Meet the Elgin Township Democrats

Martha Paschke is a working mom and actively engaged community member. She is a certified middle school teacher and worked for over 14 years as a childbirth educator and labor doula. She currently works in mental healthcare. Martha’s extensive volunteer work includes serving on the Geneva Library Foundation, being a founding member and co-leader of Kane and Kendall County Moms Demand Action, and serving for 18 years in her church, Fox Valley Presbyterian. 

Martha believes that it is important to have representation that reflects the values of the community, which is why she is running for the opportunity to represent the people of the 65th House District. Martha is an ethical and compassionate leader who will work hard, listen to the concerns of the citizens of the 65th, and collaborate with members of the State Legislature to create solutions that work.

Learn more about Martha, follow her on social media and vote for her on November 3rd, 2020.

My name is Maura Hirschauer and I am a candidate for the Illinois House of Representatives in the 49th district. My husband and I are residents of Batavia, and are proud parents of three children. Prior to moving to the area, I was an elementary school teacher. Over the past six years, I have volunteered as a Girl Scout leader for my daughter, as well as on the executive board of the Batavia Mothers’ Club Foundation, a philanthropic organization that supports charitable efforts for women, children and families in the Fox Valley area. 

I am not a career politician. I am a mother, a former elementary educator, and a community activist. I found my voice advocating for change as a leader of my local Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America group. Raising my voice – whether it be to keep guns out of our schools, or strengthening our federal background check laws – has become a way of life. Advocating for common sense gun reform drove me to pursue change on a larger scale. My commitment to education, dedication to community service, and strong belief in advocacy have led me to this moment. I am excited to bring empathetic leadership to the Illinois statehouse and to work hard for the people of the 49th district.

I support the Fair Tax Amendment that will be on our November ballots. Our current tax structure is unfair and inadequate. Moving towards a fair tax is the most equitable way to address our state financial crisis while preserving and improving funding for the necessary services that Illinoisans value, like public education.

The economic, physical, and emotional impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic will long be felt throughout our state and country. Together, guided by the priorities that we hold dear, we can rebuild our communities to be strong, equitable, and inclusive. With dependable leadership in Springfield we will ensure that every Illinoisan has access to quality healthcare, including mental healthcare. We will expand paid family leave, and medical and parental leave, improving the quality of life for families across our state. We will fix our antiquated tax structure and guarantee that our public schools get the funding and resources they need to thrive. 

I will fight for these ideals in Springfield. I will bring your voice with me to our state’s capital. I look forward to getting to know you over the coming months. Our grassroots campaign is community powered, join us! Team Maura would love to have you! It will take all of us to be successful in November.

Please check out our website at www.votemaura.com, follow us on Facebook (@vote4maura), Instagram (@votemaura), and Twitter (@votemaura). 

Anna and her family have lived in the 43rd District since 1997, when she and her husband Marc chose Elgin, IL as a place to live and raise their two daughters, Madeline and Eleanor.

She is an experienced public administration professional working in economic development, community planning, budgeting and non-profit management.  In 2012 she was named to the inaugural class of the Edgar Fellowship program created  by former Illinois Governor Jim Edgar  and was admitted into the Pi Alpha Alpha Honor Society for Public Administration and Public Policy in 1999.

She is an active volunteer in the Elgin community and has served on the Human Relations Commission, Planning and Development Commission, as Vice-President of the Northeast Neighborhood Association, Treasurer of the Channing Elementary School PTO, tutor for the Literacy Connection, member of the design team for the Elgin Math and Science Elementary School and as an elected member of the Elgin City Council.

Anna has a BA in History and Master of Public Administration (MPA) from Northern Illinois University.

Learn more about Anna on her website and vote for her on November 3, 2020.

My name is Cherryl Fritz Strathmann. I have been an Elgin resident since I was a small child. I raised my kids here as well. I have always been active and engaged in the community. It started with things with my kids, PTA member. Girl Scout leader, Citizen Advisory Board for U-46 schools.

I became a small business owner in 1996, and semi retired in the fall of 2018. I have been a docent for the Kane County Forest Preserve District and am currently a volunteer with the Master Gardeners through the University of Illinois Extension.

My first real political involvement was with Equal Rights Amendment. It was there I learned about the political process of writing to our elected leaders, signing petitions and Non-violent demonstrations. I started working on the presidential campaign in 2008, writing letters and postcards, and knocking on doors in 4 states.

It was after the re-election of President Obama, that I came to realize the importance of local politics. Like many of us I have knocked on doors, passed petitions, and campaigned for the candidates that are our friends and neighbors, who work hard to serve our communities.

I never entertained the idea that one day I would be one of those candidates. But here I am, running for a seat on the County Board, District 20. Kane County has a geographic area that is about half the size of the state of Rhode Island and a bigger population than the whole state of Wyoming. The policies and decisions of the County Board affect all of us in our daily lives. I look forward to being a part of that process to work for the betterment of our residents.

Hello, my name is Winfried Cordell Cooper and I’m currently the Sergeant at Arms for the Elgin Township Democrats.

I became a resident in Elgin in 2006 as a student of Elgin High. After i graduated a year later I attended Elgin Community College where i wanted to know how to help people. I decided to take time off to get more hands on experience, so i successfully joined the Elgin Image Commission followed by the Elgin Human Relations Commission.

Feeling I can be more effective than a few meetings each month, I decided to join the Elgin Township Democrats and become more active as a leader in a role as the precinct committee person in the 11 precinct.

While sticking to my motto “Voting is an Investment” I have been making positive changes in my neighborhood. As Sergeant at Arms it is my job to defend and protect the party so I could help countless candidates across the county.