Niles Township Democrats To Endorse Kalish's Primary Challenger

SKOKIE, IL — The Niles Township Democratic Organization will not endorse incumbent 16th District state Rep. Yehiel "Mark" Kalish in next year's Democratic Party primary. Instead, Committeeman Lou Lang, the district's longtime state representative who appointed Kalish as his successor, chose to endorse Denyse Wang Stoneback, founder of the local gun safety organization People for a Safer Society.

The decision follow's Kalish's controversial decision to become one of four Democratic state representatives to vote "present" on the Reproductive Health Act, which passed the House 64-50 in May.

A month later, he made his first public statements about his vote, apologizing to constituents for "not being in touch with my true position on this bill earlier in the process."

Lang said Kalish first informed him that he would not support the RHA while the bill was being debated on the House floor shortly before the vote was taken after he had earlier signaled he would vote in its favor.

"He had made certain commitments to me when he was appointed and his voice on that bill was not in sync with what he promised me he would do," Lang told Patch.

Kalish is the co-founder and CEO of the lobbying firm S4 Group. He is a Philadelphia native, a resident of Chicago's West Ridge neighborhood and a former vice president of Agudath Israel of America. He is also cantor at Congregation Shaarei Tzedek Mishkan Yair and the first ordained rabbi to be seated in the Illinois General Assembly.

"As the legislation was developed, it became clear to me that my Orthodox Jewish values and beliefs were not aligned with some core components of the legislation. I had to make a personal decision based on my conscience," Kalish said at a June 24 forum hosted by the group Lincolnwood Together. Several attendees said they felt betrayed by his "present" vote after his staff had assured them he supported the bill.

Lang resigned from the Illinois House in January, two days before he was due to be sworn in for a 17th term representing the 16th District, which includes all of Chicago's 50th Ward, some of its 40th Ward and parts of Lincolnwood, Morton Grove and Skokie. At the time, the former deputy majority leader said he had been offered a position as a partner in a lobbying firm after last November's election and decided the time was right to transition into the private sector.

Following presentations from about 20 candidates, Lang and the 50th Ward's Democratic committeeman, former state Sen. Ira Silverstein, decided to pick Kalish as Lang's replacement.

"He promised to have a voting record that mirrors the district and would mirror my past record," Lang explained. "The members of my organization relied upon that, and they were none too happy when he cast that ['present'] vote."

The appointed freshman representative was not among the 14 candidates who sought the endorsement of the township organization for the March 17, 2020, Democratic Party primary, according to Lang, who appointed a group of six local Democrats to narrow the field before selecting Stoneback from among three finalists.

Kalish has not responded to questions about why he did not seek the group's endorsement or whether he planned to seek an endorsement from any Democratic ward organizations in Chicago.

A review of contributions to Kalish's political action committee, Friends For Kalish, shows it brought in nearly $200,000 in donations in the seven months since his appointment. The vast majority of it came from nursing home companies, one of which gave him $22,000 across several dozen of its subsidiaries.

"I understand he's entitled to vote any way he wants. I understand that he's got his own set of principles and conscience," Lang said. "I respect him for that, but when he was chosen, my organization was told that I chose somebody that would vote just like me on this issue — and he did not."

Stoneback is holding an official announcement of her candidacy and Lang's endorsement at 11:45 a.m. Monday at the Emily Oaks Nature Center, 4650 Brummel St. in Skokie.

Earlier:

• State Rep Addresses His 'Present' Vote On Illinois Abortion Law
• Pritzker Signs Abortion Bill, Calls It 'A Giant Step Forward'
• Rabbi, CEO Of Lobbying Firm Appointed To Replace Lou Lang
• Longtime Rep. Lou Lang Resigns To Become Partner In Lobbying Firm