When State Sen. Carol Ronen, D-7th Dist., steps down from the Illinois General Assembly early next year, the transition will mark the end of an era. For a decade and a half, Ronen took part in the passages of numerous measures that benefit the healthcare and LGBT communities, including the landmark gay-rights bill that Gov. Rod Blagojevich signed into law in 2005. She recently talked with Windy City Times about her life—including her entry into politics and her next career move.
Windy City Times: You [ said in an earlier conversation with the newspaper ] that your goal was not to be in political office. What was your goal?
Carol Ronen: I don't know that I had a specific goal; I just never thought I'd run for political office. [ Running for office ] wasn't something that I thought was a possibility, so I was always interested in working on issues and [ doing ] public service. I majored in political science because I was interested in international relations, the Constitution and the whole political process. When I graduated, I wanted to do some kind of social work.
My first job was as an employment counselor on the West Side of Chicago. [ Eventually, ] I realized that one-on-one social work wasn't for me, so I went into the administrative end of it. I worked for the City of Chicago in their social service agency.
Then I [ became ] director of planning and research for the Criminal Justice Commission, and came back and worked for different agencies. When Harold Washington was elected mayor, that's when I really became more involved with legislative issues. I headed the city's human services department of the Office of Legislative Affairs; I worked on the city's legislative agenda in Springfield. I loved that job; it was great working with all the different advocacy groups.
WCT: So what propelled you to run for the State House?
CR: When Rich Daley became mayor, I moved over to head up the women's commission, [ which ] I did for a year. While at the commission, I met David Wilhelm, who had run Mayor Daley's 1989 campaign. When the '91 campaign was about to start ( back then, the mayor's term was two years ) , Dave asked if I'd like to become deputy campaign manager— [ and that ] booted me into the political arena. It was the first time I had worked professionally on a campaign. After that campaign, I tried to figure out what I wanted to do next, and that's when David Wilhelm [ said ] , 'Why don't you look into running for office?' ... Because I was at a crossroads; I had spent my entire professional life working on child-care and health issues; and I had the experience of the Daley campaign, I saw how [ everything ] could fit together.
I also had people like David Wilhelm, Pete Giangreco and [ U.S. Rep. ] Rahm Emanuel, who [ were parts ] of the Daley campaign; I learned how to put together a political campaign. At the same time, my friend, [ Alderman ] Mary Ann Smith ran in '91; at the local level, I helped her campaign, so I got to know some local people.
[ Running ] just made sense; it was a logical next step for me to keep on working on the issues I care about. I ran against an incumbent who had been there for 14 years. I was able to build a coalition in the neighborhood; in the Daley campaign, one of my jobs was working with the Asian, [ LGBT ] and African-American communities, so I was able to build friendships there. I was able to get support from so many sectors of the community that my opponent didn't know were part of the community. So my earliest supporters were people from the gay and lesbian community, so that's where my commitment started to help pass the human rights bill.
WCT: I was going to ask how you became so involved with gay rights, so you answered my question.
CR: I grew up in the '60s, and it's a civil rights issue; everybody deserves to be treated equally. Plus, that's how I got elected—with huge support from the gay and lesbian community. The three things I talked about the most in my first campaign were choice, human rights and education. Those were the constant themes of that early campaign, and I felt that those were commitments to deliver on.
WCT: Going back to that first term in the General Assembly, was it anything like you thought it would be?
CR: No, not really. I loved the campaigning, meeting people and working on issues, but I wasn't sure how I would feel about being in Springfield. [ However, ] it [ turned out ] to be more comfortable than I thought it would be. In the class of 1993, there were 45 freshmen; there was a lot of energy—and a lot of women. I don't think we've had a class that large size, and I don't think there was one before [ that was that large ] . It was fun to be part of that newness, energy and excitement. We developed a really strong bipartisan women's coalition, with great Republican women like Rosemary Mulligan, Judy Biggert, Pat Lindner, Carolyn Krause and [ others ] . However, there were also [ people such as ] Judy Irwin, Rod Blagojevich, [ Cook County Sheriff ] Tom Dart [ and ] Nancy Kazak—and, because we were all new, we bonded. It was fun and inspiring. [ Also, ] I was surprised that so many people cared about so many issues.
WCT: A few years later, you decided to run for the State Senate. Why?
CR: Again, it wasn't something I had planned on doing. Mark Berman announced that he wasn't going to run again, [ so ] I put my hat in the ring. I ran for the 2000 primary.
He ended up leaving a little early, so I filled out the last month of his term; then I ran for the primary. I went over to the senate [ and took ] a leap of faith, but I thought that being in the house for eight years it would give me a chance to represent a broader area.
