By Steve Metsch
Abdelnasser Rashid
A one-term state representative and a retired Chicago police officer will square off in the March 19 Democratic primary for the 21st House District.
Incumbent Abdelnasser Rashid, 34, of Bridgeview, is challenged by Vidal Vasquez, 62, of Chicago’s Garfield Ridge community.
This isn’t Vasquez’ first foray into politics.
He ran an unsuccessful campaign for alderman in Chicago 20 years ago. He was persuaded by acquaintances to run this year vs. Rashid.
“As soon as this guy, Rashid, won (two years ago), I got calls encouraging me to run,” Vasquez said. “Game on. Here I am.”
Vasquez worked for the Chicago Police Department for 32 years. His last four years were spent running a homicide detective team based at 51st and Wentworth. He retired in 2017.
Vidal Vasquez
For the past three years, he’s been a detective with the Amtrak Police Department: “We stay busy. Everything the city gets, we get, but we’re always in movement.”
Vasquez is married with four adult children, including 27-year-old triplets, one of whom is special needs.
Dealing with the public all these years have him qualified for the job of state representative, Vasquez said.
If elected, Vasquez plans “to develop relationships with those in power be it on a local level, state level or county level, and see what I can do to help the citizens in the district get what they need to make their lives a little better.”
Rashid has not “ingratiated himself with the district,” Vasquez said.
Residents of the district “don’t know who he is,” Vasquez claimed, adding he’s seen “frustrations and anger of non-response by an elected official.”
Rashid, the married father of four, countered that he has “been knocking on doors in every single village” and has had success introducing legislation in the General Assembly.
“I’ll be honest, I’ve never seen him,” he said of Vasquez.
Rashid said he has the support of many mayors in his district and U.S. Rep. Chuy Garcia.
Asked why he deserves another two-year term, Rashid said, “my work is not done,” adding “I’d be honored to be sent back by the voters.”
He noted, “In just over a year, I got five bills passed into law.”
Rashid passed a bill creating an artificial intelligence task force and was invited to the White House to discuss AI concerns.
“It’s here to stay, but we have to put the guardrails around it but also leverage the positive things,” he said of AI.
Rashid received a 100 percent pro-environment score from the Illinois Environmental Council.
Rashid introduced a law that would expand dual language courses in schools “so by the time you graduate from middle or high school, you’re proficient in that (second) language.”
Another law he introduced expands access to affordable housing.
And he introduced a bill that became law which makes Illinois the first state to count Arab-Americans in state data.
He’d like to find a way for more equitable funding by the state for public schools, rather than rely on property taxes, but did not offer a solution
“Very wealthy suburbs can have top notch education. Areas that are more middle class or working class will struggle to fund their schools and see higher property taxes.
“To me, it’s a priority to make sure we are doing as much as we can to invest in our schools. You don’t flip a switch and it happens overnight,” he said.
He supports investing in infrastructure that may help mitigate flooding.
“I heard from a lot of people last year that support from FEMA was limited. So, I introduced a bill that would have the state supply some additional assistance to those impacted by flooding.
“All that said, we have a lot more work to do,” he said.
If he beats Rashid and is elected in November, Vasquez said he plans “to develop relationships with those in power on a local, state or county level.”
“The citizens in the district deserve to get what they need to make their lives a little better,” he said.
Vasquez said he is “a standalone guy, in debt to no one,” hinting that Rashid does have to answer to higher-ups
“I have no problem making the difficult decisions of hurting someone’s feelings for the right reasons. I don’t have to go with the flow because the powers that be say we have to go with the flow. I don’t back down from a fight.”
Vasquez would have monthly meeting for veterans and seniors to keep each group abreast of legislation that may affect them.
Vasques said constituents say “thank you for running.”
The district covers part of the Southwest Side of Chicago and also has Cicero, Berwyn, Stickney, Forest View and Riverside.
The Chicago Tribune has endorsed Vasquez.
In its endorsement, the Tribune noted that Vasquez wants to address flooding, find more support for law enforcement and likes restoring a tax credit program for private schools.
When it expired, it perhaps contributed to the closure of some Catholic schools like St. Joe’s in Summit, Vasquez said.