Oct. 12, 2000

Three villages give to many candidates
this election season

By ERIC LINDEN

The U.S. Presidential campaigns this year and last have captured the
interest of many residents of Oak Park, River Forest and Forest Park,
according to campaign contribution information compiled by The Center
for Responsive Politics.

Local residents in high profile positions make up a portion of the
contributors, including current River Forest Village President Frank M.
Paris, who gave to money to a political action committee based in Oak
Brook, where Paris works, and former Oak Park Village President Sara G.
Bode, who gave to a fund supporting Hillary Rodham Clinton in her
campaign for U.S. Senate from New York. Contributors also included local
business owners and public figures like Ric Jasculca of River Forest,
the publicity and public planning consultant whose firm, Jacsulca-Terman
of Chicago, works closely with Democratic politicians from President
Clinton on down.

Residents of Oak Park's 60302 zip code leads the list of local
contributors with $209,023 contributed in 1999 and as of Oct. 10, 2000,
while River Forest's 60305 zip code gave $153,756 to various political
candidates and campaigns. According to the Center for Responsive
Politics, a zip code will contribute on average of $24,596. The other
zip codes in Oak Park and Forest Park were below that threshold.

The donations date back to last year in the 1999-2000 campaign cycle,
and the giving of local residents this year just doesn't center on the
presidential election to be held Nov. 7 between Gov. George W. Bush of
Texas and Vice President Al Gore of Tennessee. Candidates from across
the political spectrum and in several states got money from residents of
the tri-village area. From Hillary Rodham Clinton for her race for the
U.S. Senate in New York state to Rudolph Guliani, the Republican mayor
of New York City who was once Hillary Clinton's opponent. From Bill
Bradley, the former U.S. Senator who was a Democratic primary opponent
of Gore's, to Indiana Republican Richard Lugar. From U.S. Rep. Luis
Gutierrez to House colleague Bobbie L. Rush. From former Republican
presidential candidates John McCain and Alan Keyes to former Democratic
hopefuls and more.

Local residents also have given money to any number of political action
committees and party committees. For instance, Steven Meyer, the
committeeman of the Oak Park Republican Party, gave $665 to the Illinois
Republican State Central Committee.

Hundreds of local residents have made donations this election season,
and those interested in the entire list can visit the web site at
www.opensecrets.org. But here are some of the local figures who have
donated to the following causes and candidates.

