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player ready...Despite previous unsuccessful bids to represent south suburban communities in the Illinois House, Republican Frederick Walls is challenging state Sen. Elgie Sims for the 17th Senate District in the general election.
Walls, of Crete, said when he took on Democratic Rep. Nick Smith for the 34th House seat in 2024, “Sims was the one passing out all of the literature.”
“I said, ‘Well, I might as well run against him,’” said Walls, a 55-year-old carpenter and restaurant owner. “Plus, I could do more in the Senate probably than in the House.”
Sims, 56, has represented the district, which extends from South Side neighborhoods through south suburban parts of Cook, Will and Kankakee counties, since 2018. Walls is the first candidate to run against him in a general election.
The Chicago Democrat is majority caucus appropriations leader in the Senate and was instrumental in passing the controversial SAFE-T Act, which eliminated cash bail, in 2021.
Walls, in contrast, supports amending the policy so those charged with certain offenses no longer qualify for pretrial release.
“Some people, they’re just going to keep on playing games,” he said.
Sims did not respond to repeated requests for an interview, but said deterrence from the criminal justice system requires investment in education, stable healthcare, job readiness an abundance of economic opportunities and good paying jobs, according to his website.
“Elgie believes prison should be reserved for those who are threats to public safety, not those who commit crimes of poverty or are the result of mental illness or substance abuse problems,” according to Sims’ website.
Sims, an attorney was 34th District representative from 2012 to 2018. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Illinois State University, a master’s in public administration from University of Illinois Springfield and a law degree from Loyola University.
Walls, a carpenter, said he first became interested in politics while serving as a pastor in Dolton. But as owner of Highly Flavored Chicago City Grill, in Chicago and Calumet City, Walls said he learned firsthand the need for property tax relief not only for homeowners, but for businesses.
“In a nutshell, businesses are leaving Illinois, and the bills still have to be paid,” Walls said. “We need business friendly policies coming out of Springfield that don’t tax business owners.”
To reduce taxes, Walls seeks to bring to Illinois a Department of Government Efficiency, which billionaire Elon Musk introduced through the Trump administration last year to make cuts to the federal workforce.
“There’s a lot of money coming out of people’s checks,” he said.
Sims says while working on past state budgets, he’s succeeded in negotiating larger investments in education. As chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, he also supports school funding reform, according to his website.
Walls raised concerns about Democrat-led policy changes in education, including legislation signed last year requiring that schools provide free, optional mental health screenings.
“I don’t think the education system, public education should use taxpayers’ money to push their agenda,” he said.
While eliminating progressive programs, Walls said the state should fulfill its obligation to fully and equally fund all public schools.
“It shouldn’t be based on what this community puts in taxes or that community (puts in),” he said.
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State campaign finance disclosure reports for the July-September quarter were not available for the two candidates as of Thursday.
Walls’ campaign lacked contributions during the April-June quarter. The campaign spent $1,050 despite only having $720 at the beginning of the period.
Sims’ campaign spent $19,300 but received no contributions during the April-June period. Committee reports show the campaign had about $451,300 available at the end of June.