Lisa Arvanites – Activist | Precinct Committeeperson Bringing Democracy to Your Door

Why NOT Laura Fine or Daniel Biss?

I have experienced 2 MAJOR congressional elections since 2017.
One was as PC in Huntley in 2018 and that was District 14.
Now in 2026 it is as PC in Cary for District 9.

Here is a story…

Lauren Underwood IL Congressional D14 – Elect
Crystal Lake, Huntley, McHenry, Wauconda, Woodstock

On March 20, 2018, I stood in a room that was super charged with both history and hope. When Lauren Underwood announced that she had won the Democratic primary for Illinois’ 14th Congressional District, the celebration cracked wide open. Screams of joy filled the room. People embraced. Tears fell freely. We witnessed history unfolding in real time.

Underwood a self-professed public servant and registered nurse with a pre-existing heart condition (supraventricular tachycardia), was directly affected by her Republican opponent, Representative Randy Hultgren, voted to repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and remove protections for pre-existing conditions despite previously promising not to. This motivated Underwood   to shift from policy advisor to candidate.

She was the youngest Black woman ever to run in the district, and she had just prevailed in a crowded field she shared with six men. In a district that, since 1873, had overwhelmingly elected Republican leadership – 17 Republicans to just 5 Democrats – her victory carried profound weight. Democratic representation had been rare and distant history; brief windows in 1890, 1912 – 1914, and 1932 – 1936.

For generations, change had seemed unlikely. That night, it wasn’t. Barriers were cracked. Expectations shifted. What filled the room wasn’t just celebration – it was pride, relief, and the unmistakable sense that something new was possible. This was 2 years before the BLM movement of 2020.

Her victory was part of a broader Democratic wave that year, but in D14 it was also deeply local — powered by grassroots energy in places like Huntley and across McHenry County. Redistricting may draw lines on a map, but community energy — door knocking, meet-and-greets, local organizing — is what turns those lines into representation. Lauren was absolutely adored.

Lauren Underwood’s national profile around health care and maternal health issues her communication style, empathy, calm presence and strong constituent outreach locally is why D14 has held her near and dear.

Meet Senator Mike Simmons Congressional D9 – Candidate
Maybe you met him when he walked ALG35 with me!
Algonquin, Barrington Hills, Fox River grove, Lakewood, LITH, Crystal Lake, Cary, Wauconda
https://www.mikesimmons.org

In 2021 Mike Simmons was appointed to the Illinois Senate by elected PC’s of the Cook County Democratic Party. Not my senate district but he caught my interest! His hair style was fabulous and broadcasted confidence. An openly gay black man too; this in and of it itself is not a qualifier, it is a layer of lived experience. I watched his campaign that led to his election in 2022 and I cheered him on! His energy, empathy and measured presence was unmistakable and I was reminded of Lauren Underwood.

The Simmons’ family was one of the first Black families to integrate Lincoln Square after the U.S. Supreme Court mandated that public housing be built on Chicago’s Northside. The son of a single Black mother and an Ethiopian refugee father. His mother, Ramona, who opened her small business, Salon Pastiche, in Rogers Park at 31 years old and ran it for 25 years, raised him and his sister. His father, Mulugetta, was also a small business owner and ran a bar, the Wild Hare, in Lakeview for 25 years.

Growing up in a multi-racial, multi-generational household, shaped his lived experience with issues like housing access, economic insecurity, and belonging.  Prior to the Senate, he worked in policy and civic engagement roles, including on Capitol Hill and with the Obama Foundation’s My Brother’s Keeper Alliance building a track record of meaningful impact. He is also a former board member for the LGBTQ+ advocacy group Equality Illinois.

A crowed race in a very historically unique district reshaped by census redistricting. D9, since 1853, has had  more elected Democratic  leadership – 14  Democrats  to 11 Republicans that last in 1946. D9 held Jan Schakowsky near and dear for 28 years. The 2020 Census resulted in  Algonquin Township, McHenry County becoming  part of Congressional D9.

We now have the rare opportunity to welcome new leadership.

Like Underwood, Simmons combines empathy, energy, and a measured presence that resonates far beyond policy positions.

What truly sets Mike Simmons apart in the IL legislature is how quickly he turns vision into action.

Shortly after being sworn in on February 6, 2021, Mike encountered the story of Jett Hawkins, a young preschooler in Chicago who was forced to remove his braids at school due to discriminatory dress codes. Mike immediately understood the fear and frustration Jett and his mother were facing—because he had lived it himself.

Within 19 days, he introduced Senate Bill 817, and by August 13, 2021, the Jett Hawkins Act became law, protecting Black students from hair discrimination in K‑12 schools. This was not just legislation; it was life-changing policy.

Mike Simmons is exactly the kind of public servant this district—and this moment—needs: authentic, empathetic, and capable of transforming personal insight into concrete laws that protect and uplift communities.

Key Legislative Priorities & Accomplishments

Supporting Families & Economic Security

• Child and Family Tax Credits: He led the fight to create a state child tax credit to give working families more financial breathing room.
• Medical Debt Relief: He championed laws eliminating medical debt for hundreds of thousands of Illinoisans, easing financial pressure for many households.
• Small Business Support: Simmons helped secure grants for small business restoration and economic development programs in his district.

Housing & Community Stability

• Affordable Housing Initiatives: He’s passed legislation to protect tenants, fight displacement, and support cooperative and stable housing models — seeing housing as a fundamental right.
• Fought against predatory rental fees and pushed for transparency in lease agreements.

Healthcare & Mental Health

• Expanded Access to Care: Simmons has been pushing to expand Medicaid eligibility and support safe, affordable healthcare, including removing cost barriers for preventive screening.
• Mental Health Focus: He has advanced laws to increase mental health resources in schools and communities, including creating advisory councils and increasing provider pay.

