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Here in the autumn of the year the kids are coming off their sugar high of Halloween and its too early to think of Christmas (though you couldn’t tell from the store displays!). There is a simple holiday which often seems to get overlooked or pushed out of the limelight, Thanksgiving Day. How appropriate it is for us to take time to slow down, look around, and be thankful for our blessings.
One blessing is our great country. We often forget the precepts and principles it was founded on, the generations who struggled, fought, and won victories, and yet, we are the beneficiaries. We must pick up the baton in this constitutional republic and continue to work toward ‘a more perfect union.’ Now is not the time to quit out of frustration or lash out anger. It is time to be the agents of change we want to see.
Petitions to be in the March election are due the end of this month. Once we find out who has made the ballot, check out our website for information about the candidates. We will provide websites, emails, and/or phone numbers for you to contact the candidates and ask your questions. Educate yourself about them–who will best represent you on the Nov 2024 ballot? Check the events tab for places you can meet the candidates in person.
Thank you for helping us turn St Clair County red!
Cheryl Mathews
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St. Clair County Republican Party Core Values
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2024 State GOP Convention
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It is an honor to represent you on the Illinois Republican Party’s State Central Committee, and I have some exciting news to share! After a lot of hard work from local GOP County Chairs, including Chair Cheryl Mathews, Vice-Chair Michael Butler, and SCC Member Rhonda Belford, I am proud to announce that the 2024 ILGOP State Convention will be held in my hometown of Collinsville on May 24th-26th, 2024 at the Gateway Convention Center. It has been nearly 20 years since the ILGOP State Convention was held south of Springfield and I am excited to bring it to the Metro East – the only place in the state where we flipped a state house and a state senate seat and had record wins on the judicial level last election cycle.
There were several great proposals that the site-selection committee (a sub-committee of the full State Central Committee) toured and reviewed. After the site-selection committee voted to recommend Collinsville for the convention, the full SCC approved the selection at our latest meeting in Bolingbrook. We anticipate upwards of 1,000 people attending the convention which will help boost our local economies through hotel stays, eating at restaurants, tourism, etc. Also, the Cardinals are playing the Cubs at Busch that weekend so we are working on a St. Louis event during the convention as well.
The ILGOP State Convention is vitally important as delegates vote on and review resolutions to our platform and elect our RNC National Committeemen, among many other things. Anybody can attend the convention, but only delegates can vote. Every county gets 1 delegate per 500 Republican ballots cast in the March 19th, 2024 primary. Counties will elect delegates at their county convention, which takes place 29 days following the March 19th primary. Once delegates are voted in, it is up to each State Central Committeeman to assign delegates to certain committees. The ILGOP will send out more information when the time comes to walk you through the delegate process.
There will also be many opportunities to volunteer for the convention. We are needing around 75-100 volunteers to help with the credentialing process and staff the convention. Stay tuned for more information on volunteer opportunities and general information about the convention.
As always, I appreciate your support and look forward to seeing you soon!
Sincerely,
Myles Nelson
State Central Committeeman (IL-13)
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President Abraham Lincoln, in 1863, proclaimed a national day of “Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens”, calling on the American people to also, “with humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience … fervently implore the interposition of the Almighty hand to heal the wounds of the nation”.
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St Clair Republican Women
Women’s club will be meeting Mon at O’Town Food Hall. Come for dinner Mon, Nov 6th, at 6pm; the meeting begins at 7pm. This month the speaker is candidate for IL-13, Darren Bailey. They will also be holding elections for the 2024 officers for the club. For more info, please contact Mary Thurman, President, by phone at 618-550-5751 or via email at mompower49@hotmail.com.
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Americana Trivia Night
How good is your memory of American history, American music, American events, American food, etc? Bring your family and friends to the Trivia event Nov. 11th. Reserve a table now and then pay at the door. https://stclaircountyrepublicans.com/trivia/
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Campaign update from State Representative Kevin Schmidt
The last few weeks have been busy with petition signing. I plan to file for re-election on November 27th. Anyone who has petitions for me, please reach out by November 20th so that I can collect your petitions and include them in my filing paperwork.
The Democrats are lining behind LaToya Greenwood, and it is looking like there will be a rematch of the 2022 election except this time our roles will be reversed as I am the incumbent this time around and she is the challenger.
While the roles are reversed, the financial situation unfortunately remains the same. The reality is that Democrats in Illinois are much more well-funded than their Republican counterparts. I am not going to raise nearly the money Greenwood is going to receive. That is a given. But the good news is my voting record is much better and my views are much more aligned with the values of this District than Greenwood’s. All I need is sufficient resources to get my message out. To that end, I would ask all St. Clair County Republicans to please support my gun raffle. With your help, we will keep the 114th District Republican. I would greatly appreciate help either selling tickets or purchasing them. Every little bit will help me win next year. https://schmidtforil.com/gun-raffle/
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October County Board Report
Phil Henning, County Board Member, District 19
1. County Board Meeting Schedule. We approved the 2024 CB meeting schedule. Except for
Tuesday, May 28 th , all County Board meetings will be at 7:30 p.m. on the last Monday of each
month.
