ROCKFORD — Tired of Trumpean ideals, local pastors Jill Flynn and Andrea Wight joined about 70 others wanting to know more about the four Democrat candidates for the 16th Congressional District.
They sat Thursday in a back row of Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd’s two-hour forum and heard first-time candidates including Rockford attorney Sara Dady speak as to why they deserve a chance to oust incumbent candidate U.S. Rep. Adam Kinzinger, R-Channahon, during the March 20 primary.
The candidates — who also include Neill Mohammad, a health expert from DeKalb, Amy Murri Briel, a Joliet mom and community activist, and Beth Vercolio-Osmund, an Ottawa farmer and small business owner — spoke on several topics.
Frequently, the candidates repeated the party line, advocating for more gun control, campaign finance reform and marijuana legalization. But they all agreed Kinzinger has to go because he doesn’t spend enough time in the district stretching from the Wisconsin border to south of Bloomington.
“We have a representative who is absentee,” Dady said. “He has a closed office in the largest, most densely populated county in the district. You have to make an appointment, and you never see him. That is not representation."
Both Flynn, pastor of Gloria Dei Lutheran Church, and Wight, pastor of St. Anskar Episcopal Church, enjoyed hearing the promises to upset the Trump administration.
“A bunch of sick, hungry and angry people isn’t going make us a great nation,” Flynn said.
She’s not sure who she’ll vote for. Wight, though, was most impressed with Dady and Mohammad because of their “articulate” responses.
Mohammad said gun control advocates should take a good look at what Mothers Against Drunk Driving was able to accomplish.
“Mothers Against Drunk Driving changed the conversation,” he said. “It went from being a good ol’ boy, boys can be boys sort of thing to the public health menace that we know.”
Briel received some applause when she called for legalizing marijuana.
“Many of us did grow up with the demonization of marijuana,” she said. “(But) we need to legalize marijuana federally. By legalizing marijuana, it does two things. One, it allows us to research marijuana. It also allows us to tax that revenue and takes it away from being a cash business.”
All candidates promised to do their best to help the primary winner defeat Kinzinger. Vercolio-Osmund also stressed her willingness to communicate with her constituents and find solutions.
“Those are two critical skills — broad-based, human skill that are really going to make the difference in Washington,” she said. “It’s important to work together and it is important to build bridges and to build coalitions.”
Bill Becker, one of several organizers, ended the forum by urging the crowd to get involved.
“These are all good people,” he said. “I know all four of them. They will do a good job for you. But get involved. That is how we will win our government back.”
Susan Vela: 815-987-1392, svela@rrstar.com, @susanvela