Windy City Media Group Frontpage News

THE VOICE OF CHICAGO'S GAY, LESBIAN, BI, TRANS AND QUEER COMMUNITY SINCE 1985

home search facebook twitter join
Gay News Sponsor Windy City Times 2023-12-13
DOWNLOAD ISSUE
Donate

Sponsor
Sponsor
Sponsor

  WINDY CITY TIMES

Tom Dart: Gunning for Sheriff
by Andrew Davis
2006-03-15

This article shared 6581 times since Wed Mar 15, 2006
facebook twitter google +1 reddit email


On March 21, Tom Dart hopes to garner enough votes to become the next Cook County Sheriff. Currently the chief of staff for Sheriff Michael Sheahan, Dart paints himself as a lifelong public servant who is an advocate for victims. Dart recently talked with Windy City Times about jailbreaks and gay-rights issues.

Windy City Times: You're currently chief of staff. What duties does that entail?

Tom Dart: It's a hodgepodge. I [ deal with ] policy and work with department heads on how we can do things better. I've been involved with specific and general things, including visitation issues.

WCT: I know you've been asked a thousand times about the Cook County jailbreaks. Why do you think they happened?

TD: I've told people that the problem I always have is that people act like life just started at six this morning. You have to have historical perspective. Historically speaking, before Mike Sheahan became sheriff they were averaging one escape every six weeks. While he was sheriff, there were no escapes for 10 years.

There were members of our office who could've and should've done a better job, and they've been moved, demoted and even indicted. However, the underlying issue is that we've been requesting cameras and more correctional officers and we've been denied every year. This year, we finally got a bump in the number of officers—but only because the federal court ordered it.

Other than the last one, that involved an inside job, cameras and understaffing have been the main reasons. We just need the tools to run the jail adequately. Big-city jails are incredibly difficult to run; there are 10,000 people and 9,000 beds. [ Also, ] we move 1,500 people and have over 1,000 visitors each day.

WCT: Yes, but does that spate of jailbreaks [ three over the past few months ] concern you?

TD: Well, it bothers us, period. The timing sequence, well ... the last one [ involving several inmates escaping ] got the most notoriety and had a lot of troubling undertones to it ... .

WCT: How do you respond to your opponents, who charge that you hid when you could've shown leadership skills the whole time?

TD: That's the most insane statement that I've ever heard. That's like saying that there is no sun; certain things are factually inaccurate.

These gentlemen—and I use that term loosely—were running around, trying to find any television camera that would give them two seconds of time. I was at the jail addressing the issues and was in Cicero trying to get children out of a difficult situation where they were being held hostage. I was at the forefront. Of course I couldn't show up at press conferences; I was working! If I showed up at the press conferences, they would accuse me of not working. I don't know if they have jobs; they can show up whenever.

WCT: Have you read Stonewalled, the Amnesty International report on police abuse of LGBT individuals in four cities, including Chicago?

TD: I don't think I've read that one.

WCT: Well, what do you think you can do to ensure the safety of LGBT prisoners?

TD: I think there are two things. Whenever someone indicates that they have concerns about safety because of their orientation, they'll have the option of being placed in protective custody or being moved to a different unit. Those are the best things I can think of. WCT: What are your positions regarding same-sex marriage and civil unions?

TD: I have no problem with [either]. My record is so solid with the LGBT community. I've sponsored gay-rights bills [as a state representative]. The arguments against them never made sense to me. My record speaks for itself, which I'm excited about. I'm really proud that I stopped a bill that would've stopped LGBT people from adopting children; I just didn't allow it to be called.

WCT: In a nutshell, why are you the best man for the job? What gives you the edge over Sylvester Baker, who has 22 years of experience?

TD: I have no problems with my opponents on a personal level, but they have little niche experiences with the Cook County Sheriff's office. I enforced the law for five years as a prosecutor. I wrote the law for 11 years as a state legislator. I was chairman of both the Judiciary and Prisons committees. I also have been chief of staff for three years. My grasp of the office is head-and-[shoulders] above everyone else.

See www.DartForSheriff.com .


This article shared 6581 times since Wed Mar 15, 2006
facebook twitter google +1 reddit email

Out and Aging
Presented By

  ARTICLES YOU MIGHT LIKE

Gay News

NATIONAL Political candidates, flag controversy, HRC gala, New York Times, Disney 2024-03-29
- In California, of the historic 30 LGBTQ+ legislative candidates who ran in the March 5 primary, more than half are moving on to the fall ballot, The Bay Area Reporter noted. Based on the still unofficial ...


Gay News

Thailand parliament passes landmark marriage bill 2024-03-27
- On March 27, Thailand's parliament approved a marriage-equality bill by an overwhelmingly large margin—a landmark step that moves one of Asia's most liberal countries closer to legalizing same-sex unions, media ...


Gay News

Kara Swisher talks truth, power in tech at Chicago Humanities event 2024-03-25
- Lesbian author, award-winning journalist and podcast host Kara Swisher spoke about truth and power in the tech industry through the lens of her most recent book, Burn Book: A Tech Love Story, March 21 at First ...


Gay News

Wyoming is latest state to ban gender-affirming care for minors 2024-03-24
- On March 22, Wyoming became the latest state to prohibit gender-affirming care for minors, The Hill noted. In doing so, it joined 23 other states that passed laws restricting or banning the treatment. Legislators in both ...


