JEFFERSON PARK — Seven candidates are seeking the Jefferson Park (16th) police district council seats. The district includes parts of Jefferson Park, Portage Park, Dunning, Norwood Park, Edison Park and O’Hare.
David Feller
A senior adviser for legislative affairs at the Cook County Sheriff’s Office, Feller ran Sheriff Tom Dart’s 2022 reelection campaign. He is the the 38th Ward Democratic Organization president and serves on a local school council.
Feller co-founded Dunning Square Neighbors and the West Portage Park Neighbors Association. With Dunning Square Neighbors, he helped lead a successful effort to stop a community hospital from closing. He served on former president Obama’s political staff before Obama became president, and is currently the volunteer President of the 38th Ward Democratic Organization.
Dart, Sens. Omar Aquino and Robert Martwick, Rep. Lindsey LaPointe, state treasurer Mike Frerichs, IUOE Local 150 and Mid-America Carpenters Regional Council have endorsed.
 Activist or organizer |  Ties to police or FOP |  Political endorsement |
Candidate questionnaire responses:
- Do you have experience as an activist or community organizer? Yes
- Do you have experience interacting with CPD? Yes
- Do you have experience working or interacting with government? Yes
- Should the city hire more police officers? Yes
- Is CPD adequately funded? Yes: funding should stay about the same.
- CPD reform: The police need training and some reform.
- Mental health crises: Police should accompany healthcare workers to mental health crises.
What do you consider the primary role of a police district councilor to be?
- Communicating with the department on behalf of the community
Why are you running for Police District Council?
I am running because I have spent my entire life in the City of Chicago and my entire career in Law Enforcement.
I am aware at this critical moment that there are major problems with Policing. Both in the way policing is delivered to the community and the apparent inability of the Chicago Police to solve crimes at the rate which gives people any confidence that they will be safe in their communities.
These are coupled with a lack of trust and unwillingness on the part of the community to work with the Police to improve community relations.
When this Office was created by the City Council, I felt compelled to involve myself in the process. I wanted to be involved because I know from the practical experience I have in law enforcement, that while there are great police officers and great policing strategies, mixed in with that are bad police officers and equally bad policing strategies. We need someone who can identify problems and propose reasonable solutions.
Fortunately, I am also aware that this election will bring out people who are either blindly devoted to backing the Police no matter what the circumstances were and there are those who will mercilessly attack the Police no matter what the circumstances were.
I think it’s important to bring my experience and my leadership so I can be a reasonable voice in this discussion on how to improve the performance of our Police for the betterment of all the citizens of the City of Chicago.
Colleen Mary Dillon
An Edison Park resident, Dillon told the Reader, “I know what it’s like to worry about the safety of our children and the future they face.” The Fraternal Order of Police, Chicago Firefighters Local 2, Alds. Anthony Napolitano (38th Ward) and Nicholas Sposato (41st Ward) have endorsed.
The candidate has not yet responded to our questionnaire.
Ties to police or FOP | Political endorsement |
Daniel Martin
A former intern for 41st Ward Ald. Anthony Napolitano, Martin has worked for 38th Ward Ald. Nicholas Sposato since 2019. He told the Reader he believes police funding should be increased, adding, “we hold an annual ‘support the police’ rally outside the 16th District police station.” Napolitano and Sposato, and the Fraternal Order of Police have endorsed.
Ties to police or FOP | Political endorsement |
Candidate questionnaire responses:
- Do you have experience as an activist or community organizer? Yes
- Do you have experience interacting with CPD? Yes
- Do you have experience working or interacting with government? Yes
- Should the city hire more police officers? Yes
- Is CPD adequately funded? No: funding should be increased.
- CPD reform: The police are doing a good job, and need more resources.
- Mental health crises: Police should accompany healthcare workers to mental health crises.
What do you consider the primary role of a police district councilor to be?
- Communicating with the department on behalf of the community
Why are you running for Police District Council?
