Both candidates seeking to replace former state Rep. Kelly Burke in the 36th District say public safety is a top priority to address in a district that encompasses multiple southwest suburbs.
Rick Ryan, 58, of Evergreen Park, has Burke’s endorsement and is facing Christine Shanahan McGovern, 54, of Oak Lawn, in the November election.
Ryan was one of two candidates in the Democratic Primary in March while Shanahan McGovern ran unopposed on the Republican side.
Ryan said as an attorney with many family members and friends who are police officers, he recognizes the struggles cops face as they work to keep communities safe.
“The common theme there is that they say, ‘We just need the tools to do our job. We know how to do our job, but we need the tools to do it and know the state’s attorney’s going to back us up,’” Ryan said. “We’ve got to start prosecuting the people that are committing the crimes.”
Ryan, who is an attorney, said he has had numerous conversations about public safety with the Democratic nominee for Cook County state’s attorney, Eileen O’Neill Burke, and believes, if elected, she can be part of the solution to “out of control” violent crime in the 36th district.
Shanahan McGovern embraces a similar tough on crime platform, but said Democratic leadership has promoted “pro criminal, anti victim” policies that resulted in a rise in crimes such as carjackings. She said she hopes to repeal the SAFE-T Act, legislation enacted in 2021 with the goal of instituting criminal justice reform and eliminating cash bail.
“It’s teaching these criminals that they’re not accountable for their actions,” Shanahan McGovern said. “We’re living in a Monopoly game where the criminals pass go and they get a free card to get out of jail.”
Rick Ryan (candidate photo)
The 36th district includes all or parts of Beverly, Evergreen Park, Chicago Ridge, Oak Lawn, Palos Hills and Worth.
Both Ryan and Shanahan McGovern said they would tackle historically high property taxes in the region.
Ryan said while the state legislature is limited in what direct action it can take, he would support instituting a cap on how much counties can raise assessments at a given time to avoid the sticker shock many south suburban homeowners experienced when they received their last bills.
“The people I’ve talked to understand that we’ve got to pay our taxes,” Ryan said. “If we don’t pay our taxes we don’t have public schools; we don’t have public safety — so everyone understands they’ve got to pay. It’s just that they have to be able to afford to pay it.”
Shanahan McGovern said she’s met people who have seen their home values increase as much as 150% during the most recent assessment.
“That’s going to make people not be able to afford living in their home, right?” she said. She said she would advocate for an audit of all state departments to understand where cuts can be made and, in turn, relieve the tax burden.
Ryan graduated from DePaul and earned a law degree from John Marshall Law School in Chicago. His law office is based in Oak Lawn and was an officer of the Southwest Bar Association. Ryan said he has volunteered in his community throughout 30 years in Evergreen Park, including as president of the village’s baseball league and the booster club.
Shanahan McGovern graduated from the University of New York with degrees in economics and communication. She said she also received a master’s degree at a university in London, England, and after returning to Illinois became active on school councils and worked within Chicago Public Schools as a substitute teacher.
State campaign finance disclosure reports show Shanahan McGovern’s campaign took in $1,245 in contributions during the April-June quarter, and at the end of June she had just over $1,900 available to spend.
For Ryan, receipts in the April-June period totaled about $13,000. Expenses for the quarter were $38,600, and at the end of the period the campaign had nearly $217,500 available to spend.
ostevens@chicagotribune.com
