PEORIA -- The Feb. 2 Illinois primary pits two veteran politicians running for a top position in the Democratic Party. The unpaid, volunteer office is the state central committeeman in the 18th congressional district.
This job+ will go to the man Democrats decide can best help other candidates win elections. The incumbent, Jim Polk of Peoria, is being challenged by Bill Edley who now lives in Springfield but has ties to Peoria and other parts of central Illinois.
Polk
Polk has served on the Peoria City Council, the County Board, and is now on the Illinois Central College Board of Trustees. Last year he lost a race for Peoria Township Supervisor to a Republican incumbent.
Edley
Edley is a former state representative from Macomb, where he once lived and ran a business. He's credited with reviving the Democratic Party's fortunes in Macomb and western Illinois. He's a native of Fulton County, has lived in Peoria, has family members in Peoria, and now lives in Springfield where he is Director of the Public Safety Shared Services Center, which provides HR an fiscal functions for 17,000 state public safety employees and six state agencies including the state police and Department of Corrections.
Parts of Springfield are in the 18th District, a huge area represented in Congress by Republican Aaron Schock.
Polk is perceived as vulnerable because in 2008, despite his office, he supported a Republican for Peoria County State's Attorney against Democratic incumbent Kevin Lyons. Polk's wife, a Democrat, hosted a fundraiser for the Republican, who lost. Polk offered little help to Democrat Colleen Callahan, who lost to Schock. The African-American precincts in Peoria voted for Obama and Schock.
Polk and Edley spoke at the Jan. 2 meeting of the Peoria County Democratic Women, a venue which always draws Democrats seeking support from party loyalists.
Edley said he would use his "campaign skills to support all (Democratic) candidates," a sly reference to Polk's 2008 performance.
Polk previously has denied actually endorsing a Republican in 2008 though acknowledging he supported the Repubican. He mentioned his lengthy career in politics and said he's working to build organizations of Young Democrats at the colleges in the district.
The Feb. 2 primary vote decides who wins this office. The winner has work already on his plate, as a Democrat will challenge Schock, and other Democrats must beat back Republican challengers in state offices.
-- Elaine Hopkins
-- Photos by Al Harkrader
It's a bummer not to see any mention of the only truly progressive candidate in this district Sheldon Schafer. He ran in the last election, and in every debate (well, the ones he was able to get into) he clearly and thoroughly stated his positions on the issues, as well as common sense solutions.
It's about time people wake up to the fact that when it comes down to Democrats and Republicans, there is no "lesser of two evils," and we can no longer use that as a rule for electing our policy makers.
For more information on a third option for the 18th District:
http://www.schaferforcongress.info/
The Illinois Green Party takes no corporate donations. Green candidates answer to the voters, not the corporations.
Posted by: Erin McCarthy | January 14, 2010 at 11:16 AM