18 Comments - The Opinions Bureau - Friday, Dec 10, 21 @ 1:34 pm: Senate: Ashley Stead is smart, diligent, and kind. All of those traits were essential to the successful passage of the omnibus affordable housing bill this year. She learned the details of the various components, understood the priorities of the sponsors and stakeholders, and kept the process moving towards it successful conclusion. Too often, bills that pass overwhelmingly have all the impactful provisions stripped out in favor of window dressing. Not so with HB2621. Thousands of Illinoisans are going to have stable housing for years to come thanks to Ashley’s work. House: Gotta be James Hartmann. If it’s important, he’s probably in the middle of it. There aren’t many smarter or more effective lawyers in the building. - Anonymous - Friday, Dec 10, 21 @ 1:59 pm: House: Erik Lowder. Erik understands the legislative process better than most people I have ever met under the dome. He is someone who staff and members trust and an added bonus he is quite funny! Super hard worker, super nice guy! Senate: Dillon Santoni. Smart, reliable, and trustworthy. He always has his finger on the politics. - Ok - Friday, Dec 10, 21 @ 2:38 pm: I think there is absolutely no question that the bleepin golden horseshoe should go to Mary Hanahan on Sneate Dem staff. It feels like two years have gone by since the major energy bill negotiations in the Speing and Summer, but Mary had to coordinate hundreds of pages of revisions and suggested language being sent in from all corners of the state, all while playing guardian for the often-nonsensical whims of the Butcher and the Don. It could have gotten quite lost in what seemed like typical pontificating pablum of politicians, as they did the rounds to thank staff for their hard work in putting together this bill or that, but I sincerely believe the praise for Mary from the Senators on passage of the climate bill was genuine and real, and reflective of the 20 hour days she put in to keep the ship moving. On the House side, it’s gotta be Tiffany. - A. Lincoln's gloves - Friday, Dec 10, 21 @ 3:12 pm: There are so many hard working staffers on both sides, but here are two that I think deserve some recognition. Senate: Erica Tremble: She recently left for the Treasurer’s Office but she accomplished a lot while she was with the Senate and always did it with an excellent attitude. She juggled a lot in important fields that hardly ever get shootouts or praise. Mary and Ashley had great years as well but I think Erica deserves it. Actually now that I think about, maybe Giovanni never deserved any of these Golden Horseshoes because his staff always made him look good. J/K G House: i think that we should honor another staffer who has moved on but who had a great career with the House and through tough times, that would be Jessica Basham. She worked her way to the top and did amazing things during her time with the GA. - Incandenza - Friday, Dec 10, 21 @ 3:16 pm: House, Erik Lowder. Erik has worked consistently on the Capital bill projects and has a great understanding of the legislative process. He’s a great mentor to other staffers and always friendly and professional. - Impressed - Friday, Dec 10, 21 @ 3:22 pm: I second the nomination of Mary Hanahan on the Senate Dem staff for her tireless work on Illinois’ new climate law. There were many cooks in and out of the kitchen at various points, tensions were high, and drafting timelines ridiculously short for multiple iterations of the nearly 1,000 page bill. And with all that, she always seemed pleasant, accessible, and responsive. Thanks Mary and congratulations on a product Illinois should be proud of for years to come. - SPI - Friday, Dec 10, 21 @ 3:30 pm: House: James Hartmann had a hand in a ton of major bills this year: criminal justice, gaming, elections you name it. A lot of things this year wouldn’t have happened with out him. Senate: Mary Hanahan, the energy bill… enough said. - Space Ace - Friday, Dec 10, 21 @ 3:31 pm: Senate - Giovanni Randazzo. Nobody can outwork that guy. He’s the first one in the office and the last one to leave. He has a great staff which is a testament to his ability to hire and mentor young lawyers. And he’s a political animal who can tell you who won or lost