How does a local candidate spend a winter Saturday?

You may be wondering: how does a local, grassroots-driven, candidate spend a cold winter Saturday in January? By getting ready to canvas and campaign for the March primary of course!

Today I wrote some language to share the news about my campaign with residents throughout District 1, designed some attention-grabbing door hangers, and ordered them. I am only able to do this because of your generous support and donations. Thank you!

Want to help get these door hangers on the doors of voters? Visit our volunteer page and let me know you're ready to help Turn DuPage Blue!

Welcome 2018: A Year of Action

New Year's Eve is always a time to reflect on the year that is leaving and think about your hopes and goals for the incoming year.

It's easy to look at 2017 and focus only on the bad. Whether it's headlines at the national level that are startling and discouraging or just the sense of conflict, discord, and uncertainty this year brought, it's been a long and trying year in many respects. But in many, perhaps more important ways, there are many reasons to reflect on some good from 2017 and look forward with cheer and motivation to 2018.

I was unable to attend the Women's March in January, but when I reflect on the global response that day brought, I am still deeply moved. What came after is even more amazing.

2017 to me marks a reawakening in many communities of the responsibility that comes with our democracy. Government does just function because of inertia and leaders do not always look out for what is best of us simply because they should. We the people must demand it. 

This demand, that our leaders are available to us, listen to our voices, and act knowing that we are paying close attention marks much of 2017 to me. We did not always win but outspoken citizens had some amazing victories to protect our health care, stop bad policies, and demand better governance.

For 2018, that voice will only grow louder. In 2018, I look forward to being this voice in DuPage County. The size and strength of DuPage County means we have a loud voice on the local, state, and national level, if we elect representatives who are brave enough to take a stand for our communities. With your help, we can elect a wave of officials in November who exemplify that leadership.

Actions for 2018

The most important thing you can do to kick off the new year is to check that you are registered to vote, or to register if you are not. You can do that at the Illinois State Board of Elections.

Want to make sure you don't forget to vote? In DuPage County, any voter can request a ballot to vote by mail. Learn about this easy process here.

Lastly, get involved with either my campaign or the campaign of another county-level candidate. Grassroots efforts like knocking on doors, handing out literature at train stations, making phone calls, or donating your talents or funds is essential work to strengthen our democracy.

Happy New Year!

Daily Herald: Republicans, Democrats both face primaries for DuPage County Board

Below is an excerpt from the Daily Herald's article about the DuPage County Board candidates:

"Democrats are preparing to challenge Republicans next fall for control of the DuPage County Board.

Twelve of the 18 county board seats will be up for election in November and Democrats will field candidates for all those 4-year seats in the traditional GOP stronghold.

But before the two sides square off, voters in March must choose their party's nominees. Contested Republican primary races are expected in four of the six county board districts and four of the districts will have Democratic primaries.

The filing period for the March 20 primary ended Monday.

Here's a look at where county board primary races are taking shape:

District 1

Bensenville resident Paul DeMichele and Dino Gavanes of Itasca are seeking the GOP nomination along with two incumbents -- Sam Tornatore of Roselle and Paul Fichtner of Elmhurst.

The two primary winners will face Elmhurst Democrats Ashley J. Selmon and Zahra Suratwala next November.

District 1 includes all or portions of Addison, Bensenville, Bloomingdale, Elmhurst, Glendale Heights, Itasca, Lombard, Roselle, Villa Park and Wood Dale."

You can read the entire article here.

Petition Turn In!

Bright and early (or not so bright out as it turns out), I went to the DuPage County administrative building to turn in your petition signatures.

I say "your" because I could not have done it without all of you.

Whether you were kind enough to answer a knock at the door from me or a volunteer, greet a "hello" outside of a shopping center, sign your name, or take a card with more information,  you helped democracy flourish in DuPage County. Thank you!

Now the fun starts. Between now and the primary on March 20, I will continue knocking on doors, making sure voters in District 1 know they have new, Democratic options for their county board and listening to which issues are most important to making their lives in DuPage County a little easier. You can make sure you are registered to vote here.

