of sale that will entitle the purchaser to a deed to the real estate after confirmation of the sale. The property will NOT be open for inspection and plaintiff makes no

representation as to the condition of the property, prospective bidders are admonished to check the court file to verify all information. If this property is a condominium unit, the purchaser of the unit at the foreclosure sale, other than a mortgagee, shall pay the assessments and the legal fees required by the Condominium property Act, 765 ILCS 605/9 (g)(l) and (g)(4). If this property is a condominium unit which is part of a common interest community, the purchaser of the unit at the foreclosure sale other than a mortgagee shall pay the assessments required by the Condominium Property Act, 765 ILCS 605/18.5(g-1). IF YOU ARE THE MORTGAGOR (HOMEOWNER), YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO REMAIN IN POSSESSION FOR 30 DAYS AFTER ENTRY OF AN ORDER OF POSSESSION, IN ACCORDANCE WITH SECTION 15-1701 (C) OF THE ILLINOIS MORTGAGE FORECLOSURE LAW. For information, contact Plaintiffs attorney: CODILIS & ASSOCIATES PC (630) 794-5300 please refer to file number 14-25-01154. Auction.com, LLC 100 N LaSalle St., Suite 1400, Chicago, IL 60602872-225-4985 You can also visit www.auction.com. Attorney File No. 14-25-01154 Case Number: 2025CH01974 NOTE: PURSUANT TO THE FAIR DEBT COLLECTION PRACTICES ACT, YOU ARE ADVISED THAT PLAINTIFF’S ATTORNEY IS DEEMED TO BE A DEBT COLLECTOR ATTEMPTING TO COLLECT A DEBT AND ANY INFORMATION OBTAINED WILL BE USED FOR THAT PURPOSE. I3282295

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS COUNTY DEPARTMENT - CHANCERY DIVISION MIDFIRST BANK Plaintiff, -v.GENESIS R. MALDONADO; CESAR A. HERNANDEZ; UNITED STATES OF AMERICA; Defendants. 25 CH 8152 4601 Saint Charles Road, Bellwood, IL 60104

NOTICE OF SALE PUBLIC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered in the above cause on 12/5/2025, an agent of Auction. com, LLC will conduct the Online Only auction at www.auction.com, with the bidding window opening on 3/16/2026 at 10:00 AM CDT and closing on March 18, 2026 at 10:00 AM subject to extension, and will sell at public sale to the highest bidder, as set forth below, the following described real estate.

Commonly known as 4601 Saint Charles Road, Bellwood, IL 60104

Property Index No. 15-08-213039-0000

The real estate is improved with a Single Family Residence. The judgment amount was $211,082.89

Sale Terms: Full Sale Terms are available on the property page at www.auction.com by entering 4601 Saint Charles Road into the search bar. If sold to anyone other than the Plaintiff, the winning bidder must pay the full bid amount within twenty-four (24) hours of the auction’s end. All payments must be certified funds. No third-party checks will be accepted. All bidders will need to register at www.auction.com prior to placing a bid. The subject property is subject to general real

estate taxes, special assessments, or special taxes levied against said real estate and is offered for sale without any representation as to quality or quantity of title and without recourse to plaintiff and in “AS IS” condition. The sale is further subject to confirmation by the court. Upon payment in full of the amount bid, the purchaser will receive a certificate of sale that will entitle the purchaser to a deed to the real estate after confirmation of the sale. The property will NOT be open for inspection and plaintiff makes no representation as to the condition of the property, prospective bidders are admonished to check the court file to verify all information. If this property is a condominium unit, the purchaser of the unit at the foreclosure sale, other than a mortgagee, shall pay the assessments and the legal fees required by the Condominium property Act, 765 ILCS 605/9 (g)(l) and (g)(4). If this property is a condominium unit which is part of a common interest community, the purchaser of the unit at the foreclosure sale other than a mortgagee shall pay the assessments required by the Condominium Property Act, 765 ILCS 605/18.5(g1). IF YOU ARE THE MORTGAGOR (HOMEOWNER), YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO REMAIN IN POSSESSION FOR 30 DAYS AFTER ENTRY OF AN ORDER OF POSSESSION, IN ACCORDANCE WITH SECTION 15-1701 (C) OF THE ILLINOIS MORTGAGE FORECLOSURE LAW. For information, contact Plaintiffs attorney: LOGS Legal Group LLP (847) 291-1717 please refer to file number 25-103751-FC01. Auction. com, LLC 100 N LaSalle St., Suite 1400, Chicago, IL 60602 - 872225-4985 You can also visit www. auction.com. Attorney File No. 25103751-FC01 Case Number: 25 CH 8152 NOTE: PURSUANT TO THE FAIR DEBT COLLECTION PRACTICES ACT, YOU ARE ADVISED THAT PLAINTIFF’S ATTORNEY IS DEEMED TO BE A DEBT COLLECTOR ATTEMPTING TO COLLECT A DEBT AND ANY INFORMATION OBTAINED WILL BE USED FOR THAT PURPOSE. I3282250

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS COUNTY DEPARTMENT - CHANCERY DIVISION Rocket Mortgage, LLC f/k/a Quicken Loans, LLC f/k/a Quicken Loans Inc. Plaintiff, -v.-

Andrew Cox; Linda Cox; Unknown Owners and Nonrecord Claimants Defendants. 2025CH04690 36 GRANVILLE AVE, BELLWOOD, IL 60104

NOTICE OF SALE PUBLIC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered in the above cause on 12/8/2025, an agent of Auction. com, LLC will conduct the Online Only auction at www.auction.com, with the bidding window opening on 3/16/2026 at 10:00 AM CDT and closing on March 18, 2026 at 10:00 AM subject to extension, and will sell at public sale to the highest bidder, as set forth below, the following described real estate. Commonly known as 36 GRANVILLE AVE, BELLWOOD, IL 60104 Property Index No. 15-08-206011-0000, 15-08-206-012-0000

The real estate is improved with a Residential Property. The judgment amount was $132,264.96

Sale Terms: Full Sale Terms are available on the property page at www.auction.com by entering 36 GRANVILLE AVE into the search bar. If sold to anyone other than the Plaintiff, the winning bidder must pay the full bid amount within twenty-four (24) hours of the auction’s end. All payments must be certified funds. No third-party checks will be accepted. All bidders will need to register at www. auction.com prior to placing a bid. The subject property is subject to general real estate taxes, special assessments, or special taxes levied against said real estate and is offered for sale without any representation as to quality or quantity of title and without recourse to plaintiff and in “AS IS” condition. The sale is further subject to confirmation by the court. Upon payment in full of the amount bid, the purchaser will receive a certificate of sale that will entitle the purchaser to a deed to the real estate after confirmation of the sale. The property will NOT be open for inspection and plaintiff makes no representation as to the condition of the property, prospective bidders are admonished to check the court file to verify all information.

