Dems headline North Cook County midterms; U.S. Rep. Schneider wins re-election

Election Day Recap

By Claudia Balthazar

Nov 9, 2018

Many of the state House and Senate seats in North Cook did not prove to be as competitive as some may have thought.

In the state House, among other races, incumbent state Rep. Fred Crespo (D-Hoffman Estates) fended off Republican Katy Dolan Baumer, Marilyn Smolenski was unable to unseat incumbent state Rep. Marty Moylan (D-Des Plaines), state Rep. Michelle Mussman (D-Schaumburg) won over challenger Jillian Bernas and GOP candidate Amanda Biela lost to incumbent state Rep. John C. D'Amico (D-Chicago).

In the state Senate, Democrat state Rep. Laura Fine (D-Glenview) will move on to the Senate after five years in the House following her victory over Joan McCarthy Lasonde. Incumbent state Sen. Julie Morrison (D-Deerfield) held onto her seat against a challenge from Republican Barrett Davie.

U.S. Rep. Bill Schneider won re-election

In congressional races, U.S. Rep. Brad Schneider (D-Illinois) defeated Republican Doug Bennett in the general election on Nov. 6. The congressman has attended a few events since his victory, mainly focusing on honoring veterans.

“I was glad to join today’s Veterans Day Commemoration ceremony at Captain James A. Lovell Federal Health Care Center and swearing in of new Executive Director Dr. Robert Buckley,” Schneider wrote on Facebook. “Veterans of all ages were in attendance (including Barbara Miller who is a Marine Corps veteran and is 95).”

“Thank you Lake Forest Country Day School for inviting me to join this morning’s assembly honoring local veterans,” he wrote in an additional post. “Wonderful to see young people thanking our veterans for their service.”

Meanwhile, a proposed sales tax referendum, showing combined results from Barrington voters in Cook and Lake counties, had 52 percent voting against the creation while 48 percent supported it, according to the Chicago Tribune. The sales tax increase would have paid for infrastructure improvements.

Unofficial election returns showed the Barrington referendum passed in Cook County but failed in Lake County. In Lake County, 55.67 percent of voters voted against the referendum and 44.33 percent supported it. In Cook County, 50.98 percent of voters approved the referendum and 49.02 percent opposed it, according to the Chicago Tribune.

According to NBC Chicago, here are the referendum questions asked of voters:

“Shall the minimum wage in your municipality match the $13 per hour Cook County minimum wage law for adults over the age of 18 by July 1, 2020, and be indexed to the consumer price index after that?”

“Shall your municipality match the Cook County earned sick time law which allows for workers to earn up to 40 hours (5 days) of sick time a year to take care of their own health or a family member’s health?”

“Should the State of Illinois strengthen penalties for the illegal trafficking of firearms and require all gun dealers to be certified by the State?”

List of Cook County Election Results:

Cook County Referendum

Minimum Wage

Yes – 80 percent

No – 20 percent

Earned Sick Leave

Yes – 85.8 percent

No – 14.2 percent

Cook County Assessor

Democrat Fritz Kaegi – 75.8 percent

Republican Joseph Paglia – 24.2 percent

Cook County Board Results: