Republicans kick-off campaign

08/09/2006

By Marla Blair

Cass County Star-Gazette

By Marla Blair / Star-Gazette ... The November elections are three months away. The political signs are out on lawns, stickers are riding around on bumpers and pleas of ‘It’s time for change’ abound. It is time to choose your candidates and add your two-cents to the morning coffee debates. The Republican candidate for Secretary of State, Dan Rutherford, has plans to make that branch of government more user friendly for the state’s citizens. He headlined a reception at Fairway Hills Golf Course on Saturday, August 5, which included other Republican candidates for state and local offices.

Voters of the 53rd District elected State Senator Dan Rutherford, R-Pontiac, to office in 2002. His political career actually began at Illinois State University, where he was student body president for two years while majoring in Business Administration. After graduation he was a legislative assistant in Springfield until

 1992, when he was elected to the House of Representatives and served for 10 years. Rutherford began a business career with ServiceMaster corporation in 1985 and continues as a vice president with that company. It is his experience in the business world that initiated his concepts for improvements in the Secretary of State's office.

Cass County Republican Committee Chairman Jack Hamilton hosted the event and introduced Senator Dan Rutherford, Representative Jil Tracy and Allen Pherigo. Jil Tracy (R-Mt. Sterling) was recently appointed as Representative for the 93rd District, replacing Art Tenhouse who resigned. She will be on the November ballot as a candidate for a full term in the House of Representatives. Allen Pherigo, of Chandlerville, is currently a police officer with the Beardstown Police Department and will be on the ballot as the Republican candidate for Cass County Sheriff. Also in attendance was Terry Blakeman, of Ashland, a candidate for the Cass County Board to replace H.O. Brownback as the District 4 representative.

Each candidate spoke to the audience. Pherigo stated the recent meth lab discovery and drug bust were examples of what the sheriff's department should be doing. He promised that "the investigations will not stop when I am elected sheriff."

Representative Tracy believes there should be a focus on senior health care, public transportation, and support of small and new businesses. "The state should support businesses, not tax them to death and run them out of the state. It is time to assist businesses and encourage economic development for the next generation." Ms. Tracy wants the state to pay its bills on time and become more fiscally responsible. "We should use existing resources without over- extending ourselves and be more efficient." She also expressed concern over staffing and safety issues in the correctional centers.

Secretary of State (SOS) candidate Dan Rutherford's speech brought attention to the long lines and extended waiting time at Department of Motor Vehicle (DMV) facilities, ineffective methods of notification for driver’s license and license plate registration renewal, time-consuming paperwork and out-of-date methods of operation in the department. "Twenty years in the business world have taught me a lot about customer service. There is no reason government services cannot be responsive to the citizens of Illinois and treat them as valued customers."

Rutherford would like to give Illinois residents the option to receive e-mail notices for renewals, make appointments for driving tests and to electronically enter their own information at the DMV in order to improve efficiency. He also wants to change operating times for the DMV sites, and for the department to accept major credit and debit cards. "If my company (ServiceMaster) treated customers the way the State of Illinois treats their residents, we would be out of business. People are waiting too long to receive service from their government."

Dan Rutherford will continue to criss-cross the state as the November election approaches and discuss his plan for improving SOS services. Representative Jil Tracy has been conducting community meetings around her district and is sponsoring senior fairs to inform seniors about their options for health issues and the next Medicare sign-up scheduled for November 15.