If this property is a condominium unit, the purchaser of the unit at the foreclosure sale, other than a mortgagee, shall pay the assessments and the legal fees required by the Condominium property Act, 765 ILCS 605/9 (g)(l) and (g)(4). If this property is a condominium unit which is part of a common interest community, the purchaser of the unit at the foreclosure sale other than a mortgagee shall pay the assessments required by the Condominium Property Act, 765 ILCS 605/18.5(g-1). IF YOU ARE THE MORTGAGOR (HOMEOWNER), YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO REMAIN IN POSSESSION FOR 30 DAYS AFTER ENTRY OF AN ORDER OF POSSESSION, IN ACCORDANCE WITH SECTION 15-1701 (C) OF THE ILLINOIS MORTGAGE FORECLOSURE LAW. For information, contact Plaintiffs attorney: CODILIS & ASSOCIATES PC (630) 794-5300 please refer to file number 14-25-02828. Auction.com, LLC 100 N LaSalle St., Suite 1400, Chicago, IL 60602872-225-4985 You can also visit www.auction.com. Attorney File No. 14-25-02828 Case Number: 2025CH04690 NOTE: PURSUANT TO THE FAIR DEBT COLLECTION PRACTICES ACT, YOU ARE ADVISED THAT PLAINTIFF’S ATTORNEY IS DEEMED TO BE A DEBT COLLECTOR ATTEMPTING TO COLLECT A DEBT AND ANY INFORMATION OBTAINED WILL BE USED FOR THAT PURPOSE. I3282240

Submit events and see full calendar at forestparkreview.com/events

The Forest Park Review, the Historical Society of Forest Park, and the Forest Park Public Library are teaming up for a history project that proves some of Forest Park’s biggest stories come in very small packages.

This community challenge asks you to create a Forest

Integrity Matters. Leadership Matters. Trust Matters.

Attorney Richard Boykin has built his career on honesty, strong moral values and a committment to do what’s right - not what is easy. From fighting for transparency in government to standing up for working families, he has always put community first. When others chose politics as usual, Boykin chose principle. When tough decisions had to be made, he chose integrity over expediency.

Because real leadership isn’t about promises - it’s about character.

Endorsed by Treasurer

Maria Pappas, Ald. Ray Lopez, Ald. Silvana Tabares, Hon. Billy Marovitz, Dr. Willie Wilson, Paul Vallas, Rabbi Barry Axler, Hon. Anan Abu Taleb, Hon. Jim Taglia

Park themed Diorama, from a real article from the Forest Park Review archives into a miniature masterpiece.

Why you should check your judges

Judges are powerful officials whose decisions can take someone’s freedom, remove a child from their parents, or evict someone from their home. They have the power to correct or perpetuate injustices. That’s why Injustice Watch created this guide to judicial candidates running in Cook County’s primary elections on March 17.

Illinois voters elect judges every two years. This year, 46 candidates are running for 29 judicial vacancies—continuing a trend of declining competition in these races. Most candidates are running for seats on the circuit court, where judges hear cases such as tra ffic tickets, divorces, evictions, and criminal charges. All candidates this year are running in the Democratic primary; the winners will run unopposed in the November general election.

Our team spent months researching the candidates’ legal experience, community involvement, donors, political connections, and controversies. Injustice Watch does not make recommendations or endorsements. Our guide has everything you need to be an informed voter.

About the cover

The cover art is inspired by Norman Rockwell’s 1968 illustration “The Right to Know,” which accompanied an editorial in Look magazine advocating for more government transparency during the Vietnam War. I see this cover as a reminder to our readers of their responsibility to watch what our government is doing and their power to demand transparency and accountability from judges and other elected officials.

—Verónica Martinez, Injustice Watch visual reporter

Find your subcircuit

Cook County is divided into 20 subcircuits, geographic boundaries first created in the 1990s to build a more diverse judiciary. About two-thirds of the county’s circuit court judges are elected from subcircuits. Once elected, they have the same roles and responsibilities as judges elected countywide.

Check this map to see which subcircuit you live in. If you’re not sure, you can check your voter ID card, scan the QR code on the opposite page, or visit injusticewatch.org/checkyourjudges

Primary voting

This year’s Illinois primary election is March 17. Early voting in Chicago’s 50 wards and sites around suburban Cook County starts March 2 (and earlier in downtown Chicago and at suburban courthouses).

To find your polling place and check your voter status:

• Chicago residents, visit chicagoelections.gov

• Suburban Cook County residents, visit cookcountyclerkil.gov/elections

Who can vote?

Voters must be at least 18 years old, be a U.S. citizen, and reside in their voting precinct for at least 30 days prior to Election Day. People with felony convictions can vote in Illinois as long as they are not serving a felony sentence in prison or jail. People in jail pre-trial and people on mandatory supervised release are eligible to vote.

Sources: Cook County, U.S. Census, Google Maps

MCCARTHY

Map by Jonathon Berlin and Mark Friesen

More in our digital guide

This is a condensed version of our guide, edited for space. For more detailed candidate profi les, including responses to our candidate survey, complete bar association evaluations, endorsements, and top campaign donors, scan the QR code or visit injusticewatch.org/ checkyourjudges.

Understanding the candidate icons

Current or former public defender

or former prosecutor

Current or former public defender: This candidate has served as a public defender, representing clients in criminal cases who can’t a fford a private attorney. Current or former prosecutor: This candidate has served as a prosecutor at the city, county, state, or federal level.

Appointed judge: This judge was appointed by the state Supreme Court to temporarily fi ll a vacancy. Appointed judges must run for a full term to stay on the bench. Past controversy: This candidate has been involved in some kind of personal or professional controversy. We report what we found in the “Notable” section and offer candidates an opportunity to respond to our reporting. Democratic Party pick: This candidate has earned the endorsement of the Cook County Democratic Party. The party only endorses candidates in countywide races.

Highly qualified ratings: Two or more bar associations have rated this candidate highly qualified or recommended. Not all bar associations give out ratings higher than qualified.

Negative ratings: At least two bar associations have said this candidate is not recommended or not qualified to be a judge. Candidates who don’t participate in the ratings process are automatically rated as not recommended.

JUDITH C . RICE 68, River Forest

Experience:

• Presiding judge of the Cook County Circuit Court’s domestic violence division (2021-present)

• Circuit judge hearing divorce, domestic and elder abuse, and eviction cases (2014-2021)

• Senior vice president of BMO Harris Bank, overseeing the bank’s community development activities and serving as its Community Reinvestment Act officer to ensure equitable lending (2007-2014)

• Deputy chief of sta ff to Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley, working on public housing and economic development issues (2006-2007)

• Chicago City Treasurer, elected to oversee city investments (2000-2006)

• Commissioner, Chicago Department of Transportation (1999-2000)

• Commissioner, Chicago Department of Water (1996-1999)

• Various roles in the Chicago departments of law and revenue and as executive assistant to Mayor Daley (1989-1996)

• Cook County assistant state’s attorney in the criminal appeals and juvenile court divisions (1988-1989)

Law school: UIC Law (formerly John Marshall Law School) (1988)

Notable: Rice is well-regarded by domestic violence survivor advocates for her management of the domestic violence courthouse. She has led efforts to increase access to emergency petitions for restraining orders to nearly 24 hours per day.

Rice was the fi rst woman to head Chicago’s transportation and water departments. Rice would be the fi rst openly lesbian appellate court justice in Illinois. Rice’s father, Fred Rice, was Chicago’s fi rst Black police commissioner.

LUZ MARIA TOLEDO

46, Palos Hills

Experience:

• Cook County assistant state’s attorney, assigned to the civil bureau, where she defends the county in real estate tax matters. She spent 11 years prosecuting felony and misdemeanor criminal cases. (2007-present)

• Policy adviser, Illinois lieutenant governor’s office, working under then-Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn on proposed legislation related to consumer protections, health care, and the environment (2006-2007)

Law school: UIC Law (formerly John Marshall) (2006)

Notable: In 2020, Toledo won a case in which a New Jersey investment fi rm purchased a segment of the Kennedy Expressway in a Cook County tax sale, which the assessor’s office had misclassified as vacant land, then claimed it was owed $1 million in interest after the sale was deemed erroneous and voided.

