Gutierrez seeks 8th term, battles attorney Melichar

By Ivette Sandoval

Democratic Congressman Luis Gutierrez, representing Illinois’s 4th Congressional district, is seeking re-election for his eighth term and is running against Republican candidate Anne Melichar.

Luis Gutierrez gained acclaim in the Hispanic community working with Senators John McCain and Ted Kennedy when they introduced the still pending bipartisan immigration reform bill.

Gutierrez was among the leaders appearing before thousands of people this year at several Chicago immigration rallies. “He has been known for his model of citizenship workshops that he’s developed and already has surpassed 40,000 applications during his time in Congress,” said Scott Frotman of Gutierrez’s office. He has helped other members of Congress hold similar workshops and hosted a national citizenship day this year. “I think immigration is something he is passionate about since he came into Congress, and he believes we have a broken immigration system,” Frotman noted. “He looks at security and protecting families, and he believes this is the right thing to do.

“If re-elected he will continue to push for immigration reform,” Frotman continued. “This is an interesting election because Democrats may take back the House.”

Gutierrez strongly supports bringing Federal funding for transportation and a variety of other important projects to the district. If the Democrats gain control of the House, he will be a sub-committee chairman, giving him more power in banking, immigration, district projects, health, education, and other issues he has focused on the past 14 years. Gutierrez has concentrated on banking because he feels not enough minorities hold senior banking positions; his influence has helped open banking industry opportunities to minorities.

As a member of the House Veterans Affairs Committee, Gutierrez helped pass legislation to provide more healthcare to veterans. He also helped secure $315 million for the Chicago Transit Authority Blue Line and more than $87 million for other important Chicago projects.

“I think he’s as passionate about the issues and about protecting his constituents as the first day he was sworn,” Frotman said. “People like that he’s outspoken and that he speaks out to anyone regardless of how powerful they may be. He’s a fighter.”

Republican candidate Ann Melichar is a real estate attorney living in Logan Square. She attended high school in this community at St. Ignatius College Prep and holds undergraduate degrees in European culture and interior design. She earned her law degree from John Marshall Law School.

Melichar is a former supervisor attorney for John Marshall’s Fair Housing Legal Support Center, where she fought predatory lending. She also worked at John Marshall’s Fair Housing Legal Clinic and clerked at Riordan, Dashiell and Donnelly in Chicago.

A historic preservation expert, Melichar formerly worked as a conservation administrator for Bernacki & Associates; she also worked with the Landmarks Preservation Council of Illinois, where she earned the Volunteer of the Year Award in 1997.

Earlier in her career, she was an assistant sales area manager and restaurant and gourmet foods manager with Carson Pirie Scott.

Melichar was a founding member and is on the board of the Wiley Resource Center Legal Clinic. She is a member of several bar and preservation associations.

Melichar was unavailable for comment.