State Rep. Nabeela Syed, D-Palatine, and her Republican opponent in this fall’s election, Ela Township Trustee Tosi Ufodike of Hawthorn Woods, believe knocking on doors to talk to voters is the key to victory.
They say they have knocked on thousands between them so far.
“People are complaining about the cost of living,” Ufodike, who says she has knocked on approximately 4,000 doors, said of what she has gleaned in her door-to-door campaigning. “They are opposed to the excessive property taxes we have in Illinois.
Syed credits individual voter contact with her victory two years ago. She said she has knocked on nearly 10,000 doors so far this election cycle. She is getting a sense of how voters view the issues.
“I’m hearing a lot of people say they want a sense of normalcy,” Syed said. “They’re struggling to keep up with the cost of groceries, and also paying for their prescription drugs.”
Voters will choose between Ufodike and Syed as their representative in the Illinois General Assembly’s 51st House District when they cast their ballots in the Nov. 5 general election to choose their advocate in the Illinois House of Representatives.
Since she was elected to the state legislature two years ago, Syed, 25, said she has made it her full-time job. After earning her undergraduate degree from the University of California at Berkeley, she worked for a not-for-profit organization combating voter suppression.
During her first term, Syed said she authored a bill that became law on Jan. 1 dealing with the cost of prescription drugs. It gives the Illinois attorney general authority to investigate price gouging — an unconscionable price change — of essential, off-patent or generic drugs.
“We still have flaws in Illinois, but I do feel optimistic about where we are heading and the laws we have passed,” Syed said.
Along with her duties for Ela Township, Ufodike, 49, operates a childcare business with her husband. Before moving to the area seven years ago, she spent more than 20 years as an auditor with a major corporation. She has an undergraduate degree from Landers University in South Carolina, and an MBA from Clemson University.
“Everyone I talk to complains about the cost of living,” Ufodike said. “I am running to help drive down the cost of living. We need common sense spending reforms. We have to look at every line item of the budget.”
Among the issues Ufodike puts at the top of her list is property tax reform. She said they are currently too high for the average homeowner. They are the highest in the country.
Property tax changes are important to Syed as well. She said “some very systemic” changes are needed. She knows of cases where seniors receive a cost of living adjustment from Social Security causing the individual to lose their homestead exemption.
As she goes door to door talking to constituents, Syed said she hears a lot of them talk about gun violence and mass shootings, particularly after two students and a pair of teachers were gunned down at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia on Sept. 4.
“So many people tell me they’re afraid to send their kids to school,” Syed said. “Preventing gun violence is a top priority of mine. We have to make sure people are educated about gun safety and safe storage.”
Ufodike said she does not hear many of the people she meets while knocking on doors express strong feelings about gun violence and safety. She believes too many people with revoked FOID cards still have weapons. Mental health access should improve, she said.
“As a mom, I know how important this issue is to many families,” Ufodike said in an email. “I support keeping firearms out of the hands of the dangerous and mentally ill. We need to do better with our mental healthcare access and we must do better at enforcing the gun laws that we have in place.”
The 51st District includes all or part of Barrington, Kildeer, Deer Park, Long Grove, Vernon Hills, Lake Zurich, Hawthorn Woods, Inverness, Palatine, Hoffman Estates and Rolling Meadows.