44, Near South Side

Experience:

STEVEN Q. McKENZIE 59, Irving Park

Experience:

• Assistant corporation counsel supervisor, Chicago Law Department, overseeing lawsuits against property owners over building code violations (2006-present)

• Director of litigation, Law Center for Better Housing, representing tenants in court (2003-2006)

• Assistant defender, O ffice of the Illinois State Appellate Defender, representing clients in appeals (2002)

• Attorney for legal aid organizations in Cleveland and Chicago, representing people in poverty and people with HIV/AIDS (1998-2001)

Law school: IIT Chicago-Kent (1997)

Notable: McKenzie, who specializes in housing law, works for the city of Chicago helping to draft housing ordinances and suing landlords over building conditions. For example, McKenzie took numerous landlords to court for failing to heat homes during a cold snap in 2019. In 2014, he helped press the owner of an unsafe Pilsen building to aid tenants with relocation assistance. More recently, he represented the city in a lawsuit against the owners of Ellis Lakeview, a troubled apartment building in Kenwood.

• Circuit court judge appointed by the Illinois Supreme Court in January 2025, hearing tra ffic cases

• Judicial clerk to state Supreme Court Justice Mary Jane Theis, evaluating petitions for leave to appeal, reviewing and analyzing motions, and drafting opinions (2019-2025)

• Illinois assistant attorney general in the civil appeals division, fi ling briefs and conducting oral arguments before the Illinois Supreme Court and state and federal courts of appeals (2013-2018)

• Senior associate at a large law fi rm, focusing on complex commercial, employment, and products liability litigation (2008-2013)

• Law clerk, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit (2006-2008)

Law school: University of Chicago (2006)

Current

Democratic Party pick

Past controversy

Appointed judge

COOK CIRCUIT COBBS VACANCY

COOK CIRCUIT | BURKE VACANCY

LINDA SACKEY

COOK CIRCUIT | COGHLAN VACANCY

ASHONTA C . RICE 47, Lower West Side

Experience:

• Attorney in private practice specializing in family law, but also handling real estate, probate, criminal law, and other matters. She also serves as a court-appointed child representative and guardian ad litem. (2007-present)

• Assistant public guardian, Cook County Office of the Public Guardian, representing children in minor guardianship cases, special education advocacy, administrative appeals, and advocacy for minors (2004-2007)

Law school: Loyola University New Orleans (2004)

Notable: Rice fi rst ran for judge in the 15th subcircuit in 2018. She ran for judge countywide in 2024, but was removed from the ballot by the Cook County Electoral Board for failing to include her married name in her fi ling paperwork. Rice was in divorce proceedings at the time.

In 2021, Rice was found by a Cook County Electoral Board hearing officer to have engaged in a “pattern of fraud” while gathering petition signatures for her mother’s campaign for Chicago Heights Park District commissioner. Rice disputed the officer’s fi ndings in an interview with Injustice Watch. “The fi ndings of the hearing officer are her fi ndings and her thoughts, but I testified under oath telling the truth. … I did not collect any fraudulent signatures.” The hearing officer struck 32 signatures collected by Rice; Rice’s mother did not appeal and was removed from the ballot.

MICHAEL CABONARGI 55, Wilmette

Experience:

• Circuit court judge appointed by the Illinois Supreme Court, hearing tra ffic cases (2025-present)

• Democratic counsel, U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee, researching the backgrounds of Trump administration nominees (January-June 2025)

• Region 5 Director, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, implementing health care policies across six Midwestern states (2023-2025)

• Commissioner, Cook County Board of Review, evaluating and deciding property tax appeals (2011-2022)

• Senior attorney, U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, prosecuting fi nancial fraud cases in the Chicago regional office (2005-2011)

• Attorney at two large Chicago law fi rms, where he also represented the Cook County Sheri ff ’s O ffice in police misconduct lawsuits and helped defend the City of Chicago following the closure of Meigs Field (2002-2005)

• Law clerk to U.S. District Court Judge William J. Hibbler (2000-2002)

Law school: University of Illinois (2000)

Notable: Before law school, Cabonargi was an aide to U.S.

Sens. Paul Simon and Dick Durbin, and he quickly rose through the Illinois Democratic Party ranks. In 2011, then-Cook County Chief Judge Timothy Evans appointed him to the Board of Review. He was reelected to the board unopposed three times, before losing his seat in 2022.

While Cabonargi was a board commissioner, his wife, Erin Lavin Cabonargi, worked from 2015 to 2019 as a director and consultant for Chicago developer Sterling Bay. Cabonargi initially told Injustice Watch he not only recused himself, but “completely walled off ” himself and his sta ff from any Sterling Bay property tax appeals during his wife’s tenure. Records show he and his sta ff participated in deciding at least three Sterling Bay appeals in that period, including one in which he and the other commissioners reduced the valuation of a Hyde Park fitness center, leading to a $110,000 reduction in its taxes. In two other appeals, Cabonargi agreed with other commissioners not to change property valuations. Records provided by the board did not show any other Sterling Bay appeals decided by the commissioners in that period.

Cabonargi told Injustice Watch his recusals put Sterling Bay at a disadvantage because the company’s cases were then decided by only two of the three commissioners. But records provided by the Board of Review showed no instance where Cabonargi recorded a recusal and only the other two commissioners voted on a Sterling Bay appeal. Cabonargi later asked to clarify his statements. “In no case did Sterling Bay receive a benefit while I was commissioner and while my wife worked at Sterling Bay that they would not otherwise have received based upon the evidence they submitted to the board because I interceded to give them a benefit,” he said.

In 2017 and 2018, the county Board of Ethics found Cabonargi and the two other Board of Review commissioners collected improper political donations from real estate professionals who practiced before the Board of Review. Cabonargi’s campaign violations mounted over nine months—even after two ethics board warnings. Cabonargi said he ultimately returned all $82,050 in excessive contributions reported in ethics notices.

In 2017, Cabonargi’s political aides created a second campaign committee, The Fund for 9th District Democrats. Of the $107,813 in donations to this new committee, $90,200 came from real estate professionals whose work included property tax appeals, an Injustice Watch analysis found. Cabonargi said in an interview that he followed the law and quickly returned excess contributions.

Cabonargi also promoted close political operatives to senior positions at the Board of Review while they did campaign work for him, the county O ffice of the Independent Inspector General reported in 2020. Cabonargi was “Commissioner A” in the report, and his role has not been previously reported. “There were no allegations of criminal or civil misconduct. There was no action. There was just no evidence of misconduct,” Cabonargi said.

From 2013 through 2019, Cabonargi sued two former Chicago Tribune columnists over $5,220 Cabonargi said he was owed following the sale of his Logan Square home to them. “It turned legal quickly, in a way I did not expect,” columnist Heidi Stevens told Injustice Watch. Cabonargi ultimately won in court and said he had little recollection of the events.

AVA GEORGE STEWART

58, Near North Side

Experience:

• Solo practitioner representing clients in tra ffic, DUI, and other criminal cases, along with civil litigation including wrongful death and breach of contract cases (2023-present, 2005-2021)

• Chief of the misdemeanor and tra ffic division for the Lake County State’s Attorney’s O ffice (2021-2023)

• City of Chicago municipal prosecutor handling driving offenses (2003-2005)

Law school: University of Illinois (2003)

Notable: Stewart is vice chair of the Illinois Guardianship and Advocacy Commission, a public body that oversees guardianship for people with disabilities and mental illness and advocates for their rights.

D’ANTHONY ‘TONY’ THEDFORD

55, Loop

Experience:

• Circuit court judge appointed by the Illinois Supreme Court, assigned to the pretrial division (2024-present)

• Attorney in private practice handling criminal defense, personal injury, employment, and civil rights cases (2005-2024)

• Cook County assistant public defender (1997-2005)

Law school: University of Alabama (1996)

Notable: Thedford represented the family of Calvin Cross, who was fatally shot by Chicago police in 2011, in a civil lawsuit. The city settled the case for $2 million. In 2021, county officials considered him to lead the public defender’s office, the Chicago Tribune reported.

