May Endorses Drury For General Assembly Seat

to replace came with the endorsement of the incumbent Tuesday shortly after the candidate said he would seek the seat. 

Drury was in a since August before he decided to run for a seat in the Illinois General Assembly Tuesday. 

May, who has served a district consisting primarily of Lake Forest, Lake Bluff, Highland Park, Deerfield, Glencoe and Northbrook since 2001, likes the independence Drury has shown in his eight years as an assistant U.S attorney. 

“He has a good background in the U.S. Attorney’s office,” May said. “He will be an independent voice who is concerned with good government. It’s good to have new ideas. He will be a good public servant.” 

As a member of the state legislature, Drury hopes to push the same agenda he sought for the Lake County State’s Attorney’s office on a larger scale. “We can pass legislation to hold prosecutors accountable on DNA evidence all across the state,” Drury said. 

Drury also recognizes Illinois has other problems. Like many, he is concerned about the state’s financial condition and unemployment. He is confident he has the skills to persuade fellow legislators to support his ideas. 

“Illinois is in a fiscal mess,” Drury said. “We have to create an environment to bring jobs to Illinois and keep jobs here. If you have good ideas and explain them to the public, you get them through.” 

During his race for state’s attorney, Drury raised more than $23,000 and loaned his campaign $88,500, according to reports filed Sept. 30 with the Illinois State Board of Elections. 

Drury had $112,155 in the bank as of Sept. 30, according to the report. He hopes to have that money available for his campaign for the legislature. “We will talk to our supporters and I am confident they will continue to support us,” he said. 

At this point, no other Democrats have stated their intention to seek the nomination. Highland Park City Councilman Paul Frank and New Trier Democratic Organization President Priscilla Sperling of Glencoe had been considering a run but decided against it. 

Two Republicans, Lake Forest physician and Lake Forest business owner have declared their candidacies for the 58th Legislative District position. 

Turelli, who lost to May in 2010 with 43 percent of the vote, had been from Lake Forest before May decided to retire. Turelli then got into the race. Neerhof declared his candidacy against May in August.

“I entered this race even before Karen May decided to retire,” Neerhof said. “I believe my background and experience make me uniquely qualified to serve in the General Assembly.  I look forward to a strong Primary Election victory (on March 20) and to defeating whomever the Democrats nominate."

Turelli was surprised by Drury’s announcement, but is uncertain how his legal background translates to the concerns facing the General Assembly.

“It was my understanding he was leading the Democratic pack in the state’s attorney’s race,” Turelli said. “He has a strong background in law. We’ll see how that relates to issues in the legislature.”