Some State Parks To Stay Open

It appears that the Governor has relented and will fund some of the State Parks. Thank you to the many people that responded to my earlier request to sign the petition. Still, the Governor is closing 7 parks and the historic sites.

With next year being the celebration for Lincoln's 200 birthday and all the folks coming to experience the Land of Lincoln, it will be a shame to have those historic sites closed. Governor Blagojevich's legacy is already one of neglect regarding our natural resources. Maybe the new leadership in Springfield will see Illinois caring for what it owns.

I am starting to review the election results and have come up with a few things to think about for next election.

First, it appears that the reason I was behind so significantly at the start of the published returns is because the Election Commission counted the early votes, etc. first, instead of with each individual precinct. The Obama campaign was pushing early voting that brought out a lot of motivated Democrats (and Obama Independents) to early vote. That means that I had overwhelming support on Election Day. My efforts were focused on getting out the vote on November 4, so I am happy with that. Still, I think that early voting will be a significant issue for future elections.

Second, because early voting will be an issue, I will have to work on strategies to address that. I have three years to finalize a plan, so I would appreciate your comments now.

Third, since younger voters were activated this time around, I need to find ways to reach into that group. A flyer to their parents is probably not a good way to accomplish the result I would want.

Finally, perhaps this is just a coincinence, but I won by approximately the number of emory boards that I passed out. (Note to self - Buy more emory boards!)

Thank You

It was a nailbiter early in the evening. One might say I was doing my part to support Edward Hospital's Cardiac Unit. The early results were disappointing... I was losing. But each update thereafter had me moving forward. Ultimately I won with a 2700+ vote cushion. You can read about it here in the Naperville Sun.

Thanks to everyone that helped me in this election. I couldn't have done it without you!