The CloutCast

Rep. Mary Beth Canty, a Democrat from Arlington Heights, was elected to the Illinois House in November 2022 after previous years of public service on the Arlington Heights Village Board and Regional Transportation Authority board. In her first few months as a state lawmaker, Canty has pushed major pieces of legislation that would require all Illinois school districts to offer all-day kindergarten and would require all job postings to have salary ranges and information about benefits.

Ald. Matt Martin (47) introduced a City Council resolution in January calling for a hearing to discuss the possibility of using ranked choice voting in future Chicago elections. Advocates argue the system, in which voters rank candidates by preference in races with three or more people, not only produces elected officials more representative of voters but also can save cities money from not having to run costly runoff elections.

Greg Harris retired from the General Assembly as House Majority Leader following over a decade representing the North Side of Chicago. Harris is the first person to serve who openly lives with HIV and is one of the first openly gay lawmakers in Illinois history. During his tenure in the House, Harris oversaw budget negotiations for House Democrats and led key pieces of legislation on health care reform.  

After eight years in the Illinois House and four as House Republican floor leader, Rep. Mark Batinick (R-Plainfield) decided not to run for another term in 2022. The Daily Line’s Ben Szalinski sat down with Batinick to talk about his career in the House, why he decided to elected office, and his observations about the House Republican caucus and the workings of the Illinois House of Representatives.

Larry Suffredin was elected to the Cook County Board of Commissioners in 2002 as an insurgent looking to shake up the county's old ways to make the government more efficient and service-focused. Now, 20 years later, at the age of 74, Suffredin is staring down retirement and reflecting on the changes he and his allies were able to force in the county’s government and political structure. Suffredin spoke to The Daily Line’s Alex Nitkin about his battles with John Stroger, why the Cook County Forest Preserve needs a taxpayer infusion and what county offices can do to head off crippling staff shortages.

Ald. Nicole Lee (11) made history this year when she was sworn in as the first Chinese American member of Chicago’s City Council and the first woman to represent the 11th Ward. The Daily Line’s Erin Hegarty sat down with Lee to hear lessons from her first months in office, how her legislative priorities are taking shape, why she supports a Near South high school and whether she’ll run for election in 2023.

Seven people were killed and more than 40 were injured when a gunman opened fire during Highland Park’s Independence Day parade. Since the shooting, law enforcement officials have revealed details about the gunman’s background including previous encounters with police. Despite making a threat to kill his family, the shooter legally bought a firearm owner identification and purchased multiple weapons, sparking new conversations about ways lawmakers can boost the state’s gun owner requirements.

Gun Violence Prevention PAC CEO Kathleen Sances talked with The Daily Line’s Ben Szalinski about the next frontier of gun control measures her group is pursuing at the state level, including expanding fingerprinting requirements, curtailing the sale of assault weapons and limiting magazine sizes. She said the biggest factor in the state’s rampant gun violence is that there are too many guns on the streets. 

For decades, the only way to know how to vote in Cook County judicial elections was to go on a research dive or trust the local Democratic Party’s picks. But thanks to Injustice Watch and its new judge’s guide, voters have a third option. Injustice Watch editor Jonah Newman joined The Daily Line’s Alex Nitkin to walk through the ins and outs of the judge’s guide, how Cook County judicial races have changed over the decades and what it means to be an informed judicial voter.

Chicago Animal Care and Control is tasked with taking care of and controlling animals found throughout the city including kittens, dogs, coyotes and even the occasional peacock. The department relies not only on city employees but also on volunteers who help care for animals and get them adopted out. The Daily Line’s Erin Hegarty talked with Executive Director Mamadou Diakhate about the regular and not-so-regular animals the department sees, how it’s ramping up its marketing strategy and how it’s targeting resources in the two Chicago neighborhoods that register the most calls into the department.

Chelsea Laliberte Barnes has been advocating for substance abuse treatment and opioid overdose prevention measures since her brother died of an overdose more than a decade ago. It let her to create Live 4 Lali, a non-profit that has given her a platform to advocate for state and federal legislation to push back on the opioid epidemic. Now, Barnes has decided to mount a run for state representatives in the new 51st House District against Democratic opponent Nabeela Syed of Inverness. The winner will take on Rep. Chris Bos (R-Lake Zurich) in the November election. Barnes talked to The Daily Line’s Ben Szalinski about her experience at Live 4 Lali and laid out her stance on a variety of issues in the campaign including public safety, Illinois’ budget, ethics reform and the state’s business climate.