Ward 6 Alderwoman Jennifer Notariano spent the end of August doing what every incumbent does when the next filing window starts to loom: hunting for signatures. The unusual part is who she invited to her house for help.
On August 30, Springfield activist Ken Pacha posted that he had spent the previous afternoon “knocking doors and collecting signatures” for “Jennifer Notariano for Ward 6 Alderwoman.” He told followers that if they live in the ward, “this is the Democrat you want representing you,” and that another term would mean “four more years of Progressive leadership.” The photo is Pacha and Notariano, smiling, indoors. In the post’s comments, Notariano thanks Pacha for his help.
The same day, the Land of Lincoln Democratic Socialists of America posted its own thank-you note. “We would like to thank Jennifer Notariano for welcoming us to her home,” the chapter wrote. “We are grateful for the opportunity to support her and assist her to continue to fight corruption at the city council.” The photos show the gathering at her house: Notariano holding a campaign clipboard, Pacha visible in the background of one shot, phone in hand.
Notariano won the ward in April 2023, beating Republican-endorsed attorney Alyssa Haaker 1,356 to 974, about 58 percent to 42. She is a Democrat-endorsed state employee who took office May 5, 2023; the term runs through 2027.
On September 20, The Springfield Pooch published The Violent Fantasies of Springfield Activist Ken Pacha, a review of Pacha’s Facebook record. The same man who routinely lectures the City Council about morality has, on his own page, treated political murder as a punchline.
- On the accused killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, he wrote: “Free Luigi. He did nothing wrong. In fact, we’d be in a better place if he was more inspiring.”
- On ICE agents, he posted “Yeah buddy. Light em up!!!!” and said “we can no longer be peaceful.”
- On the rich: “the sooner we can start erecting guillotines…”
- On OpenAI’s Sam Altman: “Altman should have his head displayed on a pile.”
- On Sen. Lindsey Graham: “Turn him into ashes. Pound his face until it’s a fine mist. Bury him in an unmarked grave.”
- On Riley Gaines, a fantasy about tampering with her brake lines “so I can finally silence” her.
- After Charlie Kirk was assassinated, dozens of posts in a few days, mocking Kirk and his widow Erika, including a meme praying for the same outcome for other Republicans.
- A Unabomber meme about a data center that “won’t burn itself down, just saying.”
The photographs and the posts are enough to ask a plain question:
Does Jennifer Notariano agree with Ken Pacha’s violent fantasies?
If she does not, she should say so.