Initially, anger is what caused community activist Suzanne Elder to run for State Sen. Carol Ronen's, D-Chicago, open seat.
When Elder heard in October 2007 that Ronen announced her resignation and Heather Steans, of a prominent North Shore family, had her blessing to run for her open seat, she rushed to gather enough signatures to get on the ballot.
Elder said that her outrage motivated her to run, but bringing fairness to politics is something she's always been interested in.
Elder, who has a strong background in public policy, is no stranger to Springfield. When her daughter was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes, her family's personal struggle with access to education and disability rights motivated Elder to write a bill that passed the House spring 2007.
In addition to her advocacy, Elder is a health policy analyst for the Institute of Policy Research at The University of Chicago and a small business owner. She is also a consultant for adolescent reproductive health initiatives.
Windy City Times: What motivated you to run for office?
Suzanne Elder: Initially, to be honest, it was outrage. What has been going on in this district has been going on for nearly 40 years. The initial reaction was outrage.
WCT: Is your outrage coming from pay-to-play politics? Where is it coming from?
SE: It is. It is a failure of representation. It's a very simple principle, … but I really feel strongly about it. Politics does not necessarily have to be played exclusively as an inside game. If we keep ratifying the status quo, we are going to keep marginalizing and excluding more and more people, and more and more voices, and we are just going to keep getting more of the same old—you know. It's become so costly. It's idealistic, sure, but that hasn't sustained me. What is going on down there [ Springfield ] is just really bad. We have to start somewhere, and why not me?
I have a very strong background in policy.
WCT: I was going to say, you're quite used to working alongside legislators. You wrote the Care of students with Diabetes Act.
SE: It's HB146. … It will benefit all children with disabilities, not just children with diabetes. It basically says that in the state of Illinois, you do have to abide by federal law—the Americans with Disabilities Act applies to you. [ Laughs ] . I understand you are scared of needles and everything, but get over it.
WCT: Right, because you had first-hand experience dealing with this, didn't you?
SE: Yes.
WCT: We are a gay and lesbian newspaper, and Carol Ronen was and is an ally of the community. How would you continue that, and where do you stand on issues such as civil unions and marriage?
SE: You will have the same, if not a stronger advocate with Suzanne Elder. When it comes to civil unions, I think they are a poor substitute to marriage equality. They essentially create a separate class, and I'm not a big fan of that. But I'm also a privatist, and if we can't get a good bill passed, and have to come up with a compromise, lesser is not a bad strategy. I'm not going to say no [ to civil unions ] , but I'm very aware it is an imperfect response to a human rights issue.
WCT: What are some of the main crisis the state is facing right now, and what are some of your solutions?
SE: Solutions at this point is almost irresponsible in this way. One, no one legislator gets the right to solutions. We have to work as a team, and that's a quality I bring to my work as both an analyst and an advocate is collaboration. Speaking to the question of crisis and problems, how we approach these is one thing, but also how the boundaries are sort of shaped are pretty darn important. In Illinois right now, I think, one of the largest and most important issues that effects all the crisis we face is pay-to-play politics. It's not just contracting, it goes to policy making, it goes to electoral politics, it goes to who gets on the ballot and who doesn't. This candidacy, this race, is a show-down of that question, no doubt about it. But, to be clear, this has been a part of my interest and my work from before this happened. This is not a direct, personal response to my opponent.
WCT: It's the entire system?
SE: Yes. We end up having—and we'll have it for years if we don't fix it—a bankrupt state. It is a culture that couldn't be more corrupt. It effects every decision that is made down there. Are we really making good education policy decisions when legislators feel pushed and pulled by interest groups?
… I would like my legislators to have the independence to act accordingly. I think extracting from these huge amounts of money that absolutely flood the capital is a first priority. It might not be the first thing that gets done, but it is absolutely my first priority because everything that follows after that is less than it could be. It's an organization problem.
WCT: One of the issues greatly affecting our community is the healthcare system. I know that one of your main issues is the current healthcare and insurance system. What are some ideas you have for trying to fix that?
SE: I'm a supporter of universal healthcare coverage. This is a larger issue that goes beyond the boundaries of Illinois. It's an emerging federal conversation that has to happen. Right now, what we have is a highly stratified system where you have the very poor or the elderly, as well as everyone in the middle, basically squeezed to the point of breaking. When you have situations like in our family, chronic illness [ diabetes ] , it is not unlike HIV/AIDS, because it is a chronic illness. In the early '80s, it was anything but. HIV, like diabetes, is so costly to treat.
… There are two things to do, first and foremost. I know the most recent budget had half a million of HIV testing dollars that was just wiped out. Who is the rocket scientist who made that happen? … My focus, first and foremost, I'm one of those folks who is wide open in terms of wanting to learn more and be smarter about things. We have to focus on prevention, which means having conversations abut sex education and HIV prevention and condom use and safe sex practices. We have to increase or improve the caliber of conversation that we have with each other, our children and in our school. That ties into the larger question of stigmatization. Why and how do we continue to behave like such jerks on that front? Prevention is number one. Health insurance, boy, I wish I knew how to solve that one. We struggle with it ourselves. We are privately insured and it is just misery.
I really don't think anybody is looking for a handout. I think everyone is looking for a fair shake. We're willing to pull our own weight for a fair share, but that's not what's happening right now. The families impacted by chronic illness are being driven into the dirt.
I think the governor's right in wanting to expand healthcare in Illinois. I think he's absolutely spot-on. I think the way he is doing it is completely off-the-charts wrong. It's a problem because then it makes it more difficult later on to have the conversations we need to have more broadly. If we can't get consensus on taking care of children, what hope is there that we are going to have any of these other conversations?
He's taking such a hard hammer approach to it. He's alienating people.
WCT: What do you believe are your advantages, and what sets you apart from your opponent?
SE: I think I have a broader and deeper range of experience as a policy person, first and foremost. My work has been largely in health policy. I also worked on a community level. I'm deeply rooted in the district and have more of a relatable experience. I think people understand what it is to be a working mom, who has gone back to school, who runs a small business. These are relatable things. I think that I also have the advantage of not being connected to any of the political dynasties in Illinois or Chicago. That would probably be my strongest advantage: my independence.
WCT: Is there anything else you'd like to add?
SE: I know there are many in the community who are sad to see Carol go. I think it's because she has a very strong and positive record. I think your readers should know that that record will only improve and strengthen. A lot of positive things have been accomplished in the last several years in Springfield. Personally, in my perspective, it's not enough. It hasn't been enough.
