ENDORSEMENT: Eva-Dina Delgado for Illinois House in 3rd District Democratic primary

State Rep. Luis Arroyo gave up this seat in the Illinois House last year after being charged with bribery. So be it. Arroyo wasn’t working the job hard anyway.

Voters in this Democratic primary have two respectable choices in state Rep. Eva-Dina Delgado, who was appointed to replace Arroyo, and Chicago Public Schools teacher Nidia Carranza.

Delgado is our pick. She has an impressive record of public service and an excellent understanding of the big policy issues. “I don’t need on-the-job training,” she said when we interviewed her — and this is true.

For three years, Delgado served on the Chicago Police Board, the civilian panel that handles police disciplinary cases. She joined the board while Mayor Lori Lightfoot was president. This was in the wake of the fatal shooting of Laquan McDonald, Delgado said, and the board worked to “change the way police accountability was done.”

Most recently, Delgado was manager of local government and community relations for Peoples Gas. While there, she helped set up a training program for CPS students. Delgado is a lawyer and former lobbyist. Much of her lobbying was done in Springfield for Mayor Richard M. Daley.

Our sole reservation with respect to Delgado is the manner in which she was appointed to the Legislature. Ald. Ariel Reboyras, Democratic committeeman of the 30th Ward, worked a deal with Arroyo, committeeman of the 36th Ward, to make it happen. It is a travesty that Arroyo was allowed any say at all.

That said, Delgado is easily the stronger candidate in this race, and we endorse her.

Illustration by Caroline Hurley

For more information about this race and others, including candidate questionnaires, go to our Illinois primary voting guide. Our newspaper is owned by a group of civic-minded and, in some cases, politically active investors; for details, see our owner information page.

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