John Cullerton
John J. Cullerton is an American politician, a Democratic member of the Illinois Senate, representing the 6th district since his appointment in 1991, he was elected President of the Illinois Senate in 2009. Cullerton is involved in an ongoing corruption scandal in which he is accused of pressuring the Cook County Department of Transportation and Highways to pave public green space at taxpayer expense to enable a real estate development that he co-owns. Cullerton is a native of Chicago, he received his bachelor's degree in political science from Loyola University of Chicago, where he earned his law degree. After graduating from law school, Cullerton served as a Chicago Assistant Public Defender, he went on to work at the law firm of Haber. In 1979, he was elected to the Illinois General Assembly where he served for twelve years as a member of the House of Representatives, he served as Democratic Floor Leader. According to Cullerton's campaign website, he sponsored the most bills and had the most bills passed of all legislators in the 93rd and 94th General Assemblies.
After being appointed to fill Dawn Clark Netsch's seat in 1991, Cullerton was elected to the state senate in 1992 where he was appointed Senate Majority Caucus Whip. Cullerton has been recognized for sponsoring more bills than any other legislator and having more signed into law by the governor. Cullerton was chosen as the senate president by the Senate Democratic Caucus on November 19, 2008 to begin serving in 2009, replacing the retiring Emil Jones, his first legislative priority as senate president was to pass the first Capital Bill in 10 years, which allocated $31 billion for public works projects and created tens of thousands of jobs in Illinois Public Act 096-0036. Cullerton led the senate during the impeachment trial, subsequent removal, of former Governor Rod Blagojevich. Cullerton served as a delegate to the 2012 Democratic National Convention. Senator Cullerton supported SB-1; the Illinois Supreme Court found these legislative changes to be unconstitutional. As the Illinois Supreme Court ruling stated: "These modifications to pension benefits unquestionably diminish the value of the retirement annuities the members…were promised when they joined the pension system.
Accordingly, based on the plain language of the Act, these annuity-reducing provisions contravene the pension protection clause's absolute prohibition against diminishment of pension benefits and exceed the General Assembly's authority," Since the rejection of the constitutionality of SB-1 Senator Cullerton has continued to support the reduction of pension benefits of Illinois State employees. In May 2017, Cullerton led the state Senate Democrats in passing a bill that increased the state individual income tax from 3.75 to 4.95 percent, along with a number of tax increases on businesses. The tax increases, if signed into law, were projected to bring in $4.453 billion from individuals and another $1 billion from businesses. In May 2017, Cullerton intervened in a land dispute outside of his district when he advocated, on behalf of the Keefe Family Trust, to pave over a section of publicly owned wetland to build a 28 foot long driveway, which would require killing 48 mature trees in a small old-growth forest.
Despite the opposition and objections of the Village of Wilmette, the City of Evanston, the publicly operated Canal Shores Golf Course and numerous community organizations, Cullerton met with local officials on multiple occasions to argue in favor of a driveway to access a landlocked parcel so the Keefe Family Trust could build a subdivision of three houses. The parcel had been landlocked. Cullerton serves part-time as an Illinois state senator. Fagel Haber merged with Thompson Coburn LLP in 2007, Cullerton continues as a partner practicing in the areas of government relations, licensing, real estate tax assessment, nonprofit law. Cullerton and his wife, have five children together: Maggie, John III, Kyle, Josephine. Biography and committees at the 98th Illinois General Assembly By session: 98th, 97th, 96th, 95th, 94th, 93rd Illinois Senate President John Cullerton legislative website Senate President John J. Cullerton at Illinois Senate Democrats Profile at Vote Smart Collected news and commentary at the Chicago Tribune
Knox College (Illinois)
Knox College is a private liberal arts college in Galesburg, Illinois. It is one of 40 schools featured in Loren Pope's influential book Colleges. Knox College was founded in 1837 by anti-slavery social reformers, led by George Washington Gale. Many of the founders, including the Rev. Samuel Wright supported the Underground Railroad; the original name for the school was Knox Manual Labor College, but it has been known by its present name since 1857. The college's name came about through a compromise among its founders. Though founded by a colony of Presbyterians and Congregationalists, the county in which the college is located was named Knox County, after Henry Knox, the first United States Secretary of War. Arguments have been made that the college was named for Calvinist leader John Knox, but it is not certain for which Knox it was named. George Candee Gale, a great-great-grandson of two of the founders, explains that contrary to general belief, Knox was not named for either General Knox or the Scottish Presbyterian Knox, according to my father...
