Newly elected State Sen. Mike Porfirio reviews voting results with Summit Village Clerk Colleen Lambert. (Photos by Steve Metsch)
Porfirio rolls to victory in 11th Senate District
By Steve Metsch
Michael Porfirio, who has a long history of public service, added a new job title to his resume on Election Day: State Senator.
Porfirio, 40, of La Grange, rolled past Republican candidate Thomas “Mac” McGill on Nov. 8 to win in the 11th Senate District.
According to unofficial totals with 100 percent (73 of 73) precincts in the suburban portion of the district reporting, Porfirio received 15,250 votes (67 percent) to McGill’s 7,668 votes (33 percent). He was well ahead in the city portion as well with 11,140 votes to 6,134 with 63 of 70 precincts reporting.
Porfirio will replace Sen. Steve Landek, the mayor of Bridgeview, who decided earlier this year to not seek re-election.
Around 9 p.m. Tuesday, the newly-elected senator worked his way around the headquarters of the Lyons Township Democratic Organization, 7674 W. 63rd St., Summit, thanking about 50 supporters.
Porfirio declined comment after a victory lap that included smiles, hugs, handshakes and a champagne toast.
However, three elected officials spoke in glowing terms about Porfirio, who is no stranger to local politics.
He currently is a Township of Lyons trustee, formerly served as the township clerk and was on the Bedford Park Park District.
He is chairman of the Justice-Willow Springs Water Commission.
A graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis, he spent six years in active duty and continues to serve in the Navy Reserve with the rank of commander.
He worked as Bridgeview’s public works director, and was Landek’s chief of staff.
“It was a clear vote by the voters that they wanted to elect a great military man, a public servant in Mike Porfirio,” Landek said. “I think he’s going to do a great job serving the people of the district the next four years.”
Porfirio also was the village administrator in Summit for two and one-half years when former trustee Sergio Rodriguez was new to the mayor’s job.
“I have confidence in his ability to lead the district in the right direction, being out there helping the people. (He has) a common-sense approach to how he approaches things,” Rodriguez said.
Porfirio’s vote totals were closely watched by Lyons Mayor and Township of Lyons Supervisor Christopher Getty.
He and his brother Ken Getty Jr., were kept busy poring over results from various precincts.
They kept close tabs on Porfirio, Cook County Commissioner Frank Aguilar, and state Rep. candidate Abdelnasser Rashid.
“We’re very happy with the results. Everybody did well. All of our candidates carried, so It’s a good day,” Christopher Getty said.
He is confident Porfirio “will do a great job in Springfield.”
“He’s very detail oriented. He cares about his neighbors and the working people,” Getty said. “He’s not afraid to work, roll up his sleeves.”
Local News
Football roundup: Christian Flutman helps Chicago Christian advance
Christian Flutman rarely comes off the field for Chicago Christian and he wouldn’t have it any other way. The senior starts at quarterback and defensive back and also is the holder for kicks — duties that kept him plenty busy on Nov. 2 when the Knights rolled by visiting Illini West 53-16 in a Class…
Community grieves after 16-year-old Argo High student fatally shot
Students and staff at Argo Community High School are mourning the death of Jaydin Bahena, a 16-year-old junior who was killed in an act of violence over the weekend. Bahena, remembered for his vibrant personality and kind heart, was fatally shot in Summit on Nov. 1, leaving the school and community grieving his sudden loss.…
Lyle School Library Wins Prestigious Kendra Scott Award
Lyle School in Bridgeview received a transformative boost on Oct. 30, with a $2,000 gift certificate from First Book to enhance its collection of multicultural and diverse books, and an additional $1,000 for literacy enrichment from the Kendra Scott Foundation. The initiative, part of the Little Yellow Library program, aims to support Title 1 schools…
IHSA football playoff scoreboard
With records and seedings in parentheses Note: Classes 8A and 7A are seeded 1-32. All other classes are seeded as two 1-16 brackets. First round Class 8A Glenbard East 49, Curie 0 Stevenson 31, Sandburg 14 Marist 42, Glenbrook South 14 Lyons 38, Joliet West 0 Class 7A Fenwick 12, Brother Rice 7 Quincy 49,…
Area sports roundup: Red Stars fall to eighth seed, will face Orlando
The Chicago Red Stars are heading into the NWSL playoffs with a three-game losing streak and will face the regular season’s best team. The eighth-seeded Red Stars visit top-seeded Orlando at 7 p.m. Friday in the quarterfinals. The Red Stars had a 1-1 draw at Orland on March 29 and lost 1-0 in Bridgeview on…
Bridgeview jewelry heist suspects still at large, FBI offers $15,000 reward
Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul and the FBI are seeking the public’s help in apprehending masked men involved in four jewelry store robberies across three states, including two incidents in Bridgeview. Last week, the FBI released surveillance footage from the robberies in Bridgeview and Dearborn, Michigan. A reward of up to $15,000 is being offered…
Postseason roundup: McAuley wins 44th straight volleyball regional
The streak is up to 44. Mother McAuley won another regional championship in girls volleyball on Oct. 31 and that brings its total up to 44 straight regional or district championships after a 25-12, 25-14 victory over Stagg to win the Class 4A Stagg Regional in Palos Hills. Excluding the 2020 COVID-19 season, the Mighty…
Jack Elliott, Mount Carmel cruise in Class 7A opener
