In the latest from the fractious campaign for the 6th Ward, incumbent Ald. Tom Suffredin continued his emphatic denials of claims by challenger Candance Chow, who tied him to the state’s “pay-to-play politics” in a fiery Monday missive.
Her news release alleged that Springfield lobbyists have contributed more than $15,000 to Suffredin’s campaigns over the years. Furthermore, Chow said they have contributed $8,500 of his $13,000 total fundraising in 2025 — nearly 63% of the total — though these figures do not line up with state campaign records.
At the time of the release, Suffredin had raised $15,000, not $13,000, in 2025. Of the $15,000, $6,000 came from lobbyists registered with the state as of August 2024. As of Feb. 25, Suffredin has raised an additional $2,000, for a total of $17,000 this year.
Notably, the Illinois State Board of Elections does not itemize contributions under $150.
Chow also alleged Suffredin cuts “Springfield sweetheart deals” with interest groups.
She highlighted past campaign donor Michael Houlihan, whose firm, Drexwood Partners LLC, the city hired as its lobbyist in 2022. Houlihan donated $250 to Suffredin’s first campaign in 2017, and Drexwood Partners was founded afterward.
Chow alleged the campaign contributions from fellow Springfield lobbyists and Suffredin’s donor history were “questionable.” Suffredin has been a registered lobbyist in the state of Illinois since 2006.
In a statement to The Daily, Suffredin denied Chow’s claims. He also reiterated concerns aired in a missive sent by residents last week about her tenure on the Evanston/Skokie School District 65 school board.
She had voted to confirm the hiring of then-Superintendent Devon Horton in 2019, whose actions, the critics argued, drove District 65 into its budget crisis.
“This is another desperate attempt by my opponent to distract from her disastrous record at District 65, including her responsibility for the Horton hire,” Suffredin wrote in his statement to The Daily.
Suffredin also added that “her attacks won’t work” because Chow is the only candidate in the race who has undergone an ethics investigation.
In a copy of the executive summary of the 2018 investigation obtained by The Daily, Chow and her campaign for Illinois tate representative had sent a total of 70 emails to district employees between Sept. 25, 2017 and Feb. 14, 2018, violating the district’s ethics policy forbidding “political activity” during “compensated time.”
Ultimately, while the board acknowledged the actions were “inappropriate” and placed employees in an “awkward position,” it recommended no disciplinary action against Chow. The board cited the “careless” nature of the violations and its limited authority to discipline fellow board members.
Email: MarisaGuerraEcheverria2027@u.northwestern.edu
Related Stories:
— 6th Ward challenger Candance Chow responds to D65 accountability demand
— Bitter broadsides, personal digs animate debates among Evanston candidates
— 6th Ward incumbent Suffredin refutes challenger Chow’s ‘conflict of interest’ claims
