My Sons:
"I enjoy spending with my two boys Nathan and Zachary. We spend time together. I think it is very important for parents to just spend time with their kids. I don't think it is a sacrifice. I enjoy it. I think they are both neat kids. My older son Nathan and I have a shared passion for baseball. We attend a lot of Cubs games together. When my job responsibilities don't require me somewhere else I am often found at the ball park with my son. In addition, over spring-break, we have a tradition of going to Arizona for the Cub's spring training. That has helped to maintain a bond as he moves into more challenging years of adolescence. Zachary is also getting into baseball. He was in little- league this past summer. Because his brother is a strong Cub's fan, Zachary wants to be a St Louis Cardinal's fane. In the spirit of supporting the identity of my children, I took Zachary to a Cardinal's game in St. Louis at Bush Stadium. Zachary was clad in his Cardinals hat and I was in my Cubs hat. Zachary got a lot of support from other Cardinal fans."

My Family:
"I came from a family of politics. My paternal grandfather was the mayor of Palos Park. Both my parents were politically aware and politics was discussed at the dinner table from time to time. My mother was President of her League of Women Voters chapter. My father managed a congressional campaign. He was also Chairman of the Oak Lawn Human Relationships Commission. In the 1960s it was a very challenging time. In the 1960s it was almost 100% white community. My father inspired by the Civil Rights Movement made a speech in favor of fair housing laws in Oak Lawn. It was not the most popular position to take. He received some death threats and threatening phone call at the time. I have taken it further by making politics my full time career and full time passion."

Peace Activism:
"Every day in my community I see so many needs that are going unmet due to lack of funds. We have made strides in education and affordable housing and community safety, but there is still so much to do, due to the fact that the federal government has walked away from its responsibilities. The billions of dollars that could be spent on education and housing here are going overseas to destroy a country and then to rebuild it. I can just imagine if one-hundred and fifty billion dollars were spent in this country's on education, no child would be left behind. I felt I was representing my diverse community better by speak out against the war in Iraq and urge my colleagues in City Council to pass a resolution against the war. We had a remarkable 46 to1 vote for the Antiwar Resolution in the Chicago City Council."

Rogers Park Community:
"I have lived in Rogers Park since right after college. I have discovered since then the best thing about Rogers Park is the diversity of Rogers Park. I like to the story of the time I met an individual who identified himself as a Jewish Alaskan Eskimo. It is important to me that people from various backgrounds can live together in harmony. We are a good role-model for the rest of the country."