- Harish Patel with Community leaders and members at Downtown Chicago
CHICAGO: Harish I. Patel, Democratic contender for State Representative in Illinois’ 40th Legislative District, discussed his progressive policy agenda for the communities of Avondale, Logan Square, Albany Park and Irving Park on December 16, 2015 with a room full of local Muslim community leaders.
Patel, who immigrated to Chicago from India when he was just 14 years old, said he is running to bring independent Democratic leadership to the communities of the 40th District and many elected officials, including his opponent, who are supposed to stand up against privatization and budget cuts, are often only interested in getting along with the power brokers.
“We need to stand up strongly against the right-wing, destructive agenda of Governor Rauner, which prioritizes corporate interests and resorts to corrupt politics. These anti-people practices have been hurting all of us adversely for a long time,” said Patel.
Patel said he is devastated by Gov. Rauner’s shortsighted cuts, while the current State Representative fails to effectively fight back. He added that people are in desperate need of real independent and progressive leadership to effectively address their concerns and to move the State of Illinois forward.
He will rally for a fair income tax, in which wealthy and big corporations pay their fair share in taxes, fight back against devastating cuts to social services, support an equitable funding model for public schools, support democratically-elected school boards, and champion fully funding pensions for public employees.
Patel has a strong track record of working on progressive issues as a part of numerous eminent organizations across Chicago, including Southwest Youth Collaborative, Chicago Votes, Illinois Coalition for Immigrant & Refugee Rights, and more. “This rich exposure to public life has prepared me to go to Springfield to bring people together, despite the gridlock, and to work for real solutions for the people of Illinois.”
To learn more about his campaign, check out www.harishipatel.com/vote
Asian Media USA