Some wanted the college named for some for the other. Most of them were pious enough to want the churchman and fighters enough to want the soldier as well." The presidency of Jonathan Blanchard led the school out of debt, but ignited a controversy about whether the school was loyal to the Congregational church or the Presbyterians. Both Gale and Blanchard were forced out of the school as a result. Knox was the site of the fifth debate between Abraham Lincoln and Stephen A. Douglas in 1858; the Old Main building is the only site from the debates. Two years after the debates, during his presidential campaign, Lincoln was awarded the first honorary doctorate conferred by Knox College—a Doctor of Laws degree, announced at the commencement exercises of 5 July 1860. Knox College was ranked 71st among liberal arts colleges by the 2011 edition of America's Best Colleges in U. S. News & World Report. In August 2010, Knox was listed as one of the "Best-Kept Secrets: 10 Colleges You Should Know About" by the Huffington Post, based on a Unigo survey completed by over 30,000 students.
In the August 11, 2010 issue of Forbes magazine, Knox was ranked among the Top 100 liberal arts colleges listed and over 600 evaluated. The Princeton Review cites Knox on its "Best of" lists, most in 2010 as one of the Best 371 Schools, one of the Best Midwestern Colleges; the Kiplinger private colleges rankings for 2010 placed Knox 47th on its list of 50 best values in liberal arts, measuring academic quality and affordability. And in 2010 Washington Monthly named Knox among the Top 50 best liberal arts colleges, calling their list "a guide not just to what colleges can do for you, but what colleges are doing for the country." Knox College is one of 40 schools featured in the book Colleges That Change Lives by former New York Times Education Editor Loren Pope. In the 2009–2010 academic year, The Chronicle of Higher Education noted Knox as one of nine bachelor-level institutions to produce two or more Fulbright Awards for U. S. Scholars. In 2009, a Knox study of itself found that the college ranks in the top 3% of colleges based upon graduates who go on to earn a Ph.
D. Knox employs a 3–3 academic calendar rather than a traditional semester-based approach. In each of the three 10-week terms, students take only three courses. Faculty members teach only two courses each term. No matter what course of study students decide to pursue, education at Knox contains common elements, including an educational plan that students design. Knox College introduced the school's honor code in 1951. All students are held responsible for the integrity of their own work, students are required to abide by the code; because of this policy, tests are not proctored, in many cases students may take their exams in any open, public place within the same building. Any cases of students caught disobeying the system are evaluated by their peers through the Honor Board, a committee consisting of three seniors, three juniors, three sophomores, three faculty members. With the implementation of Renewed Knox, the 2003 curriculum overhaul, the school expanded its academic offerings to meet the needs of a liberal arts education in the 21st century.
In 2003, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute awarded the school a $1 million grant to create a new major in neuroscience. Knox is known for its Green Oaks term, an interdisciplinary program at the 700-acre Green Oaks Biological Field Station, during which students and faculty spend an entire term conducting research and creative projects and participating in courses in biology, anthropology-sociology, English, as well as workshops in outdoor skills, first aid, photography. Knox promotes top-notch undergraduate research, annually awarding students more than $250,000 in grants to support research and creative projects. Among the programs are the Ford Foundation Research Fellows Program, which funds the scientific and creative projects of 20 s
Oak Park, Illinois
Oak Park is a village adjacent to the West Side of Chicago, Illinois. It is the 29th largest municipality in Illinois as measured by population in the 2010 U. S. census. As of the 2010 United States Census the village had a population of 51,878. Oak Park was settled beginning in the 1830s, with rapid growth in the 19th century and early 20th century, it incorporated in 1902. Development was spurred by railroads and street cars connecting the village to jobs in Chicago. Architect Frank Lloyd Wright and his wife settled here in 1889. Population peaked at 66,015 in 1940. Smaller families led to falling population in the same number of apartments. In the 1960s, Oak Park faced the challenge of racial integration, devising many strategies to integrate rather than resegregate the village. Oak Park includes three historic districts for the historic homes: Ridgeland, Frank Lloyd Wright and Seward Gunderson, reflecting the focus on historic preservation. In 1835, Joseph Kettlestrings, an immigrant from England, purchased 172 acres of land just west of Chicago for a farm and their home.
