20-Year-Old Candidate Youngest Running In South Suburban Election

MIDLOTHIAN, IL — A young Midlothian man is looking to lead his generation into local politics. Jacob Conway, almost 21, is the youngest candidate to be running for local office in the Chicago area, and certainly the youngest candidate running for the Midlothian Village Board.

“With all the volunteer work I’ve done, a lot of people pushed me to get involved,” Conway said, who turns 21 on March 30. “They said I was a leader and asset to the community, so I looked up the age to run. You need to be 18 years old to run in Midlothian.”

Conway first came to our attention when his dad, John, a former Crestwood firefighter, performed life-saving CPR on an older woman who had collapsed during a softball game. His dad now serves as the public works director for Dolton.

The 2018 Breman Township High School graduate works for the Midlothian Park District in maintenance. He’s thinking about college at Moraine Valley or South Suburban. Conway has always volunteered in the community and during high school.

“I live and work in town,” Conway said. “I got a good paying job, benefits, a pension. “A lot of people my age don’t have that.”

He’s been working in the new park district building that was opened last year. The fitness center been open but to limited capacity. He’s done a lot of cleaning and sanitizing.

“We’ll soon be able to have classes and parties but obviously with many restrictions,” Conway said.

His favorite memories growing up were playing baseball for the Midlothian Baseball League. He’d like to expand youth sports in Midlothian.

“The youth sports that we had in the summers would be intense. They’d have parades for us, now the fields are empty. COVID didn’t help the league, and when the president stepped away nobody took it over.”

He also remembers going to village and community events, where the chamber, village and schools would all be on the same page.

“Now it seems like we’re all competing with each other,” Conway said.

If elected, Conway said he will work together with other village board members to address Midlothian’s flooding problem. He’ll also turn his attention to Midlothian’s vacant lots and storefronts.

“I see businesses leaving,” he said. “Definitely I want to focus on being business and resident friendly, and be a place where families want to move to. If we have a board that puts their feet on the ground and tells them what Midlothian is about, I’m fully capable of doing that.”

He thinks the current board has done a great job supporting racial equity. He also supports all the activist groups and peaceful protesting, but isn’t a fan of the rioting and looting.

“I do believe in protesting as one of your rights, as long as it’s done respectfully,” Conway said. “Midlothian is a diverse town in my eyes and my neighbors'. I commend the board for encouraging diversity throughout the village.”

As for coronavirus — Conway follows the science by wearing a face mask and is pro-vaccination. He encourages others to do the same.

“The only departure I know is that a lot of local business owners feel betrayed by local and state government with the mandates,” he said. “We need to make sure we’re there for these businesses and restaurants to help them bounce back. When the time is right we should be packing our restaurants.”

He’s received a lot of positive feedback on the campaign trail — “they call me ambitious, you don’t see a lot of candidates door knocking.”

Three seats are up for grabs on the Midlothian Village Board. Conway faces a field of five other candidates running for village trustee. The top three vote-getters will win. Early voting starts March 22.

Meanwhile, Conway says voters can trust him and doesn’t want his young age to discourage them.

“I’m young, I’m transparent, I’m reachable,” he said. “I’m not a politician. I’m a resident with a voice.”

Learn more about the candidate at Jacob Conway for Village Trustee Facebook page.