Dan Donnelly wants to return the Democratic Party back to its roots in his run to replace Norwood Park Township Democratic Committeeman Robert Martwick Sr., who is retiring.
“We will bring the party back to people tired of it being represented for friends and relatives of the politicians,” Donnelly told the North Cook News after officially filing his petitions to take on Martwick, who is backing candidate Frank Avino.
“We will listen to the people and stand with them, just like with the soda tax we had a hand in getting taken off the books when everybody said there was no way,” Donnelly said.
Donnelly said his first step in squarely aligning himself with the people of Norwood Park will entail making himself available to them by setting up an office in the area.
“We will have an office there where anyone can come talk to us,” Donnelly said. “Right now, the office is downtown and half the people in the township don’t even know who the committeeman is, even though he’s been in power for more than four decades. Avino wants to keep things that way, and that’s the reason Martick Sr. is pushing to get him.”
Donnelly insists he is running on a campaign he describes as the antithesis of the typical candidate's race.
“The reason why I’m running is to show people we can do something about the things we don’t like in government and that work against us,” he said. “I’m educating the voter who wonders ‘What can we do about it.’ I’m going to show them.”
As he goes from door to door campaigning, Donnelly said he encourages constituents to ask as many questions as they want.
“The only wrong question is the question not asked,” he said. “People should be engaging with their representatives, that’s what breeds transparency.”
A local businessman who lives in Norridge with his fiancee and two young children, Donnelly said he’s up to the challenge of public service, despite having never held office.
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