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As the Precinct Committeeman for the Caseyville 12 precinct in St. Clair County, Illinois, I'd like to use this platform to reach the residents and other people interested in the politics of this area.
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Anniversary of 23rd Amendment

Today is the 61st Anniversary of the ratification of the 23rd Amendment to the Constitution. This amendment permits citizens of the United States who live in the District of Columbia to vote for electors in the electoral college (i.e. allows them to vote for the President and Vice President). This amendment was passed by Congress on June 1, 1960 and by March 29, 1961, three-quarters of the States ratified the amendment, making it part of the Constitution of the United States of America.

While citizens in DC cannot vote for me, you can: I am running for two elected offices, Caseyville 12 Precinct Committeeman, which I have held since January 2021; and County Board member for District 2, which I have not run before. I'm looking for opportunities to meet likely Republican voters in your neighborhoods between now and the Primary Election on Tuesday, June 28. Please reply if you would be willing to sponsor a meet-and-greet in your home or neighborhood or if there are other community functions that I can attend.

Voting is a critical right in the United States. As Alexander Hamilton wrote in 1777:

"But a representative democracy, where the right of election is well secured and regulated & the exercise of the legislative, executive and judiciary authorities, is vested in select persons, chosen really and not nominally by the people, will in my opinion be most likely to be happy, regular and durable."

As our nation enters into the mid-term election cycle, remember you really have the opportunity to select your representatives at the local level!

God Bless!

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November 18, 2021
18 Supporting / 9 Opposed / 2 Absent

The St. Clair County Board approved the new redistricting map 18-9 on November 16. This map is, as one board member called it, "gerrymandering 101." We were there to capture the vote in person and you can watch the votes below. Please remember that only 1 of the 4 county board members representing portions of Caseyville 12 precinct voted in favor of this map: Mr. Meile. Keep this in mind when you cast your votes next November!

00:10:27
St. Clair County district apportionment hearing

This evening I attended the St. Clair County district apportionment hearing. The Republican Party Chairman had sent out an email that the maps released to the public on May 10 had been re-drawn without reference to the recent US Census results or ACS data. We were asked to show up to the hearing tonight to voice our disagreement with this map.

At the hearing, maps were passed out to all the county board members and the Chairman of the County Board announced that there were proposed amendments to the map that was passed out earlier in the month, and that there would be another meeting next month to vote on the new map. So the board tabled the current vote and adjourned the hearing.

I asked the Republican Chairman why they tabled it and she said that they had redrawn the maps tonight (May 24th), so she and the other Republican party officers had not had any chance to review the changes!

Subscribe to stay up to date with changes as they happen!

00:04:27
Precinct Newsletter for 8 Mar 2022

Good morning, Caseyville 12!

Election season is ramping up in Illinois. Yesterday, I filed my candidate petition to be on the ballot to continue being your Precinct Committeeman and I also filed to be on the ballot for the St. Clair County Board for District 2!

For all the complaining that Democrats and the media do about Republican gerrymandering districts, they do the same thing when they are in power. For Caseyville 12 precinct residents, this means that rather than drawing board districts to include as much of each precinct as possible, they have divided Caseyville 12 into six different board districts: 2, 13, 24, 25, 27, and 28! You can check the district map posted to the county website (https://www.co.st-clair.il.us/webdocuments/notices/Board%20Disctrict%20Map.pdf) to find out in which district you are.

If you happen to be in District 2 --Windsor Creek, Milburn Estates, some parts of Misty Valley subdivisions or off of Main-- I would appreciate your vote. In the coming weeks, ...

September 21, 2021
Reagan Day Dinner Tickets available!

The St. Clair County Republican Central Committee is holding its annual Reagan Day Dinner this month:

Wednesday, September 29, 2021
Shiloh Eagles - 100 Eagle Drive - Shiloh, IL
Doors open at 5 PM; Buffet Dinner served from 6:00-7:30
Cash Bar will be available
Ticket cost: $25/person

You can purchase tickets from me or at the HQ Office (4510 N Illinois St #5, Swansea, IL 62226).

What I'm Conserving

As a self-described "conservative," I recognize there are many stereotypes associated with this descriptor, some of which are valid, some are not. In this post, I will describe my own conservatism so that we can move past stereotypes and soundbites.

