History vs. change as Fifth District Senate race gets bitter 

By Sarah Severson 

The demographics of the 5th Illinois State Senate District are changing, as what was predominantly an African-American area is seeing an influx of young urban professionals representing a variety of ethnic groups.

            Incumbent State Senator Rickey R. Hendon has represented the district for 15 years. Challengers Jonathan Bedi and AmySue Mertens are pushing to replace him while waging a battle against each other as well.

In December, Mertens filed a complaint with the Illinois Attorney Registration and Discipline Committee (ARDC) against Bedi. Earlier, she had met with Bedi and Phil Molfese at their political consulting firm, Grainger Terry, and discussed the campaign she was considering. Mertens was new to political campaigning and disclosed her reasons for running, the resources she had, her campaign’s message, and signatures she had collected. She feels she shared confidential information that Bedi then used to advance his own candidacy, as he later filed for the 5th District Senate seat Mertens was seeking.

            Mertens claims Bedi’s campaign themes and language strongly resemble hers and feels Bedi used their meeting to profit at her expense.

            “If there was any inkling of his running for office, it was unethical of Bedi to have met with me,” she said.

            The ARDC claim is under review. Bedi’s campaign manager, Molfese, said the meeting with Mertens was preliminary and that the firm meets with hundreds of candidates each year.

            “If there’s a fit, you work with them,” Molfese said. “We determined she couldn’t win. A few weeks later, Bedi decided he wanted to run for office, to be a part of the change to bring a new vision to the district.”

Jonathan Bedi’s career has given him broad experience as a public school teacher, as counsel for a large Chicago manufacturing company, and currently as a political consultant helping local candidates get elected. He plans to use this background to contribute positively to the community, he said. Bedi has a law degree from American University and a bachelor’s in political science and marketing from Loyola University Chicago.

Bedi has a history of public service and is a member of organizations that help youth and promote equal rights, including the National Organization for Women and the Chicago Council on Global Affairs. He is a former board member of Urban Synergy and currently mentors with the Partnership to Educate and Advance Kids.

            Bedi is focused on education, healthcare, and community development. As a former teacher, he believes a good education system will bring crime rates down and improve the whole community. He envisions a shared revenue model in which the State changes educational funding to be fair and balanced in rich and poor areas.

            For healthcare, Bedi wants to increase access and availability, especially in areas that currently lack nearby medical facilities, to ensure "everyone has access to affordable healthcare, including [preventive] care." He advocates incentives to attract medical professionals to underserved communities.

            “I want to improve people’s lives and bring dependable, quality leadership to this district,” Bedi said.

Rickey R. Hendon has been in the State Senate since 1993. He currently serves as assistant majority leader and is the youngest African American male to serve in this position in the Illinois State Senate. He also is co-chair of the Senate Executive Appointments Committee, vice-chair of the Environment and the Energy Committee, and a member of the Labor and Commerce Committee and the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus.

            Last year, Hendon sponsored a resolution to express Illinois's view that the war in Iraq should be ended, which passed unanimously with bipartisan support. Hendon also has sponsored a bill to provide tax credits for movie companies if they film in Illinois and employ state residents.

            “I brought the dead film industry in Chicago back to life,” Hendon said. “Movies like Batman would have never come to Illinois without the movie tax credit, which has created 25,000 jobs each year compared with less than 5,000 jobs a year before the credit.”

            Hendon recently sponsored a casino gaming bill that would bring a land-based casino to Chicago. He feels this venture would offer an alternative to raising taxes, provide additional money for education, and supply a continual source of money for public transportation. He believes he has the skills and abilities to work with all types of people in this diverse district. If re-elected, he will focus on access to basic quality healthcare, funding and maintaining educational programs, and supporting legislation that benefits American workers rather than outsourcing jobs to other countries.

AmySue Mertens is a Chicago native who attended Lane Tech High School and has a master’s degree from the University of Illinois. She is an active member of the community, currently serving as vice-chair on the Whitney Young High School’s Local School Council and chairing its Budget/Technology Committee. Mertens sits on the Parks Advisory Committee for the West Loop Community Organization and on the Advisory Committee for the Green Street Project. She belongs to Illinois Democratic Women, City Club of Chicago, and the League of Women Voters.

            Mertens has worked in healthcare, the environment, and the arts. She most recently worked as public information officer for the Cook County Extension of the University of Illinois. In addition, she has been on the non-governmental side of politics for the last ten years, helping nonprofit and service organizations address legislative bodies (such as the Illinois General Assembly and the City Council) and the media about important issues.

            Mertens plans to focus on education reform and funding, long-term solutions for education and transportation, and a capital spending plan. She plans to represent the whole district, to advocate for its citizens, and to come back with funding that will provide positive outcomes for communities.

            Mertens will seek long-term education reform that would provide a longer school day, conflict resolution workshops, after school programs, nutritional support, and meaningful teacher development for Chicago schools.

            “Our incumbent has had 14 years to champion education, and he has disappointed us by wanting to gamble our children’s futures on casino revenues,” Mertens concluded.