Once their children were born, they moved to Chicago for the schools in 1843, moved back again in 1855 to build a more substantial home a bit east on their quarter section of land. More farmers and settlers had entered the area, their land was called by several names locally, including Oak Ridge. When the first post office was set up, it could not use the name Oak Ridge as another post office was using that name in Illinois, so the post office chose Oak Park, that name became the name for the settlement as it grew, for the town when it incorporated in 1902. By 1850, the Galena and Chicago Union Railroad was constructed as far as Elgin and passed through the settlement area. In the 1850s the land on which Oak Park sits was part of the town of Cicero; the population of the area boomed during the 1870s, with Chicago residents resettling in Cicero following the Great Chicago Fire of 1871 and the expansion of railroads and street cars to the area. "In 1872, when Oak Park received its own railroad depot on the Chicago and Northwestern Railway, its rapid emergence as a residential suburb of Chicago began.
In 1877, the railroad was running thirty-nine trains daily between Oak Chicago. As Chicago grew from a regional center to a national metropolis Oak Park expanded – from 500 residents in 1872 to 1,812 in 1890, to 9,353 in 1900, to 20,911 in 1910, to 39,585 in 1920. Oak Park thus emerged as a leading Chicago suburb."A review of Oak Park's history by Wiss, Elstner Associates in 2006 further explains the importance of railroads and street cars in the development of Oak Park: The Village of Oak Park was formally established in 1902, disengaging from Cicero following a referendum. According to the local historical society, "The period 1892–1950 saw the construction of all of the housing stock in Oak Park, most of the village's current buildings." The village population grew and "by 1930, the village had a population of 64,000 larger than the current population", while cherishing a reputation as the "World's Largest Village." Chicago grew in the 19th century, recording 4,470 residing in the 1840 Census in the place so a fur trading post, reaching 1,099,850 in 1890, 1,698,575 in 1900, passing Philadelphia to the number two spot in the US, in that year, the fifth largest in the world.
Chicago was well located on the shores of Lake Michigan for transport. After World War II, "Oak Park was affected by larger developmental trends in the Chicago Metropolitan area; the construction of the Eisenhower Expressway cut through the southern portion of the Village in the mid 1950s. Starting in the 1960s and 1970s, Oak Park has made a conscious effort to accommodate changing demographics and social pressures while maintaining the suburban character that has long made the Village a desirable residential location. Beginning in the 1960s, Oak Park faced the issue of racial integration with effective programs to maintain the character and stability of the Village, while encouraging integration on racial basis; this was the greatest challenge to Oak Park, which some judge it has met with success, see #Demographics. Population fell from the peak level from smaller average household size, including a rise in one-person households. Oak Park has a history of alcohol prohibition; when the village was incorporated, no alcohol was allowed to be sold within its village limits.
This law was relaxed in 1973, when restaurants and hotels were allowed to serve alcohol with meals, was further loosened in 2002, when select grocery stores received governmental permission to sell packaged liquor. Now alcohol, such as beer and wine, is accessible. In 1889, Frank Lloyd Wright and his wife settled in Oak Park, he built many homes and the Unity Temple, his own church, in the village, before he left in 1911 to settle in Wisconsin. Oak Park attracts architecture buffs and others to view the many Frank Lloyd Wright designed homes found in the village, alongside homes reflecting other architectural styles; the largest collection of Wright-designed residential properties in the world is in Oak Park. A distinct focus on historic preservation of important architectural styles began in the 1970s and continues, with many buildings marked as significant, so far, three historic districts defin
Jim Oberweis
James D. Oberweis is an American businessman, investment manager and politician from the state of Illinois; the owner of Oberweis Dairy in North Aurora near Chicago, he is a member of the Illinois Senate, representing the 25th district since January 2013. Oberweis sought the Republican nomination for the United States Senate in 2002 and 2004 and the Republican nomination for Governor of Illinois in 2006, he was the Republican nominee for Illinois's 14th congressional district in a March 2008 special election and the November 2008 general election, losing on both occasions to Democrat Bill Foster. He was first elected to the Illinois Senate in 2012, he ran for the U. S. Senate again in 2014, losing to Democratic incumbent Dick Durbin. After graduating from Marmion Academy in Aurora, Illinois, he attended the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign, where he joined Phi Kappa Tau fraternity, he received a Bachelor of Arts from Illinois, a Master of Business Administration from the University of Chicago.
