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Mark Kirk, candidate for US Senate and US Congressman from the 10th Congressional District addressed the TOPPER breakfast on April 17th.  Kirk is running for the “Peter Fitzgerald senate seat” planning to flip the seat from the D column to R.   Mark Kirk started by thanking TOPPER members for past support. “I wouldn’t be a Congressman now if it weren’t for TOPPER.”  
He discussed his recent military duty in Afghanistan where we met Afghan locals.  Upon learning he was from the Chicago area they remarked, “We have some corruption here, but nothing like Chicago.”
Regarding “Jobs”, Illinois is about 48th of the 50 states in job creation.  He related his travels to the IL counties that boarder Indiana.  In talking with business owners considering locating business or expanding business in either Illinois or Indiana three main reasons were offered as to why they prefer to locate in Indiana.
1) In Illinois you’re much more likely to get sued
2) Business taxes and “workman’s comp” are much higher in Illinois
3) Every time they meet with an Illinois politician about their plans it becomes a shakedown.
He lauded Peter Fitzgerald for his nomination of Patrick Fitzgerald for US Attorney for Northern Illinois.

On a positive note Mark Kirk closed his remarks by urging the TOPPER campaign worker to get out the vote in November. “Why should Massachusetts voters get all the glory?”… an obvious reference to the recent election of Republican Scott Brown replacing Teddy Kennedy (D-MA).

March 20, 2010: David Harris, candidate for State Representative addressed the group. Unfortunately your webmaster was unable to attend.

February 20, 2010: Featured Speaker Joe Walsh spoke to a packed house.

February 20, 2010 TOPPER BreakfastFeatured speaker Joe Walsh, Candidate for U.S. Congress -8th District, discussed his issues-oriented campaign between now and November. He will focus on health care, cap and trade (tax), job creation (get the government out of the way) , the intrusion of government into citizens lives, etc. Melissa Bean will try to ignore him, but her votes for Federal mandates and

programs not supported by residents in the 8th district will become apparent to all. Joe warmed everyone's heart when he noted that it was support of the people like Tea Party Patriots and rank and file Republicans, rather than newspaper endorsements that helped him carry the day in the recent primary.
Joe asked for TOPPER's help in November. HE WILL GET THAT HELP!
Our members and quite a number of new attendees were also pleased to hear from Gregg Goslin, Candidate for Cook County Commissioner; Matt Murphy State Senator; Tom Morrison, Candidate for State Representative, 54th District; Ryan Higgins, Candidate for State Representative, 56th District. Also attending but not addressing the crowd was Dan Patlak, Candidate for Cook County Board of Review.
TOPPER members thank the candidates above for their attendance and their fortitude. ...why? (click here)

Over 100 people attended the TOPPER breakfast on November 21st. What a great turn out and a testament to party building and inclusive format of these breakfast meetings. Mark Kirk and Pat Hughes presented their credentials and explained why the audience should vote for them in the race for US Senate. Suzie Bassi spoke about her 11 years representing Palatine in the IL General Assembly and explained why the audience should vote for her reelection.

Roger Keats, who is running for Cook County Board President, was the main guest speaker at the October 17 meeting of TOPPER. Using his affable sense of humor, Keats emphasized the need to reinstate honest government in Cook County, the second largest county in the country. A former State Senator for 16 years (1976-1992), Keats said there is a huge need for reform, including a more rational property tax system, reducing court costs, repealing the sales tax increase and creating a more transparent government. During his talk, Keats offered several innovative ideas on how he could improve the services for the residents of Cook County, while reducing overall costs. For more on the reforms he is offering, go to www.keatsforcook.com.

Also speaking at the meeting was Tom Morrison, who is a candidate for State Representative in the 54th district. Morrison said he is running because the time has come for a “back to the basics” emphasis in Springfield, and he has the energy, passion and fresh perspective to make that happen. He noted that people are angry, frustrated, confused and fearful from what has taken place in Springfield, and new leadership is necessary to get our state back on course.

Making his first public statement about his switching races, State Senator Matt Murphy spoke at the Sept. 19 meeting of TOPPER. Senator Murphy explained that he was dropping out of his run for Governor and switching to the Lt. Governor’s race. Senator Murphy said he was not reaching the funding level he needed to continue his run for Governor, and the best way to move the Republican Party forward was for him to run alongside Andy McKenna, who recently announced that he was running for Governor. Senator Murphy believes the Republican Party has a great opportunity to expose the corruption of the Democrats and be successful in the upcoming election. In traveling the state, Senator Murphy said he is seeing the “silent majority” coming back to the Republican Party.

Also speaking at the meeting was Bob Schillerstrom, who is running for Governor. Schillerstrom, who is Board Chairman of DuPage County, noted that he has reduced property taxes seven times in the last 10 years, and that we need to keep emphasizing to the people of Illinois how the Democrats continue to spend more than the state receives. He believes we need to create an environment that attracts more businesses to the state, while working at ways to reform Medicaid and state pensions.

