From the Kirk Dillard for Governor campaign…
“Best Qualified” to be Governor
Crain’s Chicago Business, Illinois’ leading business newspaper, is endorsing Senator Kirk Dillard in the Republican nomination for Illinois Governor.
“Illinois’ next governor must have the determination and know-how to restore fiscal order to a state facing financial Armageddon,” writes Crain’s. “Among the Republican gubernatorial candidates, state Sen. Kirk Dillard is best-qualified for that daunting job, and he gets Crain’s endorsement in the Feb. 2 GOP primary.”
The Crain’s endorsement comes on the same day Illinois saw its unemployment rate jump above 11 percent for the first time since August 1983. With 733,000 Illinoisans out of work, there are more people unemployed now than at any time in the state’s history outside of the Great Depression. Unemployment rose two tenths of a percentage point in December, to 11.1 percent.
“Pat Quinn is letting campaign season get in the way of job creation,” said Dillard. “His failure to address the devastating effects of unemployment and lack of any real job creation plan is appalling. Illinois’ economy is in shambles and Pat Quinn is missing in action.”
“I’m very proud that Crain’s recognizes that my plan to make Illinois a ‘Destination Economy’ is the best way to bring jobs to Illinois and grow the economy,” Dillard continued. He has also been endorsed by the Chicago Sun-Times, the Peoria Journal Star, the Southtown Star and the Southwest Herald.
Crain’s applauds Dillard’s job creation plan. “He’d reform the workers compensation system, eliminate the utility tax on manufacturers and give tax credits to businesses that hire new workers. He’d cut red tape, eliminating unnecessary government agencies like the Health Facilities Planning Board.” And the paper goes on to praise Dillard’s commitment to cleaning up Springfield. “He differs from the competition in another important way: No other candidate has vowed to disband his campaign fundraising committee upon taking office. Anyone who has watched state government sink into an ethical morass should understand the significance of that promise.”
Dillard is the only candidate to have experience in all three branches of government. First elected State Senator in 1994, he previously served as the Chief of Staff for Governor Jim Edgar who recently announced his support for Dillard. An honors graduate of Western Illinois University and DePaul University College of Law, Dillard and his wife, Stephanie have two daughters.