Between 2011 and 2018, Thedford and his wife faced state and federal liens seeking about $249,000 in unpaid taxes, interest, and penalties. Thedford told Injustice Watch his state debt had been resolved and he continues to pay the IRS. He said he “will be able to wrap this up pretty soon.” Thedford said his debts ballooned after he and his wife bought a home and borrowed money to improve it shortly before the 2008 housing crisis. He noted that the Illinois Supreme Court vetted him before appointing him to the bench.

RADIANCE WARD

43, Kenwood

Experience:

• Cook County assistant public defender, serving as lead trial attorney in fi rst-degree murder cases. She previously worked in the felony trial, misdemeanor, and juvenile justice divisions. (2013-present)

• Case manager, Cook County O ffice of the Chief Judge, in the mortgage foreclosure division (2012-2013)

• Solo practitioner focused on domestic relations and tra ffic cases (2009-2012)

• Sta ff attorney, Life Span Center for Legal Services and Advocacy, representing domestic violence survivors in divorce and order of protection proceedings (2007-2009)

Law school: Loyola University Chicago (2007)

NATALIE L . HOWSE

52, Near South Side

Experience:

• Solo practitioner focused on contracts and civil litigation (2025-present)

• Assistant general counsel, Illinois Commission on Equity & Inclusion, reviewing agencies’ procurement decisions and equity policies and responding to Freedom of Information Act requests (2024-2025)

• Manager in the banking division of the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation, which oversees banks’ compliance with equitable lending laws (2024)

• Litigation attorney, Illinois Department of Children and Family Services, representing the department in administrative cases against parents and legal guardians (2018-2024)

• Cook County assistant state’s attorney in several divisions, including felony review, juvenile court, and felony trials (2001-2018)

Law school: Howard University (2000)

Notable: Howse is the sister of Illinois Appellate Court Judge Nathaniel Howse Jr.

In 2018, Howse was terminated from the Cook County State’s Attorney’s O ffice. She told Injustice Watch in an interview she had no complaints about being fi red and reflected warmly on her experience there. “I think it was probably time for me to go,” she said.

Between 2007 and 2019, Howse faced two foreclosure cases and two eviction suits from her condominium unit, all of which were dismissed. In that period, she was also sued on three occasions for alleged unpaid debt and had her wages garnished for a default on a student loan. All cases were eventually dismissed and the judgments satisfied.

Howse has also been a landlord, and between 2005 and 2006 fi led a halfdozen evictions against tenants of a 12-unit building in Greater Grand Crossing that her family owned and has since been demolished. Howse said these experiences “would make me a little bit more compassionate for the litigants that appear before me. I understand those fi nancial hardships that they face.”

Howse is a past president of the Cook County Bar Association and has been the director of its foundation’s legal clinic since 2023.

ASHLEY GREER SHAMBLEY 41, Avalon Park

Experience:

• Cook County assistant public defender, mainly handling felony cases, currently assigned to the multiple defendant unit (2012-present)

• Review board member, Illinois Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission, appointed by the Illinois Supreme Court to hear appeals in attorney disciplinary cases (2025-present)

• Associate at the law office of John Lyke, now a Cook County judge, focused on criminal defense (2011-2012)

Law school: DePaul University (2010)

Notable: Shambley is on the executive board of the public defenders union and has been outspoken about issues of racial justice and equity in the court system.

In 2020, Shambley spoke at a Black Lives Matter rally outside the Cook County criminal courthouse. “It is a di fferent life being a Black public defender, because these are our people every day who are ushered through those doors,” Shambley said at the time.

She also spoke with the Chicago Tribune in 2021 about the backlog of criminal cases as the court came back from the Covid-19 shutdown. She expressed frustration with elected officials who were blaming each other for the court closures and not addressing the root causes of violence.

Shambley represented Paris Sadler, who was accused of shooting a Chicago police officer in 2012. The case became controversial after a prosecutor was caught lying under oath. Sadler eventually pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 25 years in prison.

GINGER ODOM

56, Avalon Park

Experience:

• Circuit court judge appointed by the Illinois Supreme Court, hearing tra ffic cases (2025-present)

• Director of expungement, O ffice of the State Appellate Defender, overseeing a program educating people with eligible criminal records about how to expunge or seal their records (2020-2025)

• Assistant appellate defender, O ffice of the State Appellate Defender, representing criminal defendants in direct appeals (2004-2020)

Law school: IIT Chicago-Kent (2003)

TIFFANY N . BROOKS

49, South Shore

Experience:

• First deputy commissioner, Chicago Business A ff airs and Consumer Protection (2025-present)

• Chief of sta ff, Clerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County (2023-2024)

• General counsel, Clerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County (2020-2023)

• Assistant commissioner, Chicago Business A ff airs and Consumer Protection, serving as a liaison to the mayor’s office and to other officials (2018-2020)

• Investigator, Civilian O ffice of Police Accountability, reviewing police misconduct complaints (FebruaryJuly 2018)

• Legislative aide, Chicago City Council committees on economic development and education and child development, responsible for reviewing and drafting ordinances (2015-2018)

• Solo practitioner on a range of cases, including evictions, probate, criminal defense, and domestic relations (2013-2020)

• Senior lending manager and, later, sta ff attorney, Urban Partnership Bank, reviewing contracts and managing residential foreclosures (2004-2013)

Law school: UIC Law (formerly John Marshall) (2009)

Notable: Brooks previously ran for judge in the 5th subcircuit in 2022, but lost in a four-way race. In 2015, she ran for 5th Ward alderperson, losing to incumbent Leslie Hairston.

One of Brooks’ largest campaign donors, giving $2,500, is housing developer Elzie Higginbottom, whose East Lake Management & Development Corp. has been criticized for the conditions of its apartment buildings.

3RD

JOHN CARROLL 55, Riverside

Experience:

• Circuit court judge appointed by the Illinois Supreme Court, hearing domestic violence cases (2025-present)

• Deputy chief of sta ff, O ffice of the Illinois Attorney General, focused on legislation and criminal justice policy (2019-2025)

• Cook County assistant state’s attorney in several divisions, including felony trial, sex crimes, narcotics, and the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. He also worked for nine years in the legislative unit. (2000-2019)

Law school: Loyola University Chicago (1999)

Notable: In 2021, Carroll was appointed to a four-year term on the Riverside Township Board. He has applied multiple times to be a judge.

3RD SUBCIRCUIT | SHERLOCK VACANCY

MARTIN DOUGLAS REGGI 74, Cicero

Experience:

• Solo attorney in Berwyn focusing on criminal and civil law, including real estate closings and bankruptcies (1985-present)

• Cook County assistant state’s attorney, drafting appeals and working in suburban courthouses (1980-1985)

Law school: Northern Illinois University (1979)

Notable: This is Reggi’s fourth run for judge. At 74, he is the oldest judicial candidate this year. He has run a limited campaign, reporting no contributions since mid-2024. He declined an interview, but in response to Injustice Watch’s candidate survey, he called his experience an asset. “My 45 years of independent legal practice, as a former prosecutor and longtime general practitioner, have prepared me to bring stability, integrity, and neutrality to the bench.”