Gay News

Chicago alder proposes renaming street after Obama 2024-03-22
- Openly gay Black Chicago Ald. Lamont Robinson has proposed renaming Columbus Drive after former U.S. President and city resident Barack Obama, media outlets noted. The street stretches through the Loop from East Grand Avenue to DuSable ...


Gay News

Congressional Equality Caucus on FY24 bills passing the house 2024-03-22
--From a press release - WASHINGTON, DC — Today, Chair of the Congressional Equality Caucus, Rep. Mark Pocan (WI-02), released the following statement after the House successfully passed the final funding bills for Fiscal Year ...


Gay News

WORLD Uganda items, HIV report, Mandela, Liechtenstein, foreign minister weds 2024-03-21
- It turned out that U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Senior LGBTQI+ Coordinator Jay Gilliam traveled to Uganda on Feb. 19-27, per The Washington Blade. He visited the capital of Kampala and the nearby city of ...


Gay News

NATIONAL Va. marriage bill, AARP, online counseling, Idaho items, late activist 2024-03-21
- Republican Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin signed bills protecting same-sex marriages at a state level, surprising some, WRIC reported. The bills—passed out of both chambers along mostly party lines—will require clerks ...


Gay News

LGBTQ+ candidates Marcelino Garcia, Precious Brady Davis win primary elections to keep MWRD seats 2024-03-21
- Marcelino Garcia and Precious Brady-Davis, the two openly LGBTQ+ incumbents in the race to keep their seats on the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District (MWRD), won their primary elections and will move on to the general this ...


Gay News

Small LGBTQ+ candidate pool nevertheless scores some important victories March 19 2024-03-20
- Relatively few openly LGBTQ+ candidates were running in the March 19 Illinois Primary Election. But there were some significant contests in play at the local, state and federal levels. Openly gay Ald. Ray Lopez (15th Ward) ...


Gay News

Gay Irish prime minister to step down 2024-03-20
- In a surprise move, openly gay Irish Prime Minister (or Taoiseach) Leo Varadkar has announced his resignation, citing "personal and political, but mainly political reasons," according to CNN. Varadkar said he felt he was no longer ...


Gay News

Chicago's LGBTQ+ Advisory Council sets a new course 2024-03-18
- Chicago's LGBTQ+ Advisory Council held its first meeting of the calendar year on Feb. 28 at City Hall in the Loop under the leadership of the recently appointed chair Jin-Soo Huh. The LGBTQ+ Advisory Council is ...


Gay News

NATIONAL Missouri measure, HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, judge, Texas schools 2024-03-15
- In Missouri, a newly proposed law could charge teachers and counselors with a felony and require them to register as sex offenders if they're found guilty of supporting transgender students who are socially transitioning, CNN noted. ...


Gay News

PASSAGES: Former Chicago Commission on Human Relations chair Clarence Wood 2024-03-13
- LGBTQ ally and former Chicago Commission on Human Relations (CCHR) Chair and Commissioner Clarence N. Wood died March 5. He was 83. Wood was born April 14, 1940, in Alabama. While primarily raised in Alabama, Wood ...


Gay News

Longtime LGBTQ+-rights activist David Mixner dies at 77 2024-03-12
- On March 11, longtime LGBTQ+ and HIV/AIDS activist David Mixner—known for working on Bill Clinton's presidential campaign but then splitting from him over "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" (DADT)—died at age 77, The Advocate reported. ...


 


Copyright © 2024 Windy City Media Group. All rights reserved.
Reprint by permission only. PDFs for back issues are downloadable from
our online archives.

Return postage must accompany all manuscripts, drawings, and
photographs submitted if they are to be returned, and no
responsibility may be assumed for unsolicited materials.

All rights to letters, art and photos sent to Nightspots
(Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago
Gay and Lesbian News and Feature Publication) will be treated
as unconditionally assigned for publication purposes and as such,
subject to editing and comment. The opinions expressed by the
columnists, cartoonists, letter writers, and commentators are
their own and do not necessarily reflect the position of Nightspots
(Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago Gay,
Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender News and Feature Publication).

The appearance of a name, image or photo of a person or group in
Nightspots (Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times
(a Chicago Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender News and Feature
Publication) does not indicate the sexual orientation of such
individuals or groups. While we encourage readers to support the
advertisers who make this newspaper possible, Nightspots (Chicago
GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago Gay, Lesbian
News and Feature Publication) cannot accept responsibility for
any advertising claims or promotions.

 
 

TRENDINGBREAKINGPHOTOS







Sponsor


 



Donate


About WCMG      Contact Us      Online Front  Page      Windy City  Times      Nightspots
Identity      BLACKlines      En La Vida      Archives      Advanced Search     
Windy City Queercast      Queercast Archives     
Press  Releases      Join WCMG  Email List      Email Blast      Blogs     
Upcoming Events      Todays Events      Ongoing Events      Bar Guide      Community Groups      In Memoriam     
Privacy Policy     

Windy City Media Group publishes Windy City Times,
The Bi-Weekly Voice of the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Trans Community.
5315 N. Clark St. #192, Chicago, IL 60640-2113 • PH (773) 871-7610 • FAX (773) 871-7609.