Patricia Bonk is Running for Illinois State Representative to Help Curb Illinois Violence

Patricia Bonk is Running for Illinois State Representative to Help Curb Illinois Violence
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Patricia Bonk is Running for Illinois State Representative to Help Curb Illinois Violence (Midlothian, IL) – Patricia Bonk said for the past few years she has been reading newspapers, watching the news and getting quite upset and concerned about the state of Illinois. 

“I am not one to sit back and let someone else do the job. I am not one to just sit back and be apathetic and say ‘oh well that’s just how it is. I am about change and I want to be part of that change in Illinois,” said Bonk, who has announced her candidacy for Illinois State Representative in the 30th District. 

Violence in Chicagoland

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One of telling signs that prompted her to seek signatures and run was the violence in the Chicago land area. In 2021, Chicago saw 836 homicides, according to data maintained by the Cook County medical examiner’s office. That is the county’s highest tally is the highest in 25 years. There were 3,651 shooting incidents last year, which is 300 more than in 2020 and 1,415 more than in 2019. She sees the solution as proper staffing, training and funding for police officers. 

“We are concerned about violence and concerned about our children being gunned down. We have innocent lives that we are losing,” said Bonk. “An impactful conversation that I had with a former co-worker was when she told me she couldn’t let her children go out and play outside. I find that very concerning.”

Pension System

She also believes the pension system needs to be fixed. A mother of three grown children and grandmother of one, she has lived in Midlothian for 10 1/2 years. She has spent the majority of her adult life as a nurse for 43 years; 30 of those years in the emergency department.

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“I still care about people and making sure they get the healthcare they need. I have seen people fall out of getting the healthcare they need because they don’t have insurance,” said Bonk. “I have seen people not getting the care they need whether it has to do with the present pandemic or receive the mental healthcare they need because the funding is not there. I have seen people sit in the emergency room department for more than 24 hours waiting to get into a mental health facility they need. That is not therapeutic.”

Taxes in Illinois

Bonk said she is troubled by the tax situation in Illinois. Illinois lost nearly 80,000 residents in 2020, marking the seventh straight year of population decline, according to new estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau.Illinois’ population is now 12,587,530, a decline of almost 2 percent since the beginning of the decade. 

“I am afraid that people are not keeping the money they need. The solutions in the past that we have had from the Illinois government have been just to raise taxes on people,” said Bonk. “People need to keep more of their money in their pockets to spend the way they wish.”

She was also a volunteer firefighter for six years, and back in 1978, she was only the second woman to join the department in Lemont. She said she will fight for the district with the same vigor that she fought for herself as a breast cancer survivor who has volunteered at the South Suburban Breast Cancer Walk since 2013.

Patricia Bonk is Running for Illinois State Representative to Help Curb Illinois Violence

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