Transportation & Environment

• Public Transit Funding & Reform: He helped pass major transit reform and securing sustainable funding for transit systems, reflecting his long‑term advocacy for accessible mobility.
• Expanded definitions for bicycles in law, promoting safer cycling infrastructure.

Human Rights & Inclusion

• Hair Discrimination Ban: One early and widely recognized win was the Jett Hawkins Act, banning discrimination based on hair in schools — a culturally significant civil rights measure.
• Gender‑Affirming Care & LGBTQ+ Rights: He has been a strong defender of gender‑affirming care and LGBTQ+ protections in state law.
• Passed broader human rights protections and opposed book bans in libraries.

Voting Access & Worker Rights

• Voting Reforms: He backed laws expanding voter access — including preregistration for teens and restoring voting rights to people previously incarcerated.
• Paid Leave & Workers’ Rights: Simmons co‑led passage of paid family leave and championed measures improving conditions for working households.

Roles in the Senate

• Chair of the Senate Public Health Committee
• Vice‑Chair of the Behavioral and Mental Health Committee
• Member of multiple others on transportation, labor, and health funding.

Mike Simmons blends personal experience with policy focus: Economic justice and stability.

Mike Simmons’ energy and vision translates:
Concrete law and policy.

Q: Why not elect IL Senator Laura Fine for Congressional D9?
(FYI – Fine is also running for State Central Committee person which is leadership position within the Illinois Democratic Party)

A: Moral Compass Sold Separately.

Legislative output:
The number of bills a lawmaker “develops” can vary widely depending on seniority, committee assignments, leadership roles, and whether they serve in the majority/minority party. Bill counts alone don’t always reflect influence or effectiveness. Her output is on par with Mike Simmons and they are on some of the same committees.  

AIPAC:
Fine has taken thousands of dollars from Israel special interest organizations such as AIPAC’s Pac. For months she has denied this. Only recently admitting it. The truth is she is for sale and has no problem aligning with an organization that is not shy about its efforts to undermine our elections for the benefit of the government of Israel (Netanyahu’s Likud party is strong opposed to two state solution) How can she rally against ICE but take money from an organization that supports a leader who unleashed a genocide?

Mike Simmons refuses special interest money and understands AIPAC’s intentions. He is not a traitor to We the People or Jews or Palestine’s who are seeking to end the conflict, unite for HUMANITARIAN ACTION, and a two state solution.

https://evanstonnow.com/fine-denies-aipac-support-despite-planned-fundraiser-with-groups-president/

https://dailynorthwestern.com/2026/02/22/city/super-pac-reportedly-backed-by-aipac-airs-first-attack-ad-in-congressional-race/

Q: Why not elect Evanston Mayor and previous IL Senator Daniel Biss for Congressional D9?
(FYI – Biss is also running for State Central Committee person which is leadership position within the Illinois Democratic Party)

A: Moral Compass Lacking Required Direction

October 4, 2017:  I attended the Gubernatorial Candidate Forum at NIU. Daniel Biss was serving as and IL State Senator and running for governor of Illinois. Illinois had recently enacted the Illinois Trust Act, which Biss had co-sponsored. The Trust Act  was intended to limit local law enforcement cooperation with federal immigration enforcement, particularly U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

On September 8, 2017 The McHenry County sheriff was sued  for  refusal to release an inmate who, his lawyers at KRV said , should have been freed on bail under the Trust Act.

Lawyers representing the Crystal Lake man, Niceforo Macedo-Hernandez, say McHenry County authorities are not complying with the Trust Act, which Gov. Bruce Rauner signed into law last week and which says that, without a judge’s warrant, state and local authorities can’t arrest or detain people based on their immigration status alone.

After the forum I approached then IL Senator Daniel Biss and I explained to him the complete predicament Niceforo Macedo-Hernandez was facing and how KRV Law  and activists in our community were trying to stop the abuse of the system that  Sheriff Prim was inflicting . I asked for his help. I said we needed his voice.  I wrote down the sheriff’s name the state’s attorney’s name also the phone number for KRV law and handed them to Biss. He asked me for my contact information and I gave it to him.

Daniel Biss never showed up in McHenry County. Niceforo Macedo-Hernandez did not register in his heart. He never called KRV, the attorney that was working on the case.
https://krvlegal.com/ridings-northwest-herald-misses-mark-trust-act/2017/09/

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2017/09/09/mchenry-co-sheriff-sued-for-not-releasing-immigrant-detainee-under-new-law/

https://www.wcia.com/news/capitol-news/family-suing-sheriff-over-trust-act

In October 2025 I went to the Congressional D9 candidate forum at Oakton Community College. I handed Biss a printed PDF that recapped our meeting at NIU in 2017 when he was a senator seeking a role as governor. I watched him read it. Then he looked at me. I asked him why never followed through. He said that the only thing he could think of was that his campaign got really busy and he could not be everywhere at once. He apologized. I made sure he knew that Niceforo Macedo-Hernandez had disappeared.

Mike Simmons, currently a senator seeking a congressional seat, would never have turned away. He would have reached out to KRV Law immediately. He would have engaged and brought his voice to our community. His moral compass has never needed adjustment.

Mike recently joined me as I went to doors in ALG35. I never in a billion years thought that the IL Senator I had admired for SO LONG would be walking my precinct with me! I could not stop smiling as I introduced him to voters.

Elect Mike Simmons to Congress for IL D9 and hold him near and dear! Trust me you will be very happy that you did! Mike plans to have a constituent office in Algonquin Township. He wants to connect!

https://www.mikesimmons.org