2. County Holidays Observed. The County observes 13 holidays. These include the normal Federal
holidays, but adds the following: Spring Holiday, Juneteenth, General Election and Christmas
Eve Day (December 24 th ).
3. Appointment of St Clair County Regional Superintendent of Schools. Due to the retirement of
Mark Eichenlaub effective 30 November 2023, the Board approved the appointment of Lori
Costello (spouse of Jerry Costello, Jr) until the next election of November 2024. Mrs. Costello is
currently the Principal of Waterloo High School and resides in Smithton, Illinois.
4. County Jail Report. The jail population for 24 September to 24 October has been reduced to an
average of 355 versus a peak of 448 in mid-September. Daily bookings remain about the same
as detention hearings are required for some offenses not eligible for a “cite and release” action.
It’s too soon to know if the Safe-T Act will have a long-term impact on the jail population.
5. Zoning Report. The Board aligned with the Zoning Board of Appeals and denied a zoning
request for a furniture repair business at 217 North 75 th Street based on the input of neighbors
and the Belleville Alderman in this neighborhood. We approved a small business application for
1206 N 7lst Street, East St Louis, Illinois.
6. Finance Committee. We approved an Agreement between the City of East St Louis, City of
Belleville, and St Clair County for the FY2023 Byrne Justice Assistance Grant Program. This is a
federal program that issues grants to improve the criminal justice system for communities acoss
the nation. The distribution is: ESL $19,467.77; City of Belleville, $19, 467.77 and the SCC
Sheriff’s Department $19,467.77.
7. We approved to execute the FY 2024 Transportation Safety Grant for $84, 435.20 from the
Illinois Department of Transportation to pay overtime during specific holidays for enforcement
campaigns. We also authorized the purchase of a 2023 Ford Explorer Police Utility vehicle for
$46, 645.00 to replace a wrecked Sheriff’s Road patrol vehicle. An insurance settlement will off-
set the cost by $22,025.
8. The County Board approved the 2023 St Clair County Parks Grants as recommended by the
Grants Committee. The commission awarded $1,076,801.71 in total funds with individual grants
not to exceed $50,000.00. 17 cities and villages and park commissions were awarded the funds.
a. In my District and Freeburg: Village of Freeburg received $50,000 for a walking trail and
resurfacing parking lot. Freeburg Park District received $38, 121 for mower and
equipment. Marissa received $49, 854.09 for playground equipment. Rubber mulch
and handicapped parking.
9. Transportation Committee. We approved using $152,662 in County Motor Fuel tax to pay the
fees associated with protection and relocation of AT&T fiber optic cable along North
Greenmount Road from IL 161 to Lebanon Avenue. This is the initial pre-widening work for this
portion of N Greenmount. The Gonzalez Companies was awarded $19,890 to report on the
condition of Concordia Church Road bridge project. We also approved the expenditure from
the Motor Fuel Tax in the amount of $1,887,426.00 for road projects.
10. FY 2024 Budget. On Wednesday, 1 November each County Board Member received a draft
budget for review and discussion. A public hearing will occur on 8 November 2023 at 6:00 p.m.
in the County Board meeting room 564 at the St Clair Public Building (courthouse). The public is
welcome. A special Finance Committee meeting will be held on 20 November, and we will vote
on the final budget at the regular Board Meeting on 27 November at 7:30 p.m. We received the
budget earlier than normal due to the request of John Coers, County Board Member to Mr.
Kern. |
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These are links to research for yourself
how your elected officials vote when they are in session
Conservative Review – “LIBERTY SCORE”
Nation Rifle Association
You will need to enter your birthdate to access the website.
Heritage Action for America – “SCORECARD”
On this website it is very important to search each Congressional Session to understand the politician’s history of voting. Current 2023/2024 is the 118th Session. The 2015/2016 session is the 114th Session.
Turning Point SCORECARD
CPAC – Conservative Political Action Conference “RATINGS”–
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Rep Kevin Schmidt (Dist 114)
His opponent is already putting out negative ads against Kevin. The latest is, “Kevin Schmidt voted against $30 million for in-car cameras & body cameras for local law enforcement.” The truth is Kevin supports local law enforcement and wants to keep them safe. When legislators vote on the budget, it is all or nothing. They cannot cherry-pick budgetary items that are beneficial and vote down the bloated items. His NO vote was against the governor’s bloated $50.4 BILLION budget because it included pay raises for legislators and hundreds of millions of dollars for people living in our state illegally. Be wary, the Democrats will use this tactic leading up to the election to sway voters who don’t educate themselves or think through the legislative process. So all those budgetary items that make you frustrated, know that it was the Democrats who voted yes on the budget.
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Do you have information which would be of interest to our members?
If so, please email chairman@scilgop.com so that it can be considered for publication in an upcoming issue of the St Clair County Republican Party Membership Newsletter.
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