In 1968, Oberweis became a junior high school teacher at Waldo Junior High in Aurora, teaching math and science. In 1970, he became an investment stockbroker. Within a few years, he was promoted to manager of a branch office. In 1976, he began publication of an investment newsletter, the Oberweis Report, which reported on emerging growth companies; the Report was rated among investment advice newsletters. In 1978, Oberweis and his first wife, established their own investment management company, Oberweis Securities in Aurora, Illinois. In 1986, Oberweis assumed control of family business Oberweis Dairy, his father, had died in 1984, Joe's successor John suffered an incapacitating stroke in 1986. Elaine Oberweis left the brokerage business in 1989 to rescue the dairy business from near-ruin, he remained active in the investment field. In 1987, he founded Oberweis Emerging Growth Fund. In 1989, he established Oberweis Asset Management. OAM specializes in "small-cap growth equities investing", has individual accounts for institutional investors and a family of mutual funds for individual investors.
As of 2015, OAM had about $2 billion under management. Oberweis moved the Oberweis Dairy from Aurora to its present location in North Aurora, he began a chain of company-owned dairy stores, has maintained a dairy delivery business to homes in the Chicago area. A franchise program began in 2004. Oberweis became a financial news anchor and host of the show Catching Winners Early on the Financial News Network. In Chicago, Oberweis became a regular guest on the Ask an Expert show. Oberweis was a popular guest on CNBC, CNN and Bloomberg TV. Oberweis has sought elective office six times succeeding in the 2012 race for the 25th State Senate district seat, his record of unsuccessful election campaigns earned him the nickname of "the Milk Dud". In 2002, Oberweis sought the Republican nomination for U. S. Senator, but lost in the primary, finishing second of three with 31%. Oberweis ran for Senator again in 2004, but again lost in the primary, finishing second of seven with 24%. Soon after the primary, the winner, Jack Ryan withdrew due to personal scandal.
Some Republicans felt that as the second-place finisher, Oberweis should replace Ryan, but the state central committee chose Alan Keyes instead. Keyes lost to Barack Obama by the largest margin for the Illinois U. S. Senate race in history. Oberweis's 2004 campaign was notable for a television commercial in which he flew in a helicopter over Chicago's Soldier Field and claimed enough illegal immigrants came into America in a week to fill the stadium's 61,500 seats. During his 2004 Senate campaign, Oberweis appeared in television commercials for Oberweis Dairies; the Federal Election Commission ruled that this was an improper corporate contribution to the campaign, fined Oberweis $21,000 for violation of campaign finance law. In 2006, Oberweis sought the Republican nomination for Governor of Illinois, he started his campaign in April 2005. He lost in the primary, finishing second of five with 32%; as part of his campaign, he supported amending the Illinois Constitution to define marriage as opposite-sex only.
The winner of the primary was Judy Baar Topinka, defeated by Democrat Rod Blagojevich in the general election 49.8%–39.3%, with Rich Whitney, the Green Party candidate, receiving a little over 10.3%. Some media reports indicated that Oberweis received a large number of write-in votes in the November 2006 general election, he spontaneously re-appeared in some tracking polls at 1–2% in October of that year. For that reason, the write-in votes were not tracked as they would with an official, declared write-in candidate, a statewide total is not known; when U. S. Representative Dennis Hastert resigned his seat on November 26, 2007, Oberweis ran to replace him. Oberweis was endorsed by Hastert, he won the primary for the special election for the remainder of Hastert's unfinished term with 56%. He won the primary for the general election for the next term, with 58%. However, Oberweis lost the March special election to Democrat Bill Foster, getting 47% of the vote to Foster's 53%, he lost to Foster again in November, 58% to 42%.
During the elections for the State Central Committee in March 2010, Jim Oberweis ran and won a seat on the Illinois Republican Party's State Central Committee representing the 14th Congressional District
Daniel Cronin
Daniel J. Cronin is the current DuPage County Board Chairman, serving in the position since winning the November 2010 election, he served in the Illinois General Assembly for nearly 20 years. Daniel J. Cronin grew up in Illinois, he graduated from Immaculate Conception Grade Fenwick High School. He earned a bachelor's degree in economics from Northwestern University and a juris doctor degree from the Loyola University School of Law, he was Assistant State’s Attorney in DuPage County from 1987 to 1989 and served as legal counsel for House of Representatives from 1985 to 1987. He is a partner in the law firm of Power & Cronin Ltd. of Oak Brook. Cronin was first elected to the Illinois House of Representatives in 1991 as an advocate for tax relief and smaller government. After one term, Cronin was elected to the Illinois Senate in 1993. There, he pushed legislation to extend property tax caps to homeowners, he passed legislation to improve teacher competency and reform Chicago schools. Moved by the “Baby Richard” case of contested adoption, Cronin sponsored new law focusing on best interest of the child.