I am a proud resident of Chicago, born and raised on the northwest side. I believe in community building through active public service. I come from a long line of first responders who have dedicated their lives to the Chicago Police and Chicago Fire departments.
I love the northwest side and I wear that pride on my sleeve every day. The city of Chicago has seen a huge uptick in crime and a lack of justice in our judicial system, I refuse to stand by and lose our city. I am running for the police [district council] to bring a strong common sense community voice to the 16th District. It’s time to take back our communities and make the streets safe once again.
Colleen Murphy
A resident of Jefferson Park, Murphy has been the president of the Jefferson Park Neighborhood Association (JNPA) for five years and the organization’s zoning chairperson for six. She says, “Police at various levels up to district commanders have come to [JNPA] meetings many times.” Murphy has been accepted to the CPD’s Civilian Police Academy.
Alds. Nicholas Sposato (38th) and Jim Gardiner (45th) have endorsed.
Activist or organizer | Political endorsement |
Candidate questionnaire responses
- Do you have experience as an activist or community organizer? Yes
- Do you have experience interacting with CPD? Yes
- Do you have experience working or interacting with government? Yes
- Should the city hire more police officers? Yes
- Is CPD adequately funded? Yes: funding should stay about the same.
- CPD reform: The police are doing a good job, and need more resources.*
- Mental health crises: Police should accompany healthcare workers to mental health crises.
*I believe most officers do a good job, but more resources are needed. We do not have enough officers on the street. Police also need to be better trained. We also need to find a way to get rid of abusive officers.
What do you consider the primary role of a police district councilor to be?
- Communicating with the department on behalf of the community
Why are you running for Police District Council?
I am concerned about crime and I would like to serve my community in an additional capacity.
John Marcatante
A resident of Norwood Park East, Marcatante filed ballot petitions with the assistance of the Fraternal Order of Police’s election attorney, Perry Abbasi, who told the Reader the FOP referred Marcante to him. Marcante did not respond to requests for comment. The Fraternal Order of Police has endorsed.
The candidate has not yet responded to our questionnaire.
Ties to police or FOP |
Trisha Kannon
A realtor who lives in Jefferson Park, Kannon has been endorsed by Local IUOE 399 and Ald. Anthony Napolitano (41st).
She provided the following statement to the Reader:
Through my work as a real estate agent and an active member of our community, I have long understood the concerns for improving policing and public safety in the district.
Over the past decade, I have worked to bring our police officers and neighbors together through holiday catering events and thoughtful dialogue.
As your elected member of the District Council, I will work to bring stronger connections between the police and our community, develop and implement community policing in a collaborative setting, develop proactive programs and ensure that we have a voice in the Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability.
Please vote for me on February 28, 2023 and I will make sure we are true partners with our police by solving problems, addressing manpower levels and setting priorities together to make our neighborhoods safer.
The candidate declined to respond to our questionnaire.
Political endorsement |
Dan Butterworth
A bank vice president, Butterworth enrolled in the Citizen Police Academy in suburban North Chicago. He has expressed support for police officers—and also for the Innocence Project, a nonprofit organization that seeks to exonerate wrongfully convicted people. He says, “Citizens must keep a watchful eye to ensure the fine line between safety and liberty is walked.”
Candidate questionnaire responses
- Do you have experience as an activist or community organizer? No
- Do you have experience interacting with CPD? Yes
- Do you have experience working or interacting with government? No
- Should the city hire more police officers? Yes
- Is CPD adequately funded? Yes: funding should stay about the same.
- CPD reform: The police need training and some reform.
- Mental health crises: Police should accompany healthcare workers to mental health crises.
What do you consider the primary role of a police district councilor to be?
- Communicating with the department on behalf of the community
Why are you running for Police District Council?
My district is home to over 200,000 residents, and approximately 1/3 of the department’s officers. Our city is capable of both supporting our officers for the good work they do while ensuring that citizens are heard through oversight and accountability measures such as the CCPSA to help restore the public’s perception of police legitimacy.