-- Patrick Agnew of Oak Park, who at the time he contributed was
president of St. Paul Federal Bank, now owned by Charter Mortgage but
still open at 6700 W. North Ave. in Chicago across from Oak Park, $250
for Bill Bradley and $250 for American Success PAC, which represents a
host of financial interests
-- Paul Balter of River Forest, who works for Everest Healthcare
Services, 101 N. Elmwood Ave. in Oak Park, $1,000 to the Renal
Leadership Council, a political action committee for healthcare
professionals that gives to both Democrats and Republicans.
-- Anthony Barbato of Oak Park, president of Loyola University Medical
Center, $1,000 to Bill Bradley
-- Sara G. Bode of Oak Park, who was a village trustee from 1977 to 1981
and village president from 1981 to 1985, $250 to New York Senate 2000, a
PAC formed to assist Clinton's U.S. Senate bid
-- Stephen Bruner, an attorney with the Winston & Strawn law firm in
Chicago and the current president of the Oak Park and River Forest High
School board, three contributions of $500 each to Bush, $250 to
Elizabeth Dole for her brief Republican primary campaign and $250 to
Rudolph Guliani
-- Kevin J. Conway of River Forest, an attorney with the Cooney &
Conway, mostly $1,000 each to a host of candidates, including
high-profile Democrats U.S. Sen. Richard Durbin, Hillary Rodham Clinton
and Al Gore
-- Ann C. Courter of Oak Park, an elected member of the Oak Park
Elementary School District board, $250 to Gore
-- Henry Fogel of River Forest, president of the Chicago Symphony
Orchestra, $250 to Lance P. Pressi
-- Jordan Hadelman of River Forest, the chief of the recruitment firm
Witt, Keefer, Ford, Hadelman & Lloyd and a major owner of multi-family
properties in Oak Park, $500 for Bill Bradley
-- Faye R. Hegburg of River Forest, executive director of Sarah's Inn,
the Oak Park-based agency that assists battered women and their
families, $1,000 to Gore
-- Richard Jasculca of River Forest, $1,000 each to the following
Democrats: U.S. Rep. Rod R. Blagojevich; U.S. Rep. Bobby L. Rush; U.S.
Rep. William O. Lipinski, whose district includes part of Oak Park south
of the Eisenhower Expressway; New York Senate 2000; State Rep. Lauren
Beth Gash, a Democrat seeking election to Congress to replace retiring
Republican Rep. John Porter; Durbin; and Gore
-- Leo Latz III of River Forest, a fundraising consultant from River
Forest, $500 to former Illinois Treasurer and former Oak Park resident
Patrick Quinn, who had considered running for Governor and who had been
leading a move to recall Gov. George Ryan following revelations of the
licenses-for-bribes scandal
-- Ronald Lucchesi of River Forest, a former member of the park board in
the village, $750 to the National Republican Congressional Committee
-- Ralph Mandell of River Forest, chairman and co-founder of PrivateBank
in Chicago and a former executive at the former Oak Park Trust & Savings
Bank, which is now a BankOne location at 1048 Lake St., $1,000 to Al
Gore
-- Margot McMahon of Oak Park, a sculptor and member of the board of the
Oak Park Area Arts Council, which works to support and promote the arts
in Oak Park, River Forest and Forest Park, two contributions of $1,000
to Gore
-- Kathryn Nesburg of Oak Park, a former member of the Oak Park District
97 school board and currently a leader in the League of Women Voters
locally and statewide, $250 to Emily's List, which works on behalf of
female candidates throughout the country
-- Frank Orland of Forest Park, president of the Forest Park Historical
Society, $1,000 to Hillary Rodham Clinton
-- Frank M. Paris of River Forest, the village president and an
executive with Oak Brook Bank, three $500 donations to FOPAC USA, the
PAC in Oak Brook
-- Jane Pearsall of Oak Park, and another former member of the District
97 school  board, two contributions of $1,000 each to Gore, $1,000 to
Emily's List  and miscellaneous donations to other Democratic candidates

-- Hipolito Roldan of Oak Park, president of the Hispanic Housing
Development Corporation in Chicago, two contributions of $500 to Durbin
and $1,000 to U.S. Rep. Luis Gutierrez, whose district includes small
sections of Oak Park and Forest Park
-- Alfred G. Ronan of River Forest, a political consultant and former
state senator, $6,000 to several Democratic candidates and $1,000 to
George W. Bush
-- H. Kris Ronow of River Forest, a former Oak Park village government
commissioner, two $500 donations to Durbin
-- Carolyn Saxton, executive director of the Community Chest of Oak Park
& River Forest, $250 to U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky
-- Abby Schmelling, executive director of the Volunteer Center of Oak
Park, which works to match volunteers with openings in Oak Park, River
Forest and some surrounding communities, a total $17,500 to Emily's List

-- Joseph G. Shaker of River Forest, head of the Shaker Advertising
firm, based in the Shaker Building at 1100 Lake St. in Downtown Oak
Park, $1,000 to Bush
-- John Troelstrup of Oak Park, an attorney with offices in Oak Park and
a former Oak Park village trustee, $300 to U.S. Rep. Danny K. Davis,
whose district includes River Forest and Oak Park north of the
expressway
-- Dr. William Troyer of Oak Park, an Oak Park Township Trustee, $250 to
Tom Campbell, Republican candidate for U.S. Senate in California, and
$500 to the Illinois Medical Association
-- George Vinyard of Oak Park, an executive with 3Com Corporation and a
former member of the Oak Park library board, $1,000 to Gore