some obscure race decades ago. House - Erik Lowder. He really busts his chops and members trust his judgment. - Twill - Friday, Dec 10, 21 @ 3:42 pm: House - Without a doubt Erik Lowder. Erik is extremely intelligent, not only does he cares about the work but he manages to be an excellent mentor to colleagues and new staff. He really is an excellent staffer. - Anonymous - Friday, Dec 10, 21 @ 3:45 pm: House Democrats: Ally Lopshire hands down deserves the Golden Horseshoe. She has been the lead negotiator for every piece of insurance legislation. She successfully led negotiations on prior authorization, predictable prescription drug costs, telemedicine, etc. There was a trove of health care legislation that passed this spring and she was at the center of all of those bills to ensure Illinoisans have access to care. She brings together members, patient groups, physicians, insurance, department, and more flawlessly. I have never worked with a more diligent and organized staffer on some of the most complicated and regulated issues. Plus she is just a delightful person to share a laugh with when navigating the fun of healthcare. For the Senate- the people I would have nominated have all left. - in my opinion - Friday, Dec 10, 21 @ 3:53 pm: Tough call in the Senate. Both Ashley Stead and Mary Hanahan are absolute stand outs and have both earned the recognition. They are both hard working,and brilliant attorneys. This year the edge goes to Mary Hanahan for her work on CEJA. She became an expert and navigated a really complex political football of a bill. Maybe you could give two this year Rich In the house I second the “it’s gotta be” Tiffany - ChiCityMyCity - Friday, Dec 10, 21 @ 4:07 pm: Senate Dem Staff: Erica: we cannot forget how she was the one who got the Black Caucus’ Crim Reform Bill across the finish line at 3am(4am?) back during the wild lame duck season. Ashley: championed the affordable housing omnibus, brought together stakeholders and has made housing more accessible and less red tape for millions of residents in this State. Mary: CEJA…Mary had to fight off piranhas while keeping the spirit and purpose of the bill intact, as well as her own sanity. I’d like to conclude with pointing out that all three of these fascinating attorneys had their shining moments in 3 separate yet major policy reforms…while also managing the thousands upon thousands of other bills that required their attention. They deserve all the praise and a raise!! - NotMe - Friday, Dec 10, 21 @ 4:50 pm: House: James Hartman. No question. If he doesn’t know the answer, he knows who does and how to get it. Unflappable. Funny. Gracious. Thorough. What more could you ask for? Senate goes to Miles Sodowski. He’s never too busy to answer a question, and always goes above and beyond to help. - PeachTowels - Friday, Dec 10, 21 @ 6:21 pm: I’m going to go a slightly different route here and nominate Mike Hoffmann. He keeps the trains running on track in the Senate, which is no small feat. He manages the Legislative Assistants and is usually the go-to when there is a question that needs answering. Not to mention, it’s hard to find a nicer guy. - Northbound - Friday, Dec 10, 21 @ 6:29 pm: House - Erik Lowder. He’s become the go-to senior analyst on the House side, and understands the process better than just about anybody in the building. Add to that, he’s trained just about every younger Speaker’s staffer worth their salt. Plus, you couldn’t find a nicer guy. - Anonymous - Friday, Dec 10, 21 @ 6:53 pm: House Dems: Erik Lowder all the way. He is great at his job, has a wealth of irreplaceable knowledge, and is a great mentor. When things are tough, he knows what to do. - JJ - Friday, Dec 10, 21 @ 7:20 pm: Gotta go with the two who I miss so much: Giovanni Randazzo and Justin Cox. They both do awesome jobs plus choose great lawyers to work for them. Gio and Justin are the gold standard. That said. Ashley Stead, Mary Hanrahan & Erika Tremble are top notch for Senate Dems. - DMC - Monday, Dec 13, 21 @ 11:18 am: House staff definitely Erik Lowder. Lowder is a great guy who is a huge but humble asset to the House Dem Caucus. He is consistently a major force of knowledge behind the scenes and someone the caucus relies on. Sorry, comments for this post are now closed.