RACHEL MARRELLO 51, Riverside

Experience:

• Operations counsel, Cook County Health, serving as a legal adviser for hospital leaders and ensuring compliance with employment laws (2022-present)

• Investigator, Cook County O ffice of the Independent Inspector General, leading investigations into alleged fraud, waste, and mismanagement (2010-2022)

• Attorney for the Cook County Shakman Compliance Administrator and the Forest Preserve of Cook County, investigating systemic patronage hiring practices (2007-2008; 2009-2010)

• Attorney at several small law fi rms, representing employees and labor unions in arbitration and employment benefit cases (2000-2010)

Law school: IIT Chicago-Kent (2000)

Notable: Marrello was an elected board member of Riverside School District 96 from 2013 to 2017. The Riverside-Brookfield Landmark described her as “not afraid to ru ffle feathers, asking tough questions and speaking her mind.” She was a critic of two former superintendents, one of whom she allegedly reported to the State’s Attorney’s O ffice for “questionable expenses,” the Landmark reported. No charges were fi led.

Her husband, Daniel J. Marrello, is a retired Riverside police officer.

5TH

STEPHANIE S . KELLY 52, Grand Boulevard

Experience:

• Contract attorney for a national legal recruiting fi rm (2023-present)

• Associate general counsel for labor and employment, Cresco Labs, a national cannabis company (2022-2023)

• Senior corporate counsel, Harley Davidson (2021-2022)

• General counsel, Chicago State University. She started as deputy general counsel and was promoted in 2018. (2017-2020)

• Partner at a national law fi rm, representing employers in labor cases (2014-2016)

• Partner at a large global law fi rm representing employers in labor law cases (2005-2014)

• Associate at a national fi rm (2001-2005)

Law school: IIT Chicago-Kent (2001)

Notable: Kelly is married to Cook County Circuit Court Judge David L. Kelly.

8TH SUBCIRCUIT | GAMRATH VACANCY

46, Lincoln Park

Experience:

• Cook County assistant state’s attorney serving as deputy supervisor of the labor and employment litigation division. She started in the civil actions bureau in 2017 and was promoted in 2019. (2017-present)

• Associate at an international law fi rm, focusing on complex commercial litigation and fi nancial services transactions and conducting internal and external corporate investigations (2010-2017)

• Law clerk for U.S. Appellate Judge William Bauer (2009-2010)

• Law clerk for U.S. District Judge Michael Mihm (2008-2009)

• Associate at a small law fi rm, focusing on commercial litigation cases (2007-2008)

Law school: Loyola University Chicago (2007)

Notable: Ori recently represented the Cook County Health and Hospitals System in a federal civil rights lawsuit alleging the health system failed to accommodate a pharmacy technician who refused to receive the Covid-19 vaccine on religious grounds. The county successfully argued vaccination was the best way to protect vulnerable patients and sta ff at John H. Stroger Jr. Hospital.

47, Lincoln Park

Experience:

• Cook County assistant state’s attorney in several divisions, including felony trial, felony review, and the sexual assault and domestic violence bureau. Last year, she was promoted to deputy supervisor of fi rst appearance court, where she oversees detention eligibility hearings and trains sta ffers. (2003-present)

Law school: UIC Law (formerly John Marshall) (2003)

Notable: Dibler has prosecuted high-profi le cases, including a Michigan man who was found guilty of threatening to kill former Mayor Lori Lightfoot.

GARSON FISCHER

49, North Center

Experience:

• Illinois assistant attorney general, who has spent his career in the criminal appeals division, becoming a supervising attorney in 2019 and deputy chief in 2022 (2005-present)

Law school: Georgetown University (2005)

Notable: Fischer has represented the state in hundreds of cases before state and federal appeals courts. Last year, he defended the state’s concealed carry laws in a case before the Illinois Supreme Court. In 2016, Fischer helped prepare a case for argument before the U.S. Supreme Court that was ultimately dismissed.

ELIZABETH CHRISTINA DIBLER

KATHLEEN CUNNIFF ORI

68, Lincoln Park

Experience:

• Circuit court judge appointed by the Illinois Supreme Court, hearing tra ffic and domestic violence cases (2025-present)

• Worked at a large, national law fi rm focusing on appeals and complex motions on malpractice and workers’ compensation cases (2022-2025)

• Solo practitioner handling appeals and complex motions in civil and criminal cases (2021-2022)

• Cook County assistant public defender, who started out as a trial attorney in juvenile court and later handled felony trials and appellate cases. In 2003, he became a supervisor of the legal resources division, which handles appeals and post-conviction cases. He was promoted to chief of the division in 2008. He became chief of sta ff to then-Public Defender Amy Campanelli in 2015. (1984-2021)

Law school: DePaul University (1982)

Notable: Finkle was Campanelli’s chief of sta ff when she and the county were sued in 2017 by female assistant public defenders who said she and Sheri ff Tom Dart were not doing enough to address sexual harassment at the jail. The county settled the lawsuit for $14 million in 2020. Finkle was not named in the suit or accused of wrongdoing.

Finkle has been a fi nalist for Cook County associate judge twice and ran for circuit judge in 1996.

In January 2025, the Illinois Supreme Court appointed Finkle to a six-year term on the Board of Commissioners for the O ffice of the State Appellate Defender, which represents indigent defendants in appellate cases.

Former colleagues said Finkle has a “brilliant” legal mind, and attorneys who have appeared before him said he is very professional. But some domestic violence advocates have said he lacks patience to preside over a high-volume courtroom where emotions run high. They asked to speak anonymously because they don’t want their clients’ cases to be negatively impacted. In an interview, Finkle said he doesn’t believe he’s been unfair. “I understand sometimes someone can be dissatisfied with my ruling, and I’m sorry for that dissatisfaction,” he said.

DAN BALANOFF

46, Near West Side

Experience:

• Top aide to Cook County Board of Review Commissioner Samantha Steele, acting as a legal adviser and overseeing office operations. He also served as a lead litigator at the Illinois Property Tax Appeal Board, where he defended the county’s property assessment values. (2023-2025)

• Chief deputy commissioner, Cook County Board of Review, overseeing administrative functions and internal policies (2022-2023)

• Managing partner at Balanoff and Associates, focusing on estate planning, real estate, and consumer bankruptcy law (2007-present)

Law school: UIC Law (formerly John Marshall) (2007)

Notable: Balanoff comes from a prominent family of judges, politicians, and labor organizers. His father, Robert Balanoff, was a Cook County Circuit Court judge for 20 years until retiring in 2025. His grandmother, Miriam Balanoff, was a Cook County judge and state representative. His uncle, Clem Balanoff, was also a state representative as well as national political director for one of the largest unions representing public transit workers.

Balanoff ran unsuccessfully for judge countywide in 2022.

In June 2024, Balanoff was named as a co-defendant in a federal whistleblower lawsuit against Commissioner Steele. Frank Calabrese, a former employee, accused Balanoff of retaliation, alleging Balanoff demoted him and fi led false disciplinary complaints against him after Calabrese refused to leak information about the Chicago Bears’ tax appeal on their new Arlington Heights property. In January 2025, the county settled the lawsuit for $180,000 without admitting wrongdoing. In an interview with Injustice Watch, Balanoff denied the lawsuit’s allegations and said decisions related to Calabrese’s employment were made by Steele.

In June 2025, a month after Balanoff resigned from the Board of Review, the county’s Board of Ethics fi ned him more than $5,000 related to two investigations, records show. The fi rst alleged Balanoff conducted legal work for his own fi rm, engaged in personal travel, and attended two Cubs games on county time. The second said he wrongly allowed a

sta ffer to attend a conference on county time. Balanoff challenged the ethics board’s fi ndings, arguing that the board didn’t have jurisdiction, that he did not knowingly violate the county’s rules, and that his use of county resources did not interfere with his duties or impose extra taxpayer cost.

In an interview with Injustice Watch, Balanoff claimed the controversies surrounding his employment at the Board of Review stemmed from his attempts to unionize the office.

“When you come into an agency like the Board of Review, which has been fraught with corruption, bad decisions, and shadiness for years, and you try and change that, you get a lot of pushback,” Balanoff said.

