SKOKIE, IL — A former state representative who lost her seat after facing misleading negative ads has founded an educational nonprofit to push politicians to pledge to adopt fair campaign practices.
Denyse Stoneback lost her seat in the primary two years ago to State Rep. Kevin Olickal, a fellow Skokie Democrat. Stoneback, a longtime advocate of increased firearm regulations, was accused during the campaign of standing with the National Rifle Association because of her decision not to vote for a compromise gun control bill.
On the eve of her departure from office, Stoneback proposed the Truth in Politics Act, which would have made it mandatory for Illinois candidates to sign onto the Code of Fair Campaign Practices and a misdemeanor offense to make a political statement that is “only partially true.”
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Once she left Springfield, she sued her statehouse successor and her former allies in the gun control movement, GPAC, alleging a conspiracy against her that resulted in her 622-vote defeat in a civil suit that remains pending in Cook County court.
Now, Stoneback has announced the formation of a new nonprofit called Citizens for Ethical Campaigns, which is challenging candidates to commit to ethical campaigns by adopting the fair campaign code prior to the March 19 primaries.
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“If the people of Illinois want to see less corruption in government, they must demand that the candidates they elect be steadfast in their values of honesty and decency,” Stoneback said in a statement, “that starts with their campaign.”
A 35-year-old state law requires that every time a political committee is founded, the Illinois State Board of Elections, or ISBE, must give them a blank copy of the Code of Campaign Practices — seven principles of ethical and honest campaigning.
“The State Board of Elections or county clerk shall inform each political committee that subscription to the Code is voluntary,” according to the law.
“Candidates and committees are urged to abide by the provisions for campaigning outlined in the Fair Campaign Practices Act,” the election board’s candidate’s guide says. “This is a voluntary statement made and filed prior to an election, vowing that the candidate making the statement will conduct a positive, rather than a negative, campaign.”
Stoneback said she was delighted to see that at least 89 candidates running in this year’s primary have already adopted the code.
“We are just getting started,” Stoneback said. “We see momentum building and we anticipate there will be many more candidates who subscribe to the Code.”
The Citizens for Ethical Campaigns website has a list of those candidates, as well those in contested races. Users can also search on the ISBE website by clicking the box marked “Fair Campaign” while conducting a search of campaign disclosures.
The new group’s board of directors is composed of Stoneback, Ed Spire, Kathy Niekrasz and Loni Ulrich. Spire and Niekrasz have been active with progressive causes in the suburbs and Ulrich is a former village trustee in Skokie.
Ulrich said the group is hoping to raise awareness of the existence of the voluntary pledge and educate the public on its importance.
“Make it a normal thing to ask people. When people come and knock on my door, I say, ‘Has your candidate signed the pledge?” Ulrich told Patch.
And if not: “‘Well, ask them if they will, and if not, I’m not signing that petition,’ And hopefully other people feel that way.”
Ulrich said the new, self-funded nonprofit aims to expand and continue its mission promoting ethical campaigning.
“We hope we can get a lot of people to join us in our efforts,” Ulrich said. “And notify us when there’s mudslinging going on.”
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