Family. At the core of every culture and society is the family. The family raises the next generation. The family instills values, norms. The family sets expectations and exercises discipline. More important than even the individual, the family offers everyone the opportunity to learn to live in relationship to others, which is necessary for all other life pursuits. The Biblical family model is a husband and wife (married male and female) and their children (biological and/or adopted). The greatest predictor of success (academic or professional) for a child is to have both parents in the home. For these reasons, I support policies that encourage people to get married and be committed to their family.

Life. Children are a gift from God (Ps ...

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September 19, 2022
Early Voting, Yard Signs and Public Safety Committee

Early Voting is around the corner

If you applied for a vote by mail ballot, the County should be mailing those ballots next week, September 26 or 27. Once you receive that ballot, take your time to research the candidates and cast your vote. Because the US Postal Service has been having delivery troubles, instead of returning your ballot by mail, consider one of the following options:

  • place it in the ballot drop box in front of the courthouse
  • return it to the Election Department at the County Clerk's office yourself
  • request a Precinct Committeeman to come pick it up for you (618-416-7370)
  • if you decide to vote in person, you must, must bring the mailed ballot with you to the voting place and surrender it to the election judges

We're less than two weeks from the start of Early Voting — starting September 29, you can go to the County Courthouse and cast your ballot between 9:00 AM and 5:00 PM Monday through Friday. 

Beginning October 24, the two other permanent voting locations will open: the Rec Complex in Fairview Heights and the O'Fallon Township Office in O'Fallon. Official St. Clair County Early voting information from the County Clerk's office.


Yard Signs

I have a few yard signs that I can post around the District. If you or someone you know is willing to host a sign for me, please send me an email ([email protected]) with the name and address of the property and I'll get back to you ASAP.

 

Public Safety Committee

This is one of the 15 standing committees created in the County Administration Code (Chapt. I, Art. II, Sec. 3). However, it appears that the Public Safety Committee has subsumed the functions of the *Emergency Readiness Committee* as the latter is not listed on the St. Clair County website.

This Committee shall:

  1. Assist Departments and Agencies in complying with the Illinois Right-to-Know law.
  2. Recommend methods for promoting safety throughout the County.
  3. Supervise the operation of the Emergency Services and Disaster Agency.
  4. Review all accidents to property and people.
  5. Establish a system for handling employee safety regulations.
  6. Develop a new employee safety orientation program.
  7. Establish a safety inspection program.
  8. Develop or revise safety rules and procedures.
  9. Promote safety contest or awards programs.
  10. Provide or arrange special training programs. (Accident investigations, driver training, etc.)
  11. Communicate current and proposed regulatory requirements to departments or agencies.
  12. Develop and implement specific accident prevention activities.
  13. Review, update and prepare an annual report on the status of the County Risk Control Program.
  14. Review supervisors' safety activity reports. (If required.)
  15. Review minutes of Departmental Safety Committees. (If required.)

Without additional information, I believe the "Illinois Right-to-Know law" referred to is the "Illinois Emergency Planning and Community Right to Know Act" (430 ILCS 100/). This law creates an obligation for local government agencies to know about and make available information to the public about "hazardous substances used and stored in communities within their jurisdictions." Section 8 of the law establishes "local emergency planning committees," and it appears that the Public Safety Committee of St. Clair county is the designated entity for that purpose.

The "Emergency Services and Disaster Agency" now appears to be named Emergency Management Agency and it is responsible for "the disaster preparedness of the unincorporated areas of the County." The EMA also manages the county tornado sirens and tests that equipment on the first Tuesday each month to validate it is in working order. Linked off the EMA webpage is the St. Clair Special Emergency Services Association (SCSESA), an Illinois not-for-profit (File number 60745617) that offers search and rescue, investigation, and training services. (The SCSESA website has not been updated since at least 2013 but its status as a not-for-profit is still in good standing with the Illinois Secretary of State's office.)

Additionally, the Public Safety committee is tasked with the safety of *county employees* and oversees programs and processes for managing that aspect of running the county: promoting safety, reviewing accident claims against the county, establishing and overseeing a safety inspection program, etc. 

The Public Safety committee serves several important oversight functions for the county, especially regarding the tornado warning system and the emergency response functions. If appointed to this committee, I will continue to support the maintenance and operations of this critical infrastructure.

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