KATHERINE CAROLE MORRISON

39, Near West Side

Experience:

• Partner at Burns Noland LLP, a small law fi rm, representing state and local governments, including the City of Chicago, and police officers in civil rights lawsuits. She has also defended hospitals, nursing homes, and medical professionals in malpractice cases. (2018-present)

• Associate at a national law fi rm, defending corporations, hospitals, and municipalities in civil lawsuits (2013-2017)

Law school: IIT Chicago-Kent (2012)

Notable: Morrison has helped represent the City of Chicago in high-profi le lawsuits, including a 2013 wrongful death case alleging the Chicago Police Department’s “code of silence” protected a former homicide detective who killed two young men when he crashed into their vehicle while driving drunk. The city settled the lawsuit in 2017, and City Council approved a $20 million payout.

Morrison is the daughter of state Sen. Julie Morrison, a Democrat representing parts of Chicago’s northern suburbs. Morrison’s judicial campaign has received $72,800—the legal limit—from her mother’s campaign fund, as well as $30,000 from Illinois Senate President Don Harmon’s campaign committee.

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LESTER FINKLE

11TH

44, Oak Park

Experience:

• Cook County assistant state’s attorney, in the child protection division (2019-present)

• Supervising administrative law judge for the Illinois Department of Human Services, presiding over hearings on public assistance eligibility (2018-2019)

• Attorney at the O ffice of the Cook County Public Guardian, representing minors in abuse and neglect proceedings (2011-2018)

• Sta ff attorney at a domestic violence legal clinic, representing survivors in order-ofprotection hearings (2011)

• Fellow at the Legal Aid Society of Metropolitan Family Services, representing victims of elder abuse and exploitation (2008-2010)

Law school: DePaul University (2008)

Notable: For more than 15 years, Knox and his wife have been licensed foster parents with the Hephzibah Children’s Association in Oak Park.

48, Elmwood Park

Experience:

• Solo practitioner based in River Grove primarily handling criminal defense, real estate law, probate, and estate planning (2009-present)

• Associate at a small Chicago law fi rm (2005-2009)

Law school: UIC Law (formerly John Marshall) (2005)

Notable: Carrozza is a fourth-degree member of the Knights of Columbus, whose leaders have historically opposed abortion rights and same-sex marriage. In an interview, Carrozza said he takes no issue with same-sex marriage, and although he opposes abortion on religious grounds, his views would not impact his decision-making as a judge. “Obviously, I would do my absolute 110% best to always be fair and impartial. I do truly believe that my beliefs— whatever they may be—would not come into play with regards to any type of rulings,” he said.

11TH SUBCIRCUIT ROBERTS VACANCY

43, Park Ridge

Experience:

• Circuit Court judge appointed by the Illinois Supreme Court, assigned to the domestic violence division (2025-present)

• Cook County assistant state’s attorney, who prosecuted felony cases at the Leighton Criminal Courthouse, served in the grand jury and felony review units, and prosecuted felony and misdemeanor cases at the Skokie courthouse (2008-2025)

Law school: DePaul University (2008)

Notable: Przekota ran for judge in the 11th subcircuit in 2024 but lost in a close race. She was a Division I college swimmer and water polo player and is the head coach of the Loyola Academy girls water polo team. She is married to Wilmette police Sgt. Chris Przekota.

13TH SUBCIRCUIT CURRY, JR. VACANCY

54, Inverness

Experience:

• Cook County assistant state’s attorney assigned to the Skokie courthouse, where he handles felony preliminary hearings, grand jury indictments, and alternative to prosecution programs. Previous assignments include felony trial, child sex crimes, and felony review units. (1999-present)

Law school: IIT Chicago-Kent (1999)

Notable: Groebner’s wife, Susanne, died in 2022 at the age of 46, less than two years after she was elected as a Cook County Circuit Court judge. Groebner’s mother is bankrolling his campaign with a $344,300 loan.

13TH

46, Elgin

Experience:

• Managing partner of Pedersen & Irvin Ltd., in Kane County, working with former Aurora mayor and Republican gubernatorial candidate Richard Irvin on criminal defense and civil litigation (2017-present)

• Partner at the Law O ffices of Tegeler & Pedersen, which became Pedersen’s private practice following her former law partner’s election to the Kane County Circuit Court (2012-2017)

• Kane County assistant public defender, representing indigent individuals, including those involuntarily committed to Elgin Mental Health Center (2009-2012)

Law school: Loyola University Chicago (2008)

Notable: Pedersen ran unsuccessfully for Kane County judge twice, in 2020 and 2022. In both races, Pedersen was not recommended by the Illinois State Bar Association, based on negative reviews from dozens of fellow attorneys.

Pedersen has been charged with driving under the influence three times since 2004, court records show. In the fi rst two cases, she ultimately pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of reckless driving. Her latest arrest came in September 2023, after police in Streamwood pulled her over for speeding and the officer noted signs of impairment, records show. The DUI charge in that case was ultimately dismissed, and Pedersen successfully petitioned to expunge the charge from her record over the objections of the Cook County State’s Attorney’s O ffice, records show. “I’ve made mistakes in my life, but it doesn’t mean that I don’t pick myself back up and keep going because that’s the type of person I am … and that’s why I believe that people deserve second chances, and third chances, and maybe sometimes a fourth,” Pedersen said in an interview.

Pedersen is the president of her father’s landscaping company, which was sued in federal court over wage theft allegations in 2018 and 2019, court records show. The earlier lawsuit was settled for an undisclosed amount. The most recent lawsuit, which also named Pedersen as a defendant, was certified as a class-action suit and settled in 2020 for about $100,000. Pedersen said that her father runs the business and she helps with its fi nancial and legal dealings and that the company’s attorneys recommended settling the wage-theft claims.

13TH SUBCIRCUIT | THOMAS J. KELLEY VACANCY

WILLIAM F. KELLEY 71, Schaumburg

Experience:

• Managing partner at Kelley, Kelley & Kelley, a law practice founded by his father that specializes in commercial law, business law, and estate planning (1984-present)

Law school: Loyola University Chicago (1980)

Notable: Two of Kelley’s brothers and former law partners, Martin C. Kelley and Thomas J. Kelley, are former Cook County Circuit Court judges. Martin Kelley died in 2024, and Thomas Kelley, whose seat his brother is running for, retired in 2025.

Kelley is the chair of the Board of Trustees of Harper College in Palatine. He has been on the board since 2003 and previously served as dean of graduate studies.

BRITTANY MICHELLE PEDERSEN

JARRETT KNOX

JOHN R . CARROZZA

KIM PRZEKOTA

ROBERT ‘BOB’ GROEBNER

DAN NARANJO

53, Barrington

Experience:

• Circuit court judge appointed by the Illinois Supreme Court and assigned to the domestic violence division (2025-present)

• Cook County assistant public defender, serving most recently in the multiple defendant and felony trial divisions (2000-2025)

• Associate in a small law fi rm in Miami specializing in criminal defense (1997-2000)

Law school: University of Miami (1997)

Notable: For more than 20 years, Naranjo’s primary residence was in Lake County, according to interviews and property records. Naranjo said he applied to become an associate judge in Lake County in 2024, but was unsuccessful. In December that year, the Illinois Supreme Court began accepting applications to fi ll the vacant Cook County Circuit Court seat previously held by Shannon P. O’Malley, who lost retention after Injustice Watch questioned whether he lived in Cook County, as required. By then, Naranjo said he had moved into a rental in Cook County in order to submit his application. In February 2025, Naranjo and his wife purchased a condo at the edge of the 13th subcircuit. Naranjo was appointed to the O’Malley vacancy in June and put his Lake County house up for sale a month later.