He was known to be a vocal advocate and sponsor of tough, effective law enforcement legislation, including anti-terrorism and truth-in-sentencing laws. Cronin served on several committees during his time as a state legislator, serving on the Education, Judiciary Civil Law and Investments and Legislative Reference Bureau committees, among others. Cronin was elected DuPage County Board Chairman on Nov. 2, 2010, after receiving nearly 63 percent of the vote. During his time as chairman, Cronin has been instrumental in developing ACT Initiative and Transform Illinois, in addition to focusing on regional issues such as infrastructure, public transit and economic development, he played a big role in obtaining federal grants to help fund the local share of the Illinois Tollway’s Elgin O’Hare Western Access project. Cronin won re-election as DuPage County Board Chairman in November 2014, winning 64 percent of the vote. Since being elected in 2010, Cronin has cut the county's budget by more than $30 million.
In 2015, Gov. Bruce Rauner asked Cronin to sit on a statewide task force to study government consolidation and unfunded mandates. Cronin, an advocate for fiscal accountability and efficient government, spearheaded the development of the DuPage ACT Initiative in 2012; the initiative is a comprehensive county reform program designed to improve efficiency, reduce duplication and encourage resource sharing across county government and its independently administered agencies. In 2011, the County Board undertook an examination of its appointed agencies; these provide a wide array of important community services, including but not limited to fire suppression and water services, mosquito abatement, airport administration, housing assistance, election management and street lighting. This examination led to the formation of the ACT Initiative in 2012. To date, Cronin's efforts have resulted in dissolving the Timberlake Estates Sanitary District, the Fairview Fire Protection District and the DuPage Fair Authority.
The ACT Initiative has generated a projected $116 million in taxpayer savings over 20 years through shared services, joint purchasing, benefit reforms and procurement modifications. Cronin's efforts were featured in the 2014 Better Government Association Spotlight on Good Government and the 2014 National Association of Counties Achievement Award for Government Innovation. Cronin is continuing to push the ACT Initiative in pursuit of larger statewide reforms. In November 2015, Cronin helped role out Transform Illinois, a statewide coalition that promotes excellence in government efficiency. Cronin came together with the Metropolitan Planning Council, Better Government Association, the Taxpayers' Federation of Illinois, Illinois Chamber of Commerce, Illinois Campaign for Political Reform and multiple state legislators to form the group. Transform Illinois is a non-partisan collaboration of public officials, civic leaders and research institutions advocating for local government efficiency. Cronin has served in numerous leadership roles for community groups, including as the DuPage County Republican County Chairman and a York Township Republican Committeeman.
He serves on the Illinois State Bar Association, DuPage County Bar Association, The DuPage Marine Corps League, Elmhurst Knights of Columbus, Elmhurst YMCA Board of Directors, Joseph Academy Board of Directors, Community Bank of Elmhurst Board of Directors, Ray Graham Association Board of Directors in Downers Grove, Fenwick High School Board of Directors and the College of DuPage Business Leader Advisory Board. He is a member of Immaculate Conception Parish. Cronin has led DuPage County to several accolades. Among them are: 2011 Governor's Sustainability Award 2012 Conservation Foundation Low Salt Community Award for reducing salt use on roadways 2012 Illinois EPA Green Fleet Designation 2012 100 Best Fleets Green Fleet Award, Honorable Mention 2012 State Electronics Challenge Gold Recognition 2013 Green Industry Achievement Award for environmental stewardship 2013 State Electronics Challenge Gold Recognition 2014 Illinois Governor's Sustainability Award, Honorable Mention 2014 Conservation Foundation Low Salt Community Award for reducing salt use on roadways 2014 State Electronics Challenge Gold Recognition 2014 NACo Innovation in Government for ACT Initiative 2014 Campaign for Political Reform Dawn Clark Netsch "Straight Talk" Award for ACT Initiative 2014 DuPage Mayors and Managers Intergovernmental Cooperation Award 2014 Community Partner Award, Literacy DuPage County 2015 NACo Achievement Award for Criminal Justice and Public SafetyPersonally, Cronin has received recognition for his service from numerous organizations.
