After 15 ballots over four days to elect Kevin McCarthy, R. Calif., speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, the number of people representing Lake County in Congress grew from three to four.
U.S. Rep Bill Foster, D-Naperville, U.S. Rep. Mike Quigley, D-Chicago, and U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky, D- Chicago, join U.S. Rep. Brad Schneider, D-Highland Park, representing parts of Lake County thanks to redistricting which saw their districts redrawn.
Foster, Quigley, Schakowsky and Schneider took their oaths of office jointly administered by McCarthy early Saturday morning in Washington, D.C., shortly after McCarthy was elected speaker on the 15th vote ending a marathon balloting procedure not seen in a century.
In a statement issued after the proceedings, Quigley said, “I am deeply concerned about the concessions made by Speaker McCarthy to secure these votes. The proposed rules package will leave the House at the whim of the same radicals who dragged out the last four days at a time when the country needs Congress to be at its best.
“I stand willing to work across the aisle with the new Speaker and Republicans and move this country forward because ultimately, I still believe that there is more that unites us than divides us,” he added.
Adjusting to redrawn districts is nothing new for Foster, Quigley and Schakowsky. Elected in 1998, Schakowsky is doing it for the third time, and Quigley, sent to Congress in 2009, is experiencing it a second time.
First elected to serve the 14th Congressional District in a 2008 special election to replace then Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Yorkville, Foster lost the seat in 2010. He was elected from the 11th Congressional District in 2012 getting to know new constituents’ twice as well.
Foster said he will reach out to the mayors or village presidents in Volo, Wauconda and other parts of the redrawn district and get a tour from them. He plans to learn not only the important issues, but also significant facts.
“I ask them to drive me around,” Foster said. “I learn where all the bodies are buried, and important happenings around town.
“I know I want to save the Belvidere Assembly Plant,” he added, referring to the automobile manufacturing factory which is also in his far-flung district.
Now that he officially represents parts of southwest Lake County, Quigley said he plans to tour the new communities. The week of the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., holiday will be his first opportunity, and he plans to take advantage of it. Rather than hold town halls, he likes to meet people where they are.
“I’m going to tour the cities and villages,” Quigley said. “I want to meet elected officials. and go to senior citizens buildings. I want to meet all different kinds of folks. We’ll have rotating office hours in village offices and city halls to help people.”
Quigley said his staff will open a permanent office in the northwest suburbs.
For more than two decades in Congress, Schakowsky represented parts of Chicago’s North Side and northern Cook County. Lake and McHenry counties are new to her. She said along with local officials, she plans to get to know people at social service organizations and other community centered organizations.
“I’m going to call every mayor, village manager and other public officials to learn what we can do for them,” Schakowsky said. “We’ll let people know where they can come for help.”
As they have all done in the past, Quigley, Schakowsky and Foster all said they will be reaching out to elected officials, not-for-profit organizations and other sources for community directed grants. They said they will be reaching out for ideas, and want to hear from local governments and organizations.
Now part of the Congressional minority after two years in the majority, Schakowsky, Foster and Quigley have experienced being in the minority before. They all said there are ways to get legislation passed to help people working across the aisle.
Chair of the Consumer Protection and Commerce Subcommittee of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce in the last Congress, Schakowsky said she worked well with the ranking member — Rep. Gus Vilirakas, R-Fla. — to get legislation passed. As they switch roles in 2023, she expects the cooperation to continue.
Foster said he has worked closely with Republicans where there is common interest in the past, both when he was in the majority and the minority. He said he sees no reason why his past strategy will not continue. Quigley anticipates a similar approach.
“It’s different,” Quigley said “It will be more important to find dance partners. You have to be a little less concerned about who gets credit when you need Republican dance partners.”
Quigley will represent a portion of Lake County, including Long Grove, Kildeer, Deer Park, the Barrington area and Lake Zurich. Schakowsky will have a portion of Buffalo Grove, Tower Lakes and Hawthorn Woods to call constituents. Volo and Wauconda will be part of Foster’s new area.
