South Cook News

Democrat Cook County State’s Attorney candidate Clayton Harris doesn’t have Bloom Township ties.

But his biggest backer, outgoing State’s Attorney Kim Foxx of Flossmoor does.

So this primary season, Bloom Township Democrats are aligning behind Harris over former Illinois Appellate Court Judge Eileen O’Neill Burke in the highly competitive March 19 primary.

Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx is backing Clayton Harris for State's Attorney | Facebook

Bloom Township Harris-backers include Bloom Township Democrats Chairman Monica Gordon, Chicago Heights Mayor David Gonzales, Bloom Township Supervisor T.J. Somer and Chicago Heights lawyer Luciano "Lou" Panici, Jr., who himself is running in a three-way race for Cook County judge.

Panici, lawyer Paul O'Grady of Orland Township and Associate Cook County Judge Allen Price Walker of Olympia Fields are running for an seat on Cook County’s 15th Sub-Circuit left open after Judge Anna Demacopoulos of Palos Heights retired on Oct. 23, 2023.

In 2020, Bloom Township Democrats carried it for Foxx in a four-way Democrat primary. Foxx won 66 percent of the vote there, compared to 20 percent for challenger Bill Conway, eight percent for Donna More and three percent for Bob Fioretti.

Foxx won suburban Cook County in 2020 with just 43 percent of the vote, to 36 percent for Conway, 16 percent for More and five percent for Fioretti.

The 15th Sub-Circuit includes parts of Lemont, Orland Park, Tinley Park, Markham, Hazel Crest, Country Club Hills, Matteson, Olympia Fields, Richton Park, Flossmoor, Homewood, Glenwood, Park Forest, Chicago Heights and South Chicago Heights.

Panici's Republican roots

Panici's father, Luciano "Lou" Panici, Sr., was attorney to Republican Bloom Township Supervisor Robert Grossi and second cousin of former Republican Chicago Heights Mayor Chuck Panici.

Grossi served as supervisor from 1981-1996, when he was convicted on federal charges of extortion, racketeering and theft of government funds.

Chuck Panici was mayor of Chicago Heights from 1975 to 1991 and also served as chairman of its once-powerful Republican Party. In 1993, he was convicted of bribery and racketeering, sentenced to ten years in federal prison.

In 1996, after Grossi's conviction, Panici, Sr. and Somer ran together as Republicans for Cook County Judge and U.S. Congress, respectively.

Panici, Sr. was rebuked in the race for claiming he had the endorsement of Republican then-Illinois Attorney General Jim Ryan.

Both Panici, Sr. and Somer lost.

Panici, Sr. ran again as a Republican for judge in 1998, but was again unsuccessful. He was later appointed as a Cook County associate judge.

Ryan sent Panici a letter that year demanding he stop distributing literature "bearing my endorsement," the Chicago Heights Star reported.

Somer ran as the Republican candidate for mayor of Chicago Heights in April 1999, losing to incumbent Angelo "Sam" Ciambrone by one vote, 4,360 to 4,359.

Four years later, in 2003, current State Rep. Anthony DeLuca (D-Chicago Heights) ran for mayor as a Republican and defeated Democrat Dave Zerante by 300 votes, winning 3,983 to 3,657.

DeLuca formally switched parties in 2009, when Bloom Township Democrats agreed to appoint him to his current Illinois House seat, in exchange for resigning from his mayor's post, bequeathing it to a Democrat.

Somer served as Bloom Township GOP chairman until switching parties in 2008 and running an unsuccessful candidacy as a Democrat for Cook County judge. He has served as Bloom Township Supervisor since 1997, eleven years as a Republican and 13 years as a Democrat.

In the 2020 U.S. Census, Chicago Heights, pop. 27,480, was 40 percent black, 37 percent Hispanic and 21 percent white.

In the 1990 U.S. Census, Chicago Heights had a population of 33,072 and was 35 percent black, 15 percent Hispanic and 50 percent white.