Tom Rooney (Illinois politician)
Tom Rooney | |
|---|---|
| Member of the Illinois Senate from the 27th district | |
| In office September 28, 2016 – January 9, 2019 | |
| Preceded by | Matt Murphy |
| Succeeded by | Ann Gillespie |
| Mayor of Rolling Meadows | |
| In office May 2011 – September 2016 | |
| Preceded by | Ken Nelson |
| Succeeded by | Len Prejna |
| Personal details | |
| Born | March 24, 1968 Evanston, Illinois |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) | Sue Daniels Colleen Heffernan (d. 2005) |
| Children | 4 |
| Residence | Rolling Meadows, Illinois |
| Alma mater | Loyola University (B.A.) Northern Illinois University (M.P.A.) |
| Profession | Teacher |
Tom Rooney (born March 24, 1968) is a former Republican member of the Illinois Senate, representing the 27th district from 2016 to 2019. Previously, he served as Mayor of Rolling Meadows and as a member of the Rolling Meadows city council.
Personal life
[edit]Rooney received a B.A. in History from Loyola University Chicago and an M.P.A. from Northern Illinois University. He is a graduate of Evanston Township High School and was elected Youth Governor in the Illinois State Youth and Government program.
He and his wife, Sue, have four sons: Chris, Brian, Adam, and Christopher.[1]
He has taught social studies at West Leyden High School for over 20 years, and continued to teach while serving in the legislature.[2]
Political career
[edit]In 2000, he was appointed to a vacancy on the Rolling Meadows city council, and he was re-elected in 2001 and 2005. He decided not to run for re-election in 2009 due to his commitment to term limits. In 2011, he was elected Mayor of Rolling Meadows and ran unopposed for a second term in 2015.[1] In the 2016 Republican Party presidential primaries, Rooney was a delegate pledged to the presidential campaign of Marco Rubio.[3]
In September 2016, he was appointed to the Illinois Senate to replace outgoing Senator Matt Murphy.[4][5] In the 2018 general election, he lost 52%-48% to Democratic candidate Ann Gillespie.[6]
References
[edit]- ^ a b "Tom Rooney: Candidate profile". Daily Herald. 2018-10-13. Retrieved 2019-02-02.
- ^ Press, Pioneer. "Split schedule to allow new state senator to continue teaching at West Leyden". chicagotribune.com. Retrieved 2019-02-02.
- ^ Robb, Tom (January 28, 2016). "Local Candidates For Presidential Delegate". Journal and Topics. Retrieved October 4, 2019.
- ^ Lester, Kerry (September 15, 2016). "Rolling Meadows' mayor to replace Murphy in state Senate". Daily Herald. Retrieved September 15, 2016.
- ^ Lester, Kerry (September 28, 2016). "Will Roskam debate for first time in 8 years?: Swearing in". Retrieved September 29, 2016.
- ^ Shields, Todd (November 7, 2018). "Democratic newcomer flips seat, wins Illinois Senate's 27th District". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved November 26, 2018.