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* The decades-old intraparty Maywood/Proviso Township war is apparently flaring up again, or it never went away. It’s been quite awhile since I looked at it. Here’s Bob Skolnik…
Two lawyers with local ties are vying to become a judge. But to get to the bench they will have to defeat the wife of the Speaker of the Illinois House of Representatives.
ShawnTe Raines-Welch, who is married to House Speaker Chris Welch (D-Hillside), will face three opponents in the June 28 Democratic primary race to fill the Rogers vacancy in the 4th Judicial Subcircuit which covers western Cook County from just south of O’Hare Airport to Palos Township, including Riverside resident Chloe Pedersen, former Brookfield resident Jerry Barrido and Patrick Campanelli, an attorney with a solo practice.
Pedersen and Raines-Welch both have strong political connections. Pedersen is the niece of Cook County Clerk Karen Yarbrough. Some might see the race as sort of a rematch of a 2006 primary when Chris Welch, then the president of the Proviso Township High School District 209 Board of Education, challenged then state Rep. Yarbrough in the Democratic primary. Yarbrough handily won that matchup with nearly 73 percent of the vote.
Yarbrough ran against Rep. Eugene Moore in the 1998 Democratic primary and lost. During that same primary, Rep. Moore won a race for Proviso Township Democratic committeeperson. The following January, Moore was appointed to the Cook County Recorder of Deeds position vacated after Jesse White won the secretary of state’s race. Moore’s ally Wanda Sharp was appointed to his House seat. Yarbrough took out Rep. Sharp in the 2000 primary, then took out Committeeman Moore in 2006, then took out Recorder Moore in 2012. Speaker Welch was on Team Gene. There’s so much more to this and I covered it extensively back in the day, but you get the gist.
* And here is some interesting bravado from another candidate in the judicial primary…
Barrido, a veteran public defender who tries cases at the Maybrook Courthouse, said he deliberately filed to run against Raines-Welch because he said he wanted to give voters an opportunity to pick someone who is independent of the Democratic Party machine.
“I picked this race to go against the speaker’s wife,” Barrido said. “I deliberately wanted to give the people a choice as to whether or not they wanted to go with the status quo Democratic politics or to have someone who is a fighter in the courtroom, who has a reputation as a zealous advocate and a hard worker period.”
posted by Rich Miller
Thursday, Mar 17, 22 @ 10:10 am
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interesting PD dynamic. Campanelli’s wife was the PD. Barrido is a very nice guy.
Comment by Amalia Thursday, Mar 17, 22 @ 10:41 am
Welch is proof that just showing up is the key to life. Luckiest man politically I’ve ever seen. Wins by maybe 12 votes if that against Hoskins in 2012 primary after getting destroyed by Karen a few years earlier. How the feds never investigated all the shady stuff that went on that 2012 primary is beyond me, don’t take my word for it search around on the internet it’s all in black and white.
Became an “incumbent” post 2012 and Madigan’s crew “only supports incumbents” and was never challenged after that. Then in a wild turn of events gets handed the speakers chair due to the incredibly low seniority in the house and as a compromise to the black caucus.
Now he wants to gift his wife a judgeship, despite proving she’s a terrible candidate after her disaster run in 2015 for D. 209. You can’t make this stuff up. I hope the old guard (Yarbrough and company) prevent this from happening.
Comment by 2nd ward Thursday, Mar 17, 22 @ 10:52 am
2nd Ward you clearly have not been paying attention to Proviso politics or Speaker Welch’s career. Karen Yarbrough and her niece have all kind of ethics issues that the Welch campaign will certainly expose. A simple google search will tell you all you need to know. Yarbrough, her niece and their issues with Shakman will be exposed by campaign that clearly has the resources to do it. I have to imagine that will make integrity a top issue in this race.
Also, Speaker Welch and his friends have dethroned Yarbrough in Maywood twice now, most recently tossing her husband out as Mayor of Maywood. Speaker Welch clearly has done something to garner the support of his caucus to become Speaker. Yarbrough would have never even garnered consideration for that post. To not acknowledge that there is a big difference between being the Speaker of the Illinois House and a local school board member shows 2nd Ward’s ignorance or bias or both. My bet is Yarbrough, her niece and this arrogant guy Barrido are about to eat a bit of humble pie.
Comment by Another Perspective Thursday, Mar 17, 22 @ 11:05 am
It’s hard to think there won’t be anti-Madigan rhetoric in Dem Primaries for this election cycle and very likely the next one as well. Anyone who played a role in advancing the operation will be at risk of having their relationship with the former Speaker used against them as a campaign issue.
I’m sure folks will argue that those kinds of arguments won’t impact a race. That seems a bit Ostrich-like right at the moment, however.
It certainly will be interesting to see how House Dems (and former House Dems serving in other elected capacities) deal with it.
Is there an effort underway to reinvent themselves and revise their political resumes?
Comment by Missy Thursday, Mar 17, 22 @ 11:24 am
2nd Ward and Another Perspective sound like children planning to meet at the bicycle racks after school.
2nd Ward is correct that Welch has been lucky in politics. Timing is everything and he’s benefited from some well timed coups.
Another Perspective is completely wrong about Shakman and the impact it has on any race. The Shakman Plaintiffs have bilked the state, county, and Chicago taxpayers for nearly two generations in the name “transparency.” The fact that tens of millions of tax dollars are going solely into the pockets of lawyers over petty human resource arguments is one of the most under reported issues of the past 4 decades. Shakman has made a living off of the taxpayers and Yarbrough was the first one to take him on for it.
You’re both wrong to blast two incredibly competent well respected Black female lawyers. Raines-Welch and Pederson are both exceptional lawyers and either would be a great judge.
Comment by opinions opinions Thursday, Mar 17, 22 @ 11:27 am
I’m not sure I completely agree with opinions opinions. It will be hard to argue a candidate should be elected a judge based on integrity when you blatantly ignore a county’s nepotism policy. However, I do agree that both of the women in this race are well qualified and so are the two white men. I suspect the better funded more well organized candidate will win this race.
Comment by Take a closer look Thursday, Mar 17, 22 @ 12:53 pm
Jerry isn’t white.
Comment by Miso Thursday, Mar 17, 22 @ 12:54 pm
“so are the two white men.”
Jerry isn’t white.
Comment by Miso Thursday, Mar 17, 22 @ 12:55 pm
Jerry Barrido is very active in lots of groups, including with Southeast Asian American issues. He also worked on victim witness issues professionally.
Comment by Amalia Thursday, Mar 17, 22 @ 1:00 pm
Relic. She should read the tea leaves, and well, leave.
Comment by Yarbrough Thursday, Mar 17, 22 @ 1:37 pm
Chloe Pederson is a talented attorney that has worked in private practice for a number of years now. I know her personally and I think she has the legal knowledge and temperament to make a fine judge.
Comment by Hannibal Lecter Thursday, Mar 17, 22 @ 1:37 pm
Question: Is 209 Supt. James Henderson related to Karen Yarbrough? If so, the headlock the family holds on Maywood/Proviso remains intact.
Comment by Loop Lady Friday, Mar 18, 22 @ 7:35 am