2 GOP candidates out of the running in November

By Bob Bong

Two of the late Republican candidates who filed to fill vacancies on the November 8 ballot are no longer in the running as the fall campaign season gets ready to start up after Labor Day.

At the end of July, Cook County Republicans, led by Palos Park’s Sean Morrison, filed a host of petitions to put GOP candidates into races where nobody ran in the June primary.

Rob Cruz

One of those candidates was Todd Thielmann, of Palos Heights. He had been chief of staff for his cousin, Tammy Wendt, at the Board of Tax Review. He filed to run as a Republican in the race against Fritz Kaegi for Cook County Assessor.

He was removed from the ballot because he voted in the Democratic primary on June 28, presumably for his cousin running for re-election. That’s against the rules. You can’t run as a Republican if you voted Democratic in the last election and vice versa for someone who voted Republican wanting to run as a Democrat.

Another local candidate, Robert Cruz, of Oak Lawn, had filed to run as a Republican against Chicago Ald. George Cardenas in the Board of Tax Review 1^st District. Cardenas defeated Wendt in the June Democratic primary.

Cruz withdrew his candidacy, leaving Cardenas unopposed in the November general election.

Cruz was ousted from the Oak Lawn School District 229 board earlier this year and he had been on the June ballot as a candidate for the 6^th Congressional District, which was won by Orland Park Mayor Keith Pekau.

It was an impressive effort. In all, the Cook County Republican Party and Chicago Republican Party slated more than 30 candidates including 11 women and 16 minority candidates for three Board of Review seats, nine Cook County Commissioner seats, seven Illinois Senate seats and 17 Illinois House seats.

The party recruited candidates and collected over 8,000 signatures in just a 16-day period.

“We are very proud of the efforts of our candidates and volunteers who stepped up to collect over 8,000 signatures in just 14 days to place the largest number of Republican candidates running in Cook County in more than a generation. Cook County voters are demanding a choice at the ballot box. They will now have a clear choice in November,” Cook County GOP Chairman Morrison said in a release.

“We believe the citizens of Cook County should be given a choice and let them decide,” he added.

Locals still on the November ballot include Anna Biedrzycki, of Palos Hills. She filed to take on incumbent Cook County Commissioner Donna Miller in the 6^th District.

Peter Costa, of Palos Park, and James Staszcuk, of Orland Park, are both still running for South Palos Township Sanitary District trustee.

Orland Park’s Beth O’Neil is also still in the running against state Rep. Justin Slaughter in the 27^th House District.

Morrison, who is running for re-election to the Cook County Board in November against Orland Park attorney Daniel Calandriello, will kick off his campaign at 5:30 p.m. this evening at Papa Joe’s Italian Restaurant in Orland Park at what he’s calling his Annual Fall Celebration. It’s actually a fundraiser for his campaign for the 17^th District with tickets going for $50 per person.