His individual honors include
Rosemont, Illinois
Rosemont is a village in Cook County, United States. Located northwest of Chicago, as of the 2010 census it had a population of 4,202; the village was incorporated in 1956. While Rosemont's land area and population are small among municipalities in the Chicago Metropolitan Area, the village is a major center for commercial activity in the region and is a key component of the Golden Corridor. Due to its proximity to several interstates, O'Hare International Airport, downtown Chicago, it has emerged as a significant edge city and entertainment district, with corporate facilities, millions of square feet of office space, nearly 50 restaurants, 15 hotels, the 840,000-square-foot Donald E. Stephens Convention Center, the 16,000+ seat Allstate Arena, the 4,000+ seat Rosemont Theatre, the 130-store Fashion Outlets of Chicago, the Rosemont Stadium, the entertainment complex Parkway Bank Park, which features restaurants, entertainment and a large common area used for summer concerts and ice skating in the winter.
Rosemont is near Rivers Casino in Des Plaines and additional hotels, offices and corporate facilities in the adjacent O'Hare neighborhood of Chicago and nearby suburban communities such as Des Plaines and Schiller Park. The residential sections of Rosemont are a gated community, as a result of the 1995 decision by residents to enclose the residential portions of the village, thereby restricting access to locals. Rosemont is at 41°59′27″N 87°52′26″W. According to the 2010 census, Rosemont has a total area of all land; as of the 2000 census, there were 4,224 people, 1,692 households, 986 families residing in the village. The population density was 2,423.6 per square mile. There were 1,745 housing units at an average density of 1,001.2 per square mile. The racial makeup of the village was 79.24% White, 1.35% African American, 0.88% Native American, 4.40% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 11.55% from other races, 2.56% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 35.35% of the population.
Rosemont was tied for first place in 2000 with Bowdon, Georgia as the place in the United States with the highest percentage of people reporting Bulgarian ancestry. The percentage of people so reporting in 2000 was 2.7%. There were 1,692 households out of which 29.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.3% were married couples living together, 8.9% had a female householder with no husband present, 41.7% were non-families. 35.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.4% had someone living alone, 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.50 and the average family size was 3.31. In the village, the population was spread out with 24.4% under the age of 18, 10.4% from 18 to 24, 35.7% from 25 to 44, 18.4% from 45 to 64, 11.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females, there were 110.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 111.2 males. The median income for a household in the village was $34,663, the median income for a family was $44,939.
Males had a median income of $30,066 versus $30,015 for females. The per capita income for the village was $19,781. About 10.6% of families and 14.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 23.6% of those under age 18 and 10.6% of those age 65 or over. Rosemont is positioned between the rest of the City of Chicago. Due to its location, much of the village is occupied by large hotels and office buildings. Most major hotel chains operating in the United States have a presence in Rosemont, including Global Hyatt, Hilton Hotels Corporation, Marriott International, Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Loews Corporation, Best Western, InterContinental Hotels Group, among others. According to Colliers International, the Rosemont/O'Hare office market encompassed 13,325,000 square feet of total inventory in Q1 2017. Corporate headquarters in the village include those of Culligan, US Foods, Velsicol Chemical Corporation, World Kitchen, Reyes Holdings, Haribo of America. Additionally, Rosemont operates several visitor related-forums.
Among these are the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center, used for trade shows and gatherings; the village is the sponsor of the Cavaliers Bugle Corps. The village hosts Midwest FurFest, Exxxotica Expo, Anime Central annually, among other big name fan conventions. Emirates airline has its Chicago-area offices in the Columbia Centre in Rosemont. Rosemont Elementary School District 78 operates Rosemont Elementary School. Other area schools include Orchard Place School in Des Plaines, operated by the Des Plaines School District 62; the area community college is Triton College. Rosemont's Allstate Arena is home to the Chicago Wolves of the American Hockey League, the WNBA's Chicago Sky, the DePaul University basketball team. Starting in 2011, the Chicago Bandits women's National Pro Fastpitch team
Bill Brady (politician)
William E. "Bill" Brady Jr. is a Republican member of the Illinois Senate who has represented the 44th Legislative District since his appointment in May 2002. Brady served in the Illinois House of Representatives, representing the 88th District from 1993 to 2001, he ran unsuccessfully for Governor of Illinois in 2006, 2010, 2014. Brady was born on May 1961, in Bloomington, Illinois, he graduated from Illinois Wesleyan University. A millionaire real estate developer and broker, Brady is a co-owner of Brady Homes, one of Central Illinois' largest home builders, founded by his father, Bill Brady Sr. In early 2014, it was reported that Brady's real estate development business had been sued twice for defaulting on loans. In 1992, Bill Brady defeated seven term incumbent Gordon Ropp by a razor thin margin in the Republican primary. Ten years Brady was appointed to the Illinois Senate in 2002 to succeed John Maitland. Brady serves on the following committees: Agriculture and Conservation Committee of the Whole Conference Committee on SB1 Environment Insurance State Government &Veterans Affairs Transportation Brady ran for Governor of Illinois three times and was the Republican Nominee in 2010, but was unsuccessful in each run.
