Fall is in the air! It is hard to believe that we are 72 days away from victory in November! These past few weekends have been met with many festivals throughout DeKalb County. It is great to be part of such an active community that enjoys bettering the quality of life for all citizens.

Most recently, I had the opportunity to take part in the annual tradition of Corn Fest. Congratulations to the Board of Directors, the Race Committee, and the hundreds of volunteers that put in thousands of volunteer hours over this three day period, and the months leading up to Corn Fest. It was a great year, with a fantastic turn out.

As I continue to walk throughout this county, I am brining our message door to door; continuing to make improvements to Technology in the office of Clerk and Recorder, as well as continue to provide open and honest government while continuing to remain efficient and responsive to the people’s needs.
This past Friday, I had the great opportunity to spend some additional time in the office learning from the staff how things work. I have been doing this over the past several months to be ready on day one.

Let’s get ready for victory! November is just around the corner.

Campaigns are filled with the candidates talking about their background, experience and ideas. AFC has begun a "Word on the Street" segment to showcase what others are saying about my campaign. If you would like to show your support you can send your video here.

For now, we're building our database daily. Take a look at our first supporters to explain their "word on the street."

Welcome to the home stretch! This is it, the last 100 days of the 2010 campaign cycle! Today we updated our main page and press center to ensure you an stay up to date on the campaign happenings. Take a look around and please tell a friend!

As we countdown to victory in November, now is the time to finalize the plan. If you need a yard sign, click here; if you wish to help send friend to friend cards, click here; or if you want to march in an upcoming parade, click here.

If you need voter information, or still need to register - visit our voter resources center by clicking here. Make sure you can vote in this critical election!

One of the best parts of campaigning is the many different events that one gets to travel. This past weekend Waterman held their summer fest, Kingston their summer fest, as well as there being numerous other events happening in DeKalb County. I had a blast meeting so many members of the community and am looking forward to the upcoming few weeks.

Waterman celebrated their summer fest by inviting area residents to a french toast breakfast, tractor parade, and vendor fest. Kingston also had their annual Kardboard Boat Regatta.

I will be out supporting most of the upcoming golf outing fundraisers for various organizations in the community, as well as the many community events happening before the end of the month.

To find out where I am or will be, check out the main page of the website, or join us on Facebook!

Congratulations are in order to the Chicago Young Republicans. For the past month, they have been in the midst of their summer membership drive, which culminated with a rally last night at Wrigleyville's Cubby Bear. Candidates from local office, to our Governor were present to rally the Young Republicans to victory this fall.

I have the great honor of serving as the Young Republican National Committeeman. It is inspiring to see the work of not only the Chicago chapter, but our own here in DeKalb. Encouraging our young adults to become more active and involved in the political process is a great way to preserve our Republic for generations to come.

Pictured in our album are photos taken with Cook County Republican Party Chairman, Lee Roupas, and Chicago's north side State Rep. candidate, Dave Lenkowski. Check out the press coverage the Chicago YR's are receiving.

Happy 234th America! What a great weekend. Two parades, lots of pancakes, pork chops, and fireworks. Thank you to my volunteers and to everyone who came out to the Sandwich Freedom Days, Kirkland Fourth of July Festivals, as well as the Shabbona Fourth of July Fest.

My weekend began by going to the Queen competition and BBQ dinner in Kirkland on Thursday; stopping at Lealand and Sandwich on Friday night; the Sandwich parade on Saturday; and finally going to Shabbona for breakfast and dinner, and participating in the Kirkland 4th of July parade!

Check out the photos by clicking here - or see the recaps on Facebook here.

The AFC Campaign broke new ground today with the release of our first campaign video! As we continue to build momentum to November, we need to reach our fundraising goals to ensure success. Take a look at our first video! More are to come in the monthly updates.

What a night for a fundraiser! Last night, with the storms rolling through, a faithful few still came out to Waterman for our Pork BBQ dinner. The event was officially postponed until a future date, but I did want to write and thank those that did venture out.

I couldn’t believe some of the remarkable clouds and lightening that were seen in the Southern part of the County. Thank goodness everyone remained safe, and there was little damage reported in the area.

AFC has rescheduled the event for late September, and this time, it will be a spaghetti dinner. Thanks to Pete and Char for their hard work and support, I truly appreciate it.

This past week AFC reached a milestone in the FaceBook community. My Suppoter page surpassed 400 supporters! If you haven't had the opportunity to view my FaceBook page, click here. FaceBook is a great tool to post short messages to allow my supporters to sign up for events, parades, and to track where I am in the County. Thank you to everyone who has already signed up, I appreciate your support and encouragement.

Tomorrow, the Genoa Days kicks into high gear with Brett's Run in the morning, and parade at 1:00 PM. If you can make it out, I have t-shirts, refreshments, and lots of candy to pass out. Line up begins at 12 Noon.

The Daily Chronicle had a great article, (click here), reminding our community of the significance of Old Glory.

Flag Day honors the day which congress first created the American Flag - June 14, 1777. It is a symbol that has been carried throughout our Nation's history; leading our men and women to battle, to welcoming home our soliders as a constant reminder of the principles of freedom and justice.

The flag was created to represent our Nation's values, hardiness and courage, (Red), purity and innocence, (White), and vigilance and justice, (Blue).

As you drive to work, school, or around town, and as you pass homes and businesses' proudly displaying the flag - remember those brave men and women that have fought to preserve our nation's honor, integrity, and values.

The annual festival for the Village of Malta ran from Friday through today. I had the opportunity to race in the Malta Days 5k run, supporting TAILS and was able to finish before the rain began. Today, the Village hosted a great parade! It was a tremendous opportunity to meet many of the residents of Malta and hear their concerns.

I especially would like to thank Brian, from Resource Bank in Malta for organizing the parade, as well as Village President, Vince McCabe for hosting such a wonderful event.

AFC had a great turn out of supporters to help distribute candy and march with me, (photo).  Thank you to their hard work and donation of time to make this a successful parade. I am looking forward to the upcoming events in Genoa, and over the fourth of July.

Welcome to my campaign blog! Here you can stay up to date on campaign happenings, updates, find out what events I've been at, and track my progress on the campaign trail!