Commentary, Elections, Local, Opinion, Park Forest, Politics

Slone Endorsed for State Representative in the 79 District


photo of Park Forest trustee Erin Slone
Democrat Erin Slone, a Park Forest Trustee, is running for Representative of the remapped 79th District and has our endorsement. (Image Village of Park Forest)

Park Forest, IL-(ENEWSPF)- Residents in the remapped 79th District of the Illinois General Assembly, which includes Park Foresters who live in the southern part of the village, have a choice between Democrat Erin Slone of Park Forest and incumbent Republican Jackie Haas of Kankakee for state representative. eNews Park Forest believes that Slone is the better choice and endorses her for the position.

The new 79th district extends from southern Park Forest and Crete, southward to Kankakee, and as far west as Braidwood. As such, residents’ concerns in the far northern portion of the district may often be quite different from residents living in other, more rural parts. We think it is important to have a representative who understands and responds to the concerns of the south suburban area.

While neither candidate has an extensive political background, Slone has served as a Park Forest Trustee since April of 2021 and has prior experience as a municipal finance banker. She has been astute and thorough in her role as a Village Trustee. Haas is in her first term as a Representative, elected in 2020, and is also the CEO of the Kankakee-based Wheeler Center for Community Mental Health.

photo of Rep. Jackie Haas
Republican Rep. Jackie Hass from Kankakees is running to retain her seat in the 79th District. (Image: Illinois general Assembly)

Our primary concern with Haas is her position on a woman’s right to choose. She voted against House Resolution 789, which would guarantee a woman’s access to reproductive health care, and against House Resolution 790, which reaffirmed support for both the landmark 1973 Supreme Court decision of Roe v. Wade, and the 1970 decision of Griswold v. Connecticut. Together, these decisions not only protected abortion rights, but also the ability to access birth control.

Slone, however, is an ardent supporter of a woman’s reproductive rights and believes that Illinois should be a safe haven for its residents and women in other states that have adopted restrictive laws. She is endorsed by the Planned Parenthood Illinois Action PAC.

Slone’s local knowledge of south suburban issues, combined with her position on a woman’s right to choose, makes her our endorsed candidate.


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