Replacing Rahm: The Candidates, Part 4

By Hunter Clauss in News on Feb 19, 2009 6:25PM

Early voting has already begun in Illinois's Fifth Congressional District, and Chicagoist is taking a look at each of the candidates vying to keep Rahm Emanuel's seat warm for him. Read Part One here, Part Two here and Part Three here.

Victor Forys
Aside from being one of three doctors campaigning for Rahm Emanuel’s congressional seat, Dr. Victor Forys is the only Polish candidate who also hosts his own talk show in Chicago. Forys was 4 years old when he moved to America from Poland with his parents, but he returned to his native country while attending graduate school. During this time, Forys says he became a student organizer and took part in the Solidarity protests that overthrew the country’s communist government. One of Forys’s main platform issues: healthcare reform. Surprise. Forys also supports the controversial “Buy American” provision in economic stimulus package, and he also thinks privatizing Midway is a swell idea.

Jan H. Donatelli
Jan Donatelli is a former pilot for the U.S. Navy and commercial airliner Delta. She worked on President Barack Obama’s transportation policy team during his campaign, and pilots unions and the Association of Flight Attendants endorse her (it’s nice to know employees in the airline industry can always parachute elsewhere). Like Forys and Capparelli, Donatelli supports the controversial “Buy American” provision in the economic stimulus package, and opposes the privatization of Midway. Donatelli has six children and likes to remind people that she’s not a politician. She fooled us.

Frank Annunzio
Frank Annunzio is the great-nephew of former U.S. Rep. Frank Annunzio. Before eying the congressional seat formerly held by Emanuel, Annunzio served in the U.S. Navy, worked as a janitor for Chicago Public Schools, was a fireman and eventually landed his current job—General Superintendent of Plant Operations for the Chicago Housing Authority. Annunzio is the only candidate in the race who doesn’t support the economic stimulus package.

Cary Capparelli
Cary Capparelli’s got some interesting endorsements from the likes of former world lightweight boxing champion David Diaz and racecar drivers John Andretti and Andy Golota. Who knows, maybe there’s a huge NASCAR and Indy 500 following in the 5th Congressional District. But endorsements aside, Capparelli is the son of former 41st Ward Democratic Committeeman and state Rep. Ralph Capparelli. Cary holds a masters degree in journalism from Northwestern, and is currently working on a doctorate in geography from the University of London. Capparelli told the Chicago Tribune’s editorial board that he believes his conservative voice will resonant with voters in the district, which he thinks is more moderate than liberal. Yet Capparelli lives outside the district.