Naranjo was born in Cuba and immigrated to the U.S. as a 1-year-old with his family.

54, Calumet City

Experience:

• Lead attorney, Cook County State’s Attorney’s O ffice child support services division, litigating civil cases on behalf of the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services and criminal cases related to unpaid child support, currently supervising about 12 attorneys (2008-present)

Law school: Thomas Cooley Law School (2006)

Notable: As a child, Moore was a member of the performance troupe Emmett Till Players. Moore also worked as an personal assistant to Mamie Till Mobley, mother of Emmett Till, and continues to serve on the Mamie Till Mobley Memorial Foundation executive board.

In the 1990s, Moore was the host of a popular gospel radio program on WYCA.

In 2024, Moore disclosed to the state’s attorney’s office secondary employment in a real estate investment business she runs with a friend and as a distributor for two multilevel marketing companies: Organo Gold and LifeWave. Moore told Injustice Watch she does not currently have active distributors working under her through either company. “I never sought to move up the ranks,” she said.

MERIDTH HAMMER

55, South Chicago

Experience:

40, Garfield Ridge

Experience:

• Partner in a small law fi rm focused on criminal defense (2018-2025)

• Cook County assistant state’s attorney, prosecuting criminal cases and enforcing child support matters (2013-2018)

Law school: UIC Law (formerly John Marshall) (2013)

41, Near West Side

Experience:

• Deputy general counsel, Illinois O ffice of the Comptroller, providing legal advice on public records requests, contracts, labor and employment, and other issues (2023-2025)

• Senior trial associate at a midsized Chicago law fi rm, managing litigation while conducting trial work and mediations (2016-2023)

• Associate at three Chicago law fi rms, working on personal injury, product liability, and other civil litigation (2012-2016)

Law school: IIT Chicago-Kent (2012)

• Attorney in private practice focused on probate, mortgage foreclosure, and estate planning (2009-present)

• Hearing board member for the Illinois Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission, issuing recommendations on attorney discipline (2023-present)

• First deputy general counsel, Clerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County (2024-2025)

• Supervising administrative law judge for the Illinois Department of Employment Security, hearing appeals of unemployment benefits decisions (2023-2024)

• Deputy general counsel, Clerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County (2019-2021)

• Corporate counsel, Crosstown Community Development Corporation, a nonprofit in Indianapolis (2009-2012)

• In-house counsel for a software company and a technology consulting fi rm (2004-2009)

Law school: Indiana University (2001)

Notable: Hammer previously ran for judge in a 2022 countywide race and received not recommended ratings from the bar associations. She also unsuccessfully ran for a seat on the South Chicago (4th) Police District Council in 2023.

On a resume submitted to Injustice Watch in early December and posted on her campaign site, Hammer listed her current job as fi rst deputy general counsel for the Clerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County even though she left the role in August 2025. She updated her resume in mid-January after Injustice Watch raised questions, but her website’s About page remained unchanged as of Feb. 2.

Between 2010 and 2020, Hammer faced Indiana and federal tax liens over more than $34,000 in unpaid taxes, all of which were repaid. A number of civil credit judgments were also entered against her in that period, court records show. Hammer has also faced foreclosure on property she owned in Indianapolis and been sued in eviction court. All cases were dismissed. Hammer said experiencing fi nancial setbacks would inform her perspective as a judge. “I do understand people having to be in that position,” she said. “It’s a tough decision to have to choose between paying your mortgage and feeding yourself.”

JULIAN SANCHEZ CROZIER

JESSICA KARINA VELEZ

NATALIA MOORE

AMARI DAWSON

52, Homewood

Experience:

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• Cook County assistant state’s attorney in several divisions, including felony review and felony trials, and currently serving in the appeals division (2007-present)

• Director of community corrections at Beloved Community Family Services, a nonprofit organization based in Englewood, where she supervised juvenile diversion programs (2005-2007)

Law school: University of Mississippi (2004)

Notable: At the age of 19, Dawson was sentenced to two years of probation and fi ned $510 in connection with a federal drug tra fficking case, according to news reports. Dawson, who referenced her criminal record when she applied to the Cook County State’s Attorney’s O ffice, did not respond to Injustice Watch’s requests for an interview. Her campaign website refers to Dawson as a teen experiencing “challenges such as dealing with emotional trauma caused by violence, managing motherhood while still in adolescence, and confronting the flaws present within the justice system.” Before law school, Dawson worked as a parole agent for the Illinois Department of Corrections.

BIANCA B . BROWN

40, Lynwood

Experience:

• Associate at a Chicago law fi rm specializing in personal injury defense and wrongful death litigation (2025-present)

• Chief attorney, Chicago Transit Authority, handling complex civil litigation (2021-2025)

• Hearing board member, Illinois Attorney Registration & Disciplinary Commission, issuing recommendations on attorney discipline (2016-2025)

• Cook County assistant state’s attorney, in the civil division, defending agencies and employees in federal civil rights and other litigation (2018-2021)

• Regional director and assistant attorney general, consumer protection division of the Illinois Attorney General’s O ffice, representing the state in lawsuits against businesses and employers accused of fi nancial fraud and discrimination (2013-2018)

• Assistant corporation counsel, City of Chicago, focused on municipal misdemeanor prosecutions,

particularly violations of the city’s gun ordinance (2011-2013)

Law school: Thomas Cooley Law School (2010)

Notable: Brown is the granddaughter of Ethel Skyles Alexander-Taylor, who served in both the Illinois Senate and House between 1979 and 1993.

ANDRÉ THAPEDI

57, South Chicago

Experience:

• Illinois state representative, serving the 32nd District on the South Side. In 2020, he investigated the Covid-19 outbreak at the LaSalle Veterans’ Home that killed 36 residents. (2009-2021)

• A biography by the Illinois General Assembly’s Legislative Review Unit said Thapedi had previously worked in the Cook County State’s Attorney’s O ffice and the law department of the Chicago Transit Authority, and spent eight years as an attorney at two law fi rms before becoming a partner in Thapedi & Thapedi. Injustice Watch could not verify the dates of these positions.

Law school: UIC Law (formerly John Marshall) (1996)

Notable: Thapedi is the son of the late Cook County Circuit Court Judge Llwellyn Greene-Thapedi. They practiced law together before her death in 2014. As a member of the General Assembly, Thapedi was the fi rst Black chair of the House judiciary-civil committee.

Florida land and business records show Thapedi has maintained a presence in the Fort Myers area for many years. In May 2021, Thapedi surrendered his Illinois driver’s license for a Florida license. Thapedi moved to the 17th subcircuit in February 2025, using a trust to buy a home just inside the subcircuit boundaries. His mortgage called this property his secondary residence and stated his current residence was in Florida. The following month, Thapedi updated his Illinois voter registration with his Chicago home’s address, records show.

In 2012, Thapedi contested allegations of legal incompetence after he briefly represented the family of a 3-year-old Cabrini-Green housing project resident killed after a gate collapsed. Thapedi and his mother claimed legal fees of $597,068, but the trial judge awarded them only about $79,000 after evaluating allegations the Thapedis “grossly overstated” their hours. An appellate court upheld the decision. The Thapedis denied wrongdoing. Thapedi did not respond to requests for comment.

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SAM BAE 54, Mount Prospect

Experience:

• Attorney in private practice in Des Plaines focusing on personal injury, real estate, civil rights, domestic relations, and other civil cases (2012-present)

• Attorney at a small fi rm with his sister, Jennifer, practicing in civil court (2000-2012)

• Associate at a midsize Chicago fi rm working on personal injury, commercial, discrimination, and civil rights cases (1999-2000)

Law school: UIC Law (formerly John Marshall) (1998)

Notable: Bae immigrated to the U.S. from South Korea with his family in 1978. He ran unsuccessfully for judge in a northwest suburban subcircuit in 2014. He was elected to the board of River Trails School District 26 and served from 2017 to 2021.

