Jennifer Johnson
Pioneer Press Newspapers, Suburban Chicago
CHICAGO — A Chicago firefighter has been selected to represent residents of the state’s 15th State House district following the resignation of Rep. John D’Amico last month.
Michael Kelly was appointed to D’Amico’s seat on Nov. 23 by a committee of eight local Democratic leaders, including Maine Township Democratic Committeeman Laura Murphy, Niles Township Democratic Committeeman Lou Lang and State Sen. Ram Villivalam.
Kelly was among seven applicants for the position, each a resident of Chicago, applications show.
Murphy said it was Kelly’s years of service through his career as a firefighter that stood out to the committee.
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“I thought he would make the best representative for the 15th District, making it a seamless transition,” she said.
According to Kelly’s application, he has been a Chicago firefighter since 2003 and worked in sales for four prior to that. He is currently the athletic director at St. Edward School on Chicago’s Northwest Side.
Attempts to reach Kelly for comment were unsuccessful.
The 15th District currently includes portions of Chicago’s Northwest Side, Niles, Morton Grove, Park Ridge and Glenview. Under redistricting, the borders of the district are slated to change.
Kelly will serve out the remainder of D’Amico’s term, which ends in November 2022. The primary election will take place in June.
D’Amico announced he was retiring as state representative on Nov. 5. He had served in the Illinois General Assembly since 2004.
Other applicants for the 15th District vacancy included Christina Brophy, a social science department professor at Triton College; Daniel Cotter, an attorney; Vince Fattore, chief information officer for a distribution and manufacturing firm and a precinct captain in Chicago’s 39th Ward; Judy Kehoe, a member of several Illinois campaigns for Democratic candidates; John Melaniphy III, the director of economic development for the village of Niles; and Michael Rabbitt, a business leader with Argonne National Laboratory.
This week it was announced that Kelly has opened a local office for constituent services at 4200 W. Lawrence Ave. in Chicago’s Mayfair neighborhood.
The office is open weekdays from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and can be reached by calling 773-736-0218.
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