jay paul deratany
photo credit // jay shaff
Chicago, IL -
With the help of 1,000 volunteers, Cook County Commissioner Forrest Claypool (I-Chicago) has obtained more than 90,000 signatures on petitions to place his name on the November ballot as a candidate for Cook County Assessor.
Claypool has been a staunch supporter of the LGBT community and was one of the first elected officials in the state to take a strong position of same sex marriage and equality in Illinois.
At a gathering at the home of gay community leader and attorney Jay Paul Deratany last week, Claypool announced that all legal requirements for his candidacy have been met.
While the Assessor's office may not have a specific impact on the LGBT community, Claypool told ChicagoPride.com "I do think it's important to have elected officials in prominent positions county wide and state wide to stand up for the community's agenda. I, for example, five years ago came out strongly for gay marriage."
"We have to fight for gay marriage and fight for total equality," added Claypool.
"I'm very excited that Forrest is running for office," Deratany told ChicagoPride.com. "He has been a strong supporter of the community. He is one of the early supporters of gay marriage." "We're a good strong community (LGBT) especially with our money, but we need to get votes" Deratany concluded.
Claypool has been involved in Chicago and Cook County politics for many years. He faces Democratic candidate Joe Berrios and Republican candidate Sharon Strobeck-Eckersal in the November election.
See more about Claypool's candidacy at forrestclaypool.com
Claypool has been a staunch supporter of the LGBT community and was one of the first elected officials in the state to take a strong position of same sex marriage and equality in Illinois.
At a gathering at the home of gay community leader and attorney Jay Paul Deratany last week, Claypool announced that all legal requirements for his candidacy have been met.
While the Assessor's office may not have a specific impact on the LGBT community, Claypool told ChicagoPride.com "I do think it's important to have elected officials in prominent positions county wide and state wide to stand up for the community's agenda. I, for example, five years ago came out strongly for gay marriage."
"We have to fight for gay marriage and fight for total equality," added Claypool.
"I'm very excited that Forrest is running for office," Deratany told ChicagoPride.com. "He has been a strong supporter of the community. He is one of the early supporters of gay marriage." "We're a good strong community (LGBT) especially with our money, but we need to get votes" Deratany concluded.
Claypool has been involved in Chicago and Cook County politics for many years. He faces Democratic candidate Joe Berrios and Republican candidate Sharon Strobeck-Eckersal in the November election.
See more about Claypool's candidacy at forrestclaypool.com