WCT: What would you consider your greatest achievement and [ biggest disappointment ] to be?
CR: I feel best about passing the human rights bill. It made a difference, it was an important piece of legislation and it was the hardest thing I've ever done. We put together a great coalition to do that, and I've always been so proud of being part of that effort.
I also feel really great about all the things we did on early childhood development and pre-kindergarten programs; Illinois leads the nation in this area. Also, in the same vein, [ I like ] what we've done with health care, another area where Illinois leads the nation. I think we're the only state that provides health care for every child, regardless if their parents are legal or not.
There were two things I started in my freshmen year: human rights and working with nurses. Illinois was the last state to recognize advance-practice nurses; the doctors' lobby didn't want the competition from these nurses. Advance-practice nurses are a way to expand quality health care to people. I have so much respect for nurses.
WCT: And the most frustrating aspect?
CR: The most frustrating was how hard it was [ to pass ] the human rights bill. I guess it's 'all's well that ends well' but that last year, especially, was extremely frustrating. It was just pushing, pushing and pushing, but everyone came through. Sen. [ Emil ] Jones—I can't say enough about what he did. Then, the governor twisted the final arm. It was frustrating going through and trying to put everything together, but I don't look back on it as a frustration because it ended well.
As for things that we haven't done, I [ wished we had passed ] the health-care bill. It got caught up in all the political fighting in Springfield. I was excited that I was going to be the lead sponsor of the governor's universal health-care bill. The fact that we couldn't get it out of the senate was probably one of my greatest frustrations.
WCT: You were inducted into Chicago's Gay and Lesbian Hall of Fame as a friend of the community. What was that like?
CR: Oh, that was great. It was wonderful because so many of my friends had been inducted. I think I made it the year before [ Mayor Daley ] did; that was pretty cool. [ Laughs ] No one's been a better friend to the community than Mayor Daley has. [ Being inducted ] was really, really special. You feel good about what you did, but you realize that the community understands, too. The [ human-rights ] bill is not just about gay and lesbian rights; it's about transgender rights as well. It was very important that we kept [ trans rights ] in; I see what's happening in Congress now...
WCT: So how do you feel about ENDA [ without gender identity ] passing the [ U.S. ] House?
CR: I think it's really too bad. We had discussions here—working with Equality Illinois, Lambda [ Legal ] , PFLAG and ACLU, a really good group—and some people suggested taking out the transgender part of it. We decided not to. To put the transgender community out by itself is wrong; you have to keep the coalition together. The more I looked at it, the more it [ seemed ] that transgender rights are the new arena. Most people understand that people should not be discriminated against [ based ] on sexual orientation, but they don't understand the rights for transgender [ people ] . Illinois is one of a small number of states that includes transgender [ protections ] ; I'm glad we did that. In the coming years, I think it'll become more apparent how important [ trans rights ] are.
WCT: Now, there are all of these rumors regarding why you're stepping down. I've heard everything from legislative gridlock to illness...
CR: Oh, I'm not sick. [ Laughs ] I'm feeling great.
I've been in Springfield for 15 years and I'm 62 years old; I feel like it's time to move on to other things. I feel that I've reached a certain plateau in Springfield; [ however, ] if I hadn't passed the human rights bill, I wouldn't be ready to leave. I'd feel like there was this major unfinished business.
It's a hard decision because I love being a senator. It's been 15 years; you need fresh blood. There are things that I think I can accomplish on the executive branch; there's a certain freedom you have to make things happen that are different in the legislative branch. And, yes, the gridlock didn't help; it was a brutal session.
WCT: Would you consider yourself an ally of Gov. Blagojevich—and do you think he's being unfairly maligned?
CR: He's a friend. Like I said earlier, we were both elected in 1992, and we became friends in the legislature. I ran his campaign in 1996 when he ran for Congress. I'm a huge supporter of his first and second elections. And I'm usually supportive of the things he's accomplished. The stuff I talked about—health care and early childhood development—would not have happened without the governor. And I think that's being missed in the political stories and infighting. If he were not governor, we would not have passed the human rights bill.
I do feel [ that the governor is being unfairly attacked ] , but he understands that it is the nature of media and politics. I think a lot of what he's done is being overshadowed by some of the [ goings-on ] in Springfield, but I try to separate the arguments [ happening there ] from the substance of what is really happening.
WCT: How would you like your years in the General Assembly to be remembered?
CR: As someone who fought for the things she cared about and was effective in fighting for those things. [ I'd like to be remembered ] as someone who put principle about politics.