Before a Class 7A opener in Machesney Park on Nov. 1, Mount Carmel and Harlem had never played each other. The Huskies are likely fine with not seeing the Caravan again anytime soon, as the Caravan rolled to a 56-14 victory. Playing only in the first half, Mount Carmel quarterback Jack Elliott completed 11 of…
Two-way star Myles Mitchell helps Richards advance
With Richards trailing late against visiting Dunlap in a Class 6A opener on Nov. 1, Bulldogs coach Tony Sheehan knew what time it was. Myles Mitchell time. “I’m not going to lie,” Sheehan said. “I went up to him in the fourth quarter and told him that we were going to put it all on…
Shepard’s bounceback season ends in Class 6A opener
A rough start led to a season-ending loss for Shepard on Nov. 1. In the first three minutes of a Class 6A playoff opener against downstate Washington, the Astros fell behind 14-0 en route to a 52-21 road loss. Shepard went three-and-out on its first possession. Washington blocked the ensuing punt and scored on a…
Neighbors
Jury deadlocks, mistrial declared in case of ex-AT&T boss accused of bribing Madigan
By HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois hmeisel@capitolnewsillinois.com CHICAGO – A federal judge on Thursday declared a mistrial after a jury deadlocked in their deliberations over whether former AT&T Illinois President Paul La Schiazza bribed longtime Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan via a no-work contract for the speaker’s political ally. After nearly 15 hours of deliberation…
High court: Smell of burnt cannabis is not cause for warrantless vehicle search
By HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois hmeisel@capitolnewsillinois.com Law enforcement officers in Illinois cannot rely on the smell of burnt cannabis alone to justify searching a vehicle without a warrant, the Illinois Supreme Court ruled on Thursday. The decision was unanimous, though Justice Lisa Holder White did not take part in it. Writing for the court,…
State wraps up case in challenge to assault weapons ban
By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois phancock@capitolnewsillinois.com EAST ST. LOUIS – A federal judge invoked images from the 1917 race riots in East St. Louis, Illinois, on Thursday at the end of a trial in a case challenging the constitutionality of the state’s ban on assault-style weapons and large-capacity magazines. Judge Steven McGlynn, who has…
Gun expert says assault weapons ban ‘describes the most popular firearms I’m involved with’
By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois phancock@capitolnewsillinois.com EAST ST. LOUIS – A firearms expert testified Wednesday that the weapons restricted under Illinois’ assault weapons ban include many of the most common firearms that American consumers use for self-defense. Steven Randall Watt, a combat veteran and retired law enforcement officer who now owns a private firearms…
Case of former AT&T boss accused of bribing Madigan heads to jury
By HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois hmeisel@capitolnewsillinois.com CHICAGO – On Valentine’s Day in 2017, then-AT&T Illinois President Paul La Schiazza got some good news: After years of trying to push for legislation in Springfield that would save the company hundreds of millions of dollars annually, powerful Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan had agreed to a…
State Supreme Court hears arguments in Jussie Smollett’s effort to overturn conviction
By JERRY NOWICKI Capitol News Illinois jnowicki@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois Supreme Court heard arguments Tuesday in actor Jussie Smollett’s appeal to overturn his conviction on disorderly conduct charges for falsifying a hate crime. Smollett, who was an actor on the TV show “Empire,” was improperly charged with the same crime twice, his legal team…
Testimony continues in 2nd Amendment challenge to Illinois’ assault weapons ban
By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois phancock@capitolnewsillinois.com EAST ST. LOUIS – An engineer who spent decades designing weapons for one of the world’s leading gun manufacturers testified Tuesday that the assault-style weapons now banned in Illinois are intended only for civilian use and cannot be easily converted into military-grade firearms. James Ronkainen, a former engineer…
Contractor’s unsecured databases exposed sensitive voter data in over a dozen Illinois counties
By ANDREW ADAMS Capitol News Illinois aadams@capitolnewsillinois.com Around 4.6 million records associated with Illinoisans in over a dozen counties – including voting records, registrations and death certificates – were temporarily available on the open internet, according to a security researcher who identified the vulnerability in July. The documents were available through an unsecured cloud storage…
Prosecutors rest case against former AT&T Illinois boss accused of bribing Madigan
By HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois hmeisel@capitolnewsillinois.com CHICAGO – After years of pushing in Springfield, AT&T Illinois’ executive team was thrilled when the Illinois General Assembly in 2017 passed legislation that would get the company out from under expensive obligations to maintain its aging copper landline wires in Illinois. “Game over. We win,” AT&T Illinois…
Trial begins in challenge to assault weapons ban
By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois phancock@capitolnewsillinois.com EAST ST. LOUIS – The owner of a gun store testified Monday that Illinois’ ban on the sale of assault-style weapons and large capacity magazines has had a significant impact on his business and prevented his customers from buying items they would normally use for self-defense, hunting, target…