Patricia Van Pelt Watkins (born November 20, 1957) is a member of the

Illinois Senate The Illinois Senate is the Upper house, upper chamber of the Illinois General Assembly, the legislative branch of the government of the U.S. state, State of Illinois in the United States. The body was created by the first state constitution adop ...

, representing the 5th district, which is located on the

West Side West Side or Westside may refer to: Places Canada * West Side, a neighbourhood of Windsor, Ontario * West Side, a neighbourhood of Vancouver, British Columbia United Kingdom * West Side, Lewis, Outer Hebrides, Scotland * Westside, Birmingham E ...

of Chicago. Prior to her service as a member of the

she was a community activist and ran for Mayor of Chicago.

Early life and career

Van Pelt was born on the Near North Side and raised in the Cabrini–Green public housing. Inspired by her mother's ability to work, raise her children and go to school, she took a job as a

steelworker Steel is an alloy made up of iron with added carbon to improve its strength and fracture resistance compared to other forms of iron. Many other elements may be present or added. Stainless steels that are corrosion- and oxidation-resistant ty ...

while taking classes at

Truman College Harry S Truman College, (called Truman College and formerly called Mayfair College), is a part of City Colleges of Chicago. It offers multiple 2-year associate degrees, as well as occupational training in a number of fields. Located at 1145 W ...

. She earned a bachelor's in public administration and became a CPA after taking accounting classes at

DePaul University DePaul University is a private university, private, Catholic higher education, Catholic research university in Chicago, Illinois. Founded by the Congregation of the Mission, Vincentians in 1898, the university takes its name from the 17th-centu ...

. Using her life experience and education, she founded Target Development Corp which worked to improve communities. This including teaching residents how to peacefully evict drug dealers from their neighborhoods. In 2009, she earned a doctorate degree in management of non profit organizations from Capella University.

Chicago mayoral election, 2011

In 2010, Van Pelt announced that she was going to run for mayor in order to bring ideas to the forefront that had been forgotten about. During the campaign, she was accused of "being strung out on crack for twenty years," by candidate and former US Senator

Carol Moseley Braun Carol Elizabeth Moseley Braun, also sometimes Moseley-Braun (born August 16, 1947), is a former U.S. Senator, an American diplomat, politician, and lawyer who represented Illinois in the United States Senate from 1993 to 1999. Prior to her Senate ...

, which Watkins credits to her future political success. She finished fifth on election day. After the election, Van Pelt was appointed by the

Illinois State Board of Education The Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) administers public education in the state of Illinois. The State Board consists of nine members who are appointed by the Governor with the consent of the Senate. Board members serve four-year terms, wit ...

to the State Charter School Commission for a term ending November 1, 2013. The State Charter School Commission authorizes charter schools throughout the State, particularly schools designed to expand opportunities for at-risk students.

Illinois State Senator

2012 Senate election

In 2011, Van Pelt announced that she would challenge

Annazette Collins Annazette Collins is an American politician. She was a member of the Illinois State Senate from 2011 to 2013, representing the 5th district. She previously was a member of the Illinois House of Representatives, representing the 10th district from ...

for the Illinois Senate's 5th district. During the primary election she was endorsed by several aldermen from the fifth district, and the Chicago Journal. Aldermanic endorsements included

Walter Burnett Walter Burnett Jr. has served as the alderman for Chicago's 27th ward since his first election in 1995. The 27th ward includes the West Loop, Greektown, East Garfield Park, Near North Side, Old Town, West Humboldt Park, West Town, Goose Is ...

and

Bob Fioretti Robert William Fioretti (born March 8, 1953) is an American attorney and politician who served as an alderman in the Chicago City Council for the 2nd Ward, which included portions of Bronzeville, East Garfield Park, Illinois Medical District, L ...

. Fioretti stated that "Her integrity is beyond reproach. She will roll her sleeves up and research the issues and make the right decisions for all the people. She won't be beholden to the special interests that control Springfield right now." She was also endorsed by Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White, who previously supported Collins, after Collins's corruption came to the forefront. Van Pelt beat Collins by a 54%-46% margin.

Tenure

Van Pelt was sworn in on January 9, 2013. As of July 2022, Senator Van Pelt is a member of the following Illinois Senate committees: * Agriculture Committee (SAGR) * Appropriations - State Law Enforcement Committee (SAPP-SASL) * Appropriations - Health Committee (SAPP-SAHA) * Criminal Law Committee (SCCL) * Energy and Public Utilities Committee (SENE) * (Chairwoman of) Healthcare Access and Availability Committee (SHAA) * Redistricting - Chicago West and Western Cook County (SRED-SRWW) * State Government Committee (SGOA)

References

External links

Biography, bills and committees
at the 98th Illinois General Assembly **By session
99th98thIllinois State Senator Van Pelt
legislative website
Senator Patricia Van Pelt Watkins
at Illinois Senate Democrats
Patricia Van Pelt Watkins for Senate
campaign website * {{DEFAULTSORT:Van Pelt, Patricia Democratic Party Illinois state senators Women state legislators in Illinois Living people Politicians from Chicago DePaul University alumni 1957 births 21st-century American politicians 21st-century American women politicians