Carol Ronen

Infobox_State_Senator
name=Carol Ronen


state_senate=Illinois
state=Illinois
district=7th
term=2000 - 2008
preceded=
succeeded=Heather Steans
date of birth=birth date and age|1945|03|28
place of birth=Chicago, Illinois
date of death=
place of death=
spouse=
profession=
religion=Jewish
party=Democratic|

Carol Ronen was a Democratic member of the Illinois Senate, representing the 7th District from 2000-2008.

Early life

Ronen graduated from Bradley University with a degree in Political Science. She went on to earn her master’s degree from Roosevelt University in Public Administration.

Public service

Before becoming state senator, Ronen served in the Illinois House of Representatives from 1993-2000. In the 2006 General Election, she defeated Republican candidate Frank Thomas.

Senate career

Ronen was first appointed to the senate in 2000 after the resignation of longtime incumbent Arthur Berman [ [http://www.chicagoreader.com/features/stories/theworks/071115/ "Forty-Eighth Ward Follies," Chicago Reader, Nov. 15, 2007] ] , and was elected without an opponent. Her legislative priorities have focused on children and early childhood development; health care, violence prevention; and protecting human rights, which she believes include a woman’s right to reproductive choice.

Ronen has received much recognition for her work as a progressive politician. In 2004, the Independent Voters of Illinois-Independent Precinct Organization (IVI-IPO) awarded her the Ethel Parker award for having the best voting record on progressive, good government bills. In 2004, she received the Woman of the Year Award from the Bosnian Herzegovian Organization in recognition of her work to provide services to immigrant communities. The same year she was also awarded the Policy Advocacy Award from Illinois Action for Children for her efforts to expand and improve child care across Illinois.

Ronen was the lead sponsor of the Illinois Human Rights Act which protects Illinois residents from discrimination based on sexual orientation.

Because of her commitment to equal rights, she led a successful effort to increase the minimum wage in Illinois and pass the Equal Pay Act which increases the number of women covered by equal pay protections and provides strong state enforcement.

Ronen formally announced in late October, 2007 that she was stepping down and would not finish her term. [ [http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2007/11/ronen-leaving-illinois-senate-seat-jan.html Chicago Free Press, Oct. 31, 2007] ] Her resignation sparked a last-minute special election race for her seat between community activist Suzanne Elder and Democratic funder Heather Steans, and a controversy over the timing of the move. [ [http://www.windycitymediagroup.com/gay/lesbian/news/ARTICLE.php?AID=16529 Amy Wooten, "Harris, Mell to Run Unopposed — Ronen responds", Windy City Times, 11-07-2007.] Retrieved on 2-1-2008.] Steans took the seat following her victory in the primary election in February 2008.

Pension Scandal

In 2008, Ronen was hired by Governor Rod Blagojevich for a position in Illinois state government which she held for approximately sixty days. She claimed she resigned to volunteer for the Barack Obama presidential campaign. Her short stint as an aide to the governor bumped her annual state pension by some $38,000 to over $100,000. Several newspapers editorialized against this and noted that Illinois has one of the largest underfunded pension obligations in the nation.

References

External links

* [http://www.carolronen.org/ Senator Ronen] official website
* [http://www.ilga.gov/senate/Senator.asp?MemberID=1005 Illinois General Assembly - Senator Carol Ronen (D) 7th District] official IL Senate website
** [http://ilga.gov/senate/SenatorBills.asp?MemberID=1005 Bills] , [http://ilga.gov/senate/SenCommittees.asp?MemberID=1005 Committees]
*"Follow the Money" - Carol Ronen
** [http://www.followthemoney.org/database/StateGlance/candidate.phtml?si=200614&c=417390 2006] [http://www.followthemoney.org/database/StateGlance/candidate.phtml?si=200414&c=407221 2004] [http://www.followthemoney.org/database/StateGlance/candidate.phtml?si=200214&c=25451 2002] [http://www.followthemoney.org/database/StateGlance/candidate.phtml?si=200014&c=355502 2000] [http://www.followthemoney.org/database/StateGlance/candidate.phtml?si=199814&c=355096 1998] [http://www.followthemoney.org/database/StateGlance/candidate.phtml?si=199614&c=354684 1996] campaign contributions
* [http://votesmart.org/bio.php?can_id=BS024490 Project Vote Smart - Senator Carol Ronen (IL)] profilehttp://www.pantagraph.com/articles/2008/06/19/opinion/doc4859c24d9ffee689496863.txt