State Rep. Ralph Capparelli (D-Chicago) and one of his opponents in the March 17 primary, Lawrence Miller, agree on at least two things: Taxes are the main issue, and each considers the other a nice guy.
”Unequivocally the key issue is taxes,” said Capparelli, a state representative since 1970 who represents the 13th District, encompassing parts of the Northwest Side and northern suburbs.
”I have a big senior citizen constituency, and they are having a hard time with taxes as property values keep going up.”
For relief for those people, Capparelli said, he has introduced a bill to extend the circuit breaker on real estate estates that would save the average elderly homeowner about $60 a year. He said he is also sponsoring a bill to roll real estate taxes back to 1988 levels.
Capparelli said he recently met Miller and thought he was a ”nice fellow.”
Miller, a Chicago attorney who lives in Glenview, returns the compliment, calling Capparelli a ”nice man.”
”The key issues are hold the line on taxes, health-care reform, effective and efficient education, and term limits for the legislature,”
Miller said.
”A legislator should serve no more than six terms, and I vow I won`t if elected.” Miller did not mention that Capparelli is pursuing his 12th term.
Miller and Capparelli were among hundreds of people who filed nominating petitions Tuesday to run in the March 17 primaries, hoping to win nominations to run in November for the General Assembly.
There may be more to come, because the filing deadline is not until Tuesday.
Also seeking the Democratic nomination in the 13th District is Timothy P. O`Brien, but efforts to reach him Wednesday were unsuccessful.
Seeking the Republican nomination are Josef Matuschka, a Niles contractor, and Donald Conn of Morton Grove.
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Matuschka won the Republican nomination in 1990, losing to Capparelli in the general election. This year he says he believes he has a better chance because the remap has made the district more Republican.
”The main issue for me is reforming the welfare laws and public aid. It should be workfare, making people on the welfare rolls work a couple hours a day,” said Matuschka, who is of Polish and German descent and emigrated from Yugoslavia in 1965.
Efforts to reach Conn on Wednesday were unsuccessful.
In the 29th Senatorial District on the North Shore, incumbent Roger Keats (R-Kenilworth) faces off with Kevin Hanrahan of Northbrook for the nomination.
Keats said he doubted there would be any philosophical differences, noting that Hanrahan had worked for him in previous campaigns.
”The only issue would be he thinks it`s time for someone new-him,” said Keats, who is in his 14th year in the Senate.
Hanrahan agrees.
”The main issues are term limitation and a return to a citizen legislature. The incumbent has been in for more than a dozen years, and I`d like to offer myself as an alternative,” said Hanrahan, an executive recruiter.
Whoever wins will face a stiff challenge in November from Rep. Grace Mary Stern of Highland Park, who so far is the only Democrat to declare a candidacy.
In Chicago, Democratic Sens. William Marovitz and John Cullerton will be fighting for the right to represent District 6 along the lakefront, including the Lakeview and Near North communities.