If you are interested in volunteering or hosting a meet-and-greet with your neighbors, click here to Get Involved.

Our grassroots campaign will require your support as well. If you can, give $20.18 to propel our campaign into 2018.

Election Night!

DuPage County Democratic candidates

Election night is always magical for me. Knowing people have fought and died for the right to cast a ballot is empowering (even on the nights when the results are not what I would hope for).

Even though DuPage county did not have an election tonight, nearly one third of our country saw elections in their communities from the national level all the way down to school board elections. Watching election results roll in tonight was exciting -- we saw Democratic candidates winning of all ages, genders, and passions. They ran strong campaigns, full of volunteer support, focused on the issues that matter to all of us -- building strong communities, investing in our futures, and showing that we are more alike than we are different.

If you're inspired by the election results tonight and wondering how you can get involved here in DuPage, visit our Get Involved page. We have a few short weeks until petitions get turned in, a few short months until the March 20th primary, and just under a year until the November 6th general election. Join us!

Collecting Petition Signatures in Bensenville

On Saturday, we spent the afternoon in Bensenville meeting some residents and collecting petition signatures. Walking around the neighborhood was a great reminder of what makes DuPage such a great place to live -- families of all ages and all backgrounds were out enjoying a warm Fall day.

Thank you for your friendliness and excitement Bensenville (and your fantastic Halloween decorations!) - we will see you again soon!

Why run for County Board?

The most common question I've received has been "So, why are you running?" It's a great question.

I have always been the sort of community member who wanted to help make life better for those around me, regardless of what community I have been apart of.

As a high school student, budget resources and access meant that our speech team was told we could no longer use the copier we had always used. I knew that my teammates needed access in order to prepare for our weekend tournaments. At the beginning of my senior year, I went right to the source and met with our principal. I brought a whole box of paperwork I needed copies of and explained that we could not be as successful that year without access to a copier. Because of that effort, we had the access that we needed in order to have another successful season.

In college, I was a first generation student paying my way through school. I was incredibly lucky to have grants and scholarships but encountered challenges along the way.  I found that the career services were not catered to students, like myself, who could not afford an unpaid internship. I had difficulty getting answers to my questions from our financial aid office and had some maintenance issues in my dorm room. How could I get these concerns addressed -- to make my student experience better and help other students like me? I asked for a meeting with the University President.

I prepared an outline, knowing we would only be able to meet for a short time, and laid out my concerns. Most importantly, I provided some ideas I thought could be solutions -- a scholarship fund to support stipends for unpaid internships, an earlier notification of financial aid for the lowest income students to allow for budgeting and planning, and a liaison for first generation students in the president's office. The meeting was fantastic. I felt heard and was able to get help for my immediate needs. As an alumna, I have seen the expansion of services for first generation and low income students in our career center that I know will help future students who are in the financial situation I was in succeed. 

When I had my first job and first apartment, I lived in a neighboring community outside of DuPage County. While I enjoyed my community, I found that visitor parking was incredibly limited for residents. Again, to address my concerns and the concerns on my neighbors, I went to the source. I emailed the village board and was thrilled to hear back from the mayor who asked what I thought would help the parking situation. I offered to do research of all the surrounding communities, looking at what their parking rules were, as well as population density. I sent him my findings along with a suggested solution. To my excitement, my parking research and solutions were presented to the village board at the next village board meeting (I could even see him holding up my documents as he spoke!) and a few short months later, there was a whole new visiting parking system.

Once I returned to DuPage County, I again wanted to be involved in making my community a great place for all residents.

So why am I running? Because DuPage county needs more voices in its local government. I'm willing to put in the work to understand the issues most important to residents of District 1 to make life in DuPage County more equitable for everyone. We live in a great community -- I look forward to working hard to make sure every resident feels heard when they have concerns and to make sure the opportunities DuPage has to offer are available to everyone.