Brady ran for governor in 2006. He finished third in the Republican primary. In the 2010 gubernatorial election, he defeated his closest competitor, State Senator Kirk Dillard, by 193 votes in the GOP primary, faced incumbent Democratic Governor Pat Quinn and Green Party candidate Rich Whitney in November. Brady's running mate was 28-year-old Jason Plummer, past Chairman of the Madison County Republican Party and, at the time, an intelligence officer in the U. S. Naval Reserve and vice president in his father's lumber business. Despite winning 98 of Illinois's 102 counties, Brady lost to Quinn by around 32,000 votes out of 3,700,000. Brady won 98 out of the 102 counties. However, Quinn's huge win in Cook County which encompasses the Chicago Metropolitan Area, provided a large buffer of votes that Brady could not overcome. On election night, Quinn had an initial, large lead when results from Cook County were the first began to come in. Once suburban and rural precincts reported the vote tallies, Brady narrowed the gap, but Cook County provided enough votes to give the election to Governor Quinn.
Brady conceded defeat on the following day, November 3. Quinn's win was ranked by Politico as the 7th biggest upset of the 2010 elections. Brady announced his third bid for Illinois Governor on June 26, 2013, his fellow GOP contenders were businessman Bruce Rauner, state treasurer Dan Rutherford, Senator Kirk Dillard. Brady's running mate was Maria Rodriguez, she was courted by Bruce Rauner as a running mate. Rodriguez carried two terms as mayor of Illinois. Brady was the lowest-funded of the four Republican candidates for the primary election, with only $273,000 in his campaign account at the end of 2013. During his campaign, Brady made several swipes at competitor Bruce Rauner, including comparing Rauner to disgraced and jailed former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich. Among other things, Brady advocated for pension reform, reducing taxes, reforming worker's compensation, not increasing the minimum wage, the dismantling of the Illinois State Board of Education. Brady lost the GOP primary at third place with 15% of the vote.
According to his campaign website, Brady believes in balancing the budget and paying down debt by "deconstructing Illinois spending and constructing a new budget, based on efficiency and priorities". He has proposed a plan to cut “a dime for every dollar” in state spending, but depending on the starting point, that may cut $3 billion to $5 billion from the $13 billion deficit. Brady supports replacing the Illinois State Board of Education with a smaller agency that receives half of the current $80 million funding, or $40 million. Brady believes that intelligent design, which he has described as "in other words, teaching the Bible", should be taught in public schools, saying that "we should teach the Bible in our schools. One of the basic, fundamental voids we have in our school system is bringing God into the system." In a follow-up interview, he explained: "I believe that local school boards should have the opportunity to teach kids about the Bible, just as they ought to be able to teach them about the Qur'an."
He added: "I believe in school prayer. I think that local school boards should be able to dictate that they start the day with prayer."Brady supports competition in elementary and secondary education and, "either through board action or citizens initiative", school districts funding the tuition to private schools, at a rate that is, at minimum, what the state provides to the school district. Brady supports lowering Illinois' minimum wage from its current $8.25 per hour to match the federal minimum wage of $7.25. Brady has said that the minimum wage should be controlled by “market-forces”. "I think demand in the marketplace determines the rate of minimum wage. I don't think governmental intrusion is as effective," said Brady. Brady has called for a freeze in the state's minimum wage until the lower federal rate catches up to that in Illinois. Brady intended to lift the moratorium on the death penalty. Bill Brady self-identifies as pro-life, he supports a ban on all abortions, including in cases of incest.
He allows abortion when a mother's life is at risk. He has backed legislation allowing pharmacists to refuse to dispense emergency contraception. A week after winning the Republican primary, Brady introduced a proposed state constitutional amendment on
