Applications Open For Vacant 15th District State House Seat

CHICAGO — Democratic Party committeepeople representing portions of the 15th District in the Illinois House have scheduled a meeting to appoint a new state representative next week.

Under state law, party officials have 30 days to pick replacements for legislators who vacated their seats.

This vacancy was created Nov. 5 when former State Rep. John D'Amico (D-Chicago) submitted his immediate resignation after nearly 17 years representing the district, which extends from the Northwest Side of Chicago, through parts of Niles Township and parts of Glenview.

In this case, the district includes parts of six Chicago wards and two suburban townships, so eight people can participate in the vote to determine D'Amico's successor.

But because the vote is weighted by the number of voters in a recent election, more than 88 percent of the vote is divided between State Sen. Ram Villivalam (D-Chicago), the 39th Ward committeeperson, State Sen. Laura Murphy (D-Des Plaines), the Maine Township committeeperson, and former State Rep. Lou Lang, the Niles Township committeeperson.

In a statement after D'Amico's resignation, representatives of the 39th Ward Democratic Organization promised an open and transparent process to fill the vacancy.

"Representative D'Amico has had a successful career in advocating for workers' rights, transportation safety, and in support of our veterans," it said. "We thank him again for his service and know that he will continue to serve our communities in other ways."

Those interested in applying to fill the vacancy were asked to send a cover letter and resume to IL15representativeopening@gmail.com by 10 p.m. Friday.

A coalition of progressive organizations on the Northwest Side is organizing a candidate forum to be held over via video-teleconferencing software from 1 to 2:30 p.m. Saturday.

"True to form, our State Representative in the 15th House District, John D’Amico, tried his best to cheat the system by retiring early so he can appoint his own successor," organizers said. "The political machine would love nothing more than to hand-pick a representative for this seat, but in a democracy, that power should belong to the people."

Aspiring candidates who want to take part in the forum have until Friday to fill out a questionnaire.

As of Tuesday morning, at least three candidates — Michael Rabbitt, Michael Kelly and Christina Brophy — had already applied, Politico Illinois reported.

Rabbitt had declared his intention to mount a primary challenge to D'Amico before the 10-term state representative, longtime city worker and current plumber's union political director stepped down this month.

Earlier: State Rep. John D'Amico Resigns Seat, Hints At Future Campaign