Experience:

• Cook County assistant public defender assigned to the Rolling Meadows courthouse. He previously handled felony and misdemeanor cases in Chicago and represented young people in juvenile court as well as parents in custody hearings. (2010-present)

• Worked at a small suburban law fi rm representing clients in tra ffic and minor criminal matters (2009-2010)

Law school: Northern Illinois University (2009)

Notable: Ponce de Leon’s uncle is retired Judge Edmund Ponce de Leon, the former presiding judge in Maywood and the fi rst Hispanic judge to oversee a court division in Cook County.

SARA McGANN 47, Beverly

Experience:

• Circuit court judge appointed by the Illinois Supreme Court, hearing tra ffic cases (2025-present)

• Cook County assistant state’s attorney, working as a supervisor in the criminal appeals division. She previously handled misdemeanor cases and preliminary hearings in the fourth municipal district and worked in drug, mental health, and veterans treatment courts in the fi fth and sixth municipal districts. (2009-2016; 2018-2025)

• Enrollment director at a private high school, leading a capital campaign and supervising workers (2017-2018)

• Public a ff airs director, Chicago Department of Streets and Sanitation, managing media relations (2016-2017)

Law school: UIC Law (formerly John Marshall) (2009)

JUAN PONCE DE LEON 42, Des Plaines

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MONICA SOMERVILLE 64, Beverly

Experience:

• Sta ff attorney, Cabrini Green Legal Aid, assisting clients with expungements (2025-present)

• Hearing officer, Chicago Department of Business A ff airs and Consumer Protection, hearing appeals related to business license revocations (2024-present)

• Senior attorney, Forest Preserves of Cook County, focusing on contracts and litigation (2023-2024)

• Deputy director, Chicago Department of Finance, working on collection programs and supervising the system to resolve ticket disputes (2018-2021)

• Director of the workers’ compensation program for the Chicago City Council committee on fi nance (2013-2017)

• Supervising administrative law judge, Illinois Department of Employment Security, conducting hearings on unemployment appeals cases (2009-2013)

• Attorney representing the U.S. Postal Service Law Department on employment discrimination cases (2007-2009)

• Administrative law judge, state Department of Employment Security (2003-2007)

• Chief assistant corporation counsel, City of Chicago Law Department, handling wrongful death and other civil lawsuits (2000-2001)

• Litigation counsel, Illinois Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission (1997-2000)

• Assistant corporation counsel, City of Chicago, handling personal injury and negligence cases (1991-1997)

Law school: UIC Law (formerly John Marshall) (1989)

Notable: In April 2024, Somerville’s job with the Forest Preserves of Cook County was terminated without explanation before the end of her probationary period, personnel records show. Somerville did not respond to requests for comment.

In 2001, she was fi red from the Chicago Law Department. She claimed in a 2002 lawsuit that she was fi red after she spoke out about race and sex discrimination by her boss, but the city cited poor performance as the reason. Her lawsuit was dismissed.

From 2013 to 2017, Somerville helped run the city’s controversial workers’ compensation program, which was operated for decades by Ald. Ed Burke’s fi nance committee until he was indicted in 2019. A subsequent audit of the program, which included the last year Somerville was in charge, found it did not have measures in place to detect or prevent fraud and that claims data was incomplete and disorganized.

JOHN HARKINS 55, Palos Heights

Experience:

• Assistant general counsel, Cook County Sheri ff ’s O ffice. He previously served as director of the Sheri ff ’s Work Alternative Program, a public policy aide, and as liaison to the judiciary. (2009-present)

• Trader at two Chicago investment fi rms (2002-2009)

Law school: UIC Law (formerly John Marshall) (2017)

Notable: Harkins’ wife, Jenny Harkins, is the niece of former Cook County Sheri ff Michael Sheahan and James “Skinny” Sheahan, a former aide to Mayor Richard M. Daley. Jenny Harkins’ sister is married to 19th Ward Ald. Matt O’Shea. The Sheahan brothers and O’Shea are listed as part of his campaign committee, along with Sheri ff Tom Dart.

Harkins was admitted to the Illinois bar in 2018. Most bar associations will not fi nd a judicial candidate qualified if they have not been an attorney for at least 10 years. Harkins did not respond to questions about his experience.

DAVE CONDRON 51, Beverly

Experience:

• Assistant corporation counsel supervisor, Chicago Law Department, representing the city in civil rights and police misconduct cases (2023-present)

• Associate at a small fi rm, litigating contract disputes (2018-2023)

• Associate at a small Chicago fi rm focused on eminent domain on behalf of various state transportation agencies and personal injury defense (2017-2018)

• Cook County assistant state’s attorney, working in the civil actions bureau, the gang crimes unit, and the public corruption and fi nancial crimes unit (2001-2017)

Law school: IIT Chicago-Kent (2000)

Notable: Condron is married to Yvette C. Loizon, chief of policy for Cook County State’s Attorney Eileen O’Neill Burke.

MICHAEL J . ZINK 46, Lakeview

Experience:

• Circuit court judge appointed by the Illinois Supreme Court, hearing civil cases in the fi rst municipal district (2024-present)

• Partner at a small fi rm specializing in housing and eviction (2004-2024)

Law school: DePaul University (2004)

Notable: Zink unsuccessfully ran for judge in 2024 in the 20th subcircuit. Zink’s campaign website at the time said he “directs his practice towards tenants’ rights and independent landlord support,” but court records showed Zink almost exclusively represented landlords in eviction cases. “What I’ve done quite a bit, in recent years especially, is try to keep tenants out of eviction court,” he said at the time.

Experience:

• Administrative law judge, Illinois Department of Employment Security (2022-present)

• Panel arbitrator, Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, resolving securities-related disputes (2021-present)

• Partner at two small law fi rms, focused on civil litigation, family law, and criminal defense (2008-2010)

• Assistant defender, O ffice of the State Appellate Defender, fi ling postconviction petitions on behalf of people in prison who had previously been given death sentences (2004-2010)

• Solo practitioner, focused on civil litigation, criminal defense, and postconviction proceedings (2000-2004)

• In-house counsel to the Teamsters’ Central States Funds (1997-2000)

• Associate and partner at a midsize law fi rm handling commercial, tort, employment, intellectual property, and criminal defense matters (1985-1997)

• Law clerk, U.S. District Judge Harold A. Baker (1984-1985)

Law school: University of Minnesota (1984)

Notable: From the late 1980s until 2003, Stromsta provided pro bono representation to clients in Illinois death penalty cases. Stromsta ran unsuccessfully for a 10th subcircuit vacancy in 2020.

BELLE KATUBIG 60, Lakeview

Experience:

• Cook County assistant state’s attorney in the medical litigation unit, defending doctors and sta ff of the Cook County Health System (2018-present)

• Associate and partner at a Chicago law fi rm representing doctors in medical malpractice cases (2001-2018)

• Attorney at two Chicago law fi rms (1997-2001)

Law school: UIC Law (formerly John Marshall) (1996)

JON STROMSTA 66, North Center

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Research & reporting:

Carlos Ballesteros, Aura Bogado, Alejandra Cancino, Maya Dukmasova, Kelly Garcia, Dan Hinkel, and David Jackson

Editing & project management: Jonah Newman

Engagement & promotion: Nathan Armstrong, Danny Callison, Amanda Miley, Charles Preston, Jason Schumer, and Maggie Sivit

Web development: Monkruman St. Jules and Hayley Owens

Cover illustration: Verό nica Martinez