[kml_flashembed movie="http://www.youtube.com/v/173B1vzoub4" width="425" height="350" wmode="transparent" /]
But let’s point out something about Pera’s run for State House in 1996 and being included in his literature. So was his opponent:
Sun Times, October 21, 1996
State Rep. Eileen Lyons (R-Western Springs), who ousted Democratic incumbent David B. McAfee by 1,560 votes in 1994, is part of the movement that has transformed suburban politics. Her victory helped Republicans win control of the Illinois House for the first time since 1980.
Lyons, 55, a mother of four daughters who became a leader in school and civic activities in Western Springs, was urged to run by people who wanted more women in public office. “People kept telling me that we needed more women in government,” she said.
In Springfield, Lyons has been active in women’s health issues. She sponsored legislation that requires insurance and HMO coverage for at least 48 hours of inpatient care for mothers following a standard delivery of a newborn and 96 hours following a Caesarean section. When another legislative candidate proposed a similar idea at a recent forum, Lyons noted that Gov. Edgar recently had signed her legislation into law.
She co-sponsored tax caps for Cook County, legislation for Chicago school reform, and welfare reform.
Lyons also has taken a leadership role on environmental issues. When a group of constituents asked her to help block the construction of incinerators in the western suburbs, she responded. “I felt as though it was my obligation to help this community to halt this threat,” she said.
She was among the sponsors of legislation that repealed the Retail Rate Law that gave incinerator operators a no-interest, 20-year subsidy. Rep. William O. Lipinski (D-Ill.), who credited Lyons with helping block the proposed incinerators, has displayed her photograph in his campaign literature.
Lyons also worked with Lipinski to oppose the expansion of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District’s sewage reservoir in the McCook quarry.
Despite her accomplishments, Lyons is locked in a very tight race for re-election with Democrat Mark Pera, a lawyer and former member of the Western Springs Utilities Commission. Both candidates favor changing the way public education is funded and oppose a new regional airport at Peoton