State Senator Kirk Dillard, a candidate for Illinois Governor, spoke at the August Topper breakfast. Senator Dillard emphasized his knowledge of issues facing the state, his broad outreach to various constituents and his strong conservative values.  Prior to becoming a State Senator, he served as the Chief of State for Gov. Jim Edgar.  He was a co-sponsor of the Illinois parental notification legislation. One of the key issues that Sen. Dillard discussed was the state’s fiscally irresponsible spending, with Medicaid, pension plans, workman’s compensation and unemployment compensation causing much of the budgetary problems.  For more information his website is www.dillardforgovernor.comThe crowd was pleased to hear Senator Dillard praise the Palatine Township Republican organization as one of the finest in the state and a model for new or revitalized Republican organizations to emulate.

Also speaking at the meeting was Mark Gutin, an American citizen and former Russian immigrant, who warned that the proposed U.S. House and Senate health care plans appeared to be very similar to what Russia had experienced with their socialized healthcare. He urged people to speak up and tell their representatives to vote against the proposed bill.

Exploring his possible run for Cook County Board President, Paul Vallas spoke at the May 16 meeting of TOPPER. Vallas, who barely lost to Rod Blagojevich in the 2002 Democrat gubernatorial primary, is planning to run as a Republican in his Cook County Board bid. He said the Republican Party better represents his current views. During his talk, Vallas said that government in Illinois is broken and has lost its accountability, with the Democrats in control of the state legislature, Cook County and the Governor’s seat. What should be done, says Vallas, is “We need to dismantle and rebuild the government, and we can start the revolution in Cook County. The time has passed to continue using conventional models.” Vallas also said he is used to taking on tough tasks and budget overspending, having served as the head of the school systems in Chicago and Philadelphia, where budget deficits were common. He is currently serving as the Superintendent of the Recovery School District of New Orleans. In his school superintendent’s roles, Vallas said he has worked with both parties, and he believes he can attract voters from both sides. Vallas says State Senator Matt Murphy encouraged him to seriously consider running for Cook County Board President.

TOPPER tuned in to talk radio when it invited Cisco Cotto of WIND 560-AM radio as the guest speaker for its April 18 breakfast meeting. Cotto, who is one-half of the Big John and Cisco in the Morning show on WIND, spent most of his time talking about possible candidates in the next local, state and national elections, with some discussion on the recent TEA Parties that took place throughout the Chicago area and around the country. Cotto noted that we need to provide better support to our candidates in the future. He said he realized that people may not agree with where a Republican candidate stands on every issue, but that candidate is still a lot better than a Democrat who is a polar opposite of our candidate. He also said the party needs to come up with firm ideas and to articulate them better to the public if we expect to have success in future elections.

State Senator Matt Murphy and State Representative Suzie Bassi were the guest speakers at the TOPPER breakfast on Saturday, March 21. Topic of discussion were the overview of the Governor’s impeachment proceedings and the budget, that was recently presented by Gov. Quinn.  Governor Quinn’s  proposed budget calls for a record hike in taxes (50%) with far fewer cuts to the budget than Gov. Quinn suggested in earlier statements.  Rep. Bassi said the budget would be “devastating” to businesses in the state, while Sen. Murphy said the tax hike was “unconscionable,” and that he would not vote for any increase in taxes. The meeting also provided the large crowd to hear candidates running for positions on the boards of the Park District and School District 15, as well as Palatine Mayor. Each candidate gave a two-minute speech and then answered questions from the audience. TOPPER is neutral in the non-partisan races for the April 7th election, but has endorsed candidates for Palatine Township offices.

Illinois Republican Chairman Andy McKenna spoke at the TOPPER breakfast meeting on Saturday, Jan. 17.  He said that the Republican Party works best as a grass roots, bottom-up reform party, and said there are three key reform ideas that we need to emphasize in the months ahead.  The first is to end pay-to-play politics in Illinois. The second is to get the state’s financial health in order, and the final key reform is to give the power back to the people, Andy said.

Starting in May and continuing through August, the Republican Party will hold townhall meetings throughout the state to allow candidates to speak to audiences around the state.  The townhall meetings will culminate at the IL State Fair in mid-August with a straw poll being held to help determine the most viable candidates prior to the primaries.  Andy said this will help the Republicans save several million dollars, noting that the last elections cost the candidates and the Illinois Republican Party $30 million dollars for the various state races.

Andy also speculated that he believes Gov. Blagojevich will try and take other Democrats down with him as the impeachment process gets underway.  State Senator Matt Murphy, who represents the TOPPER area, added that the Senate trial, which is part of the impeachment process, will begin Jan. 26.  Matt said that the Senate was doing its best to be “fair” during this impeachment process.

For more information on the upcoming townhall meetings, visit the Illinois Republican Party website at www.weareillinois.com .

 January 15th marked the 2008 Palatine Township Caucus which allowed selection of Republican candidates for Township office without the expense to the taxpayers of a formal primary. All Republicans in the township were eligible to attend the caucus held at the Harper College Gymnasium and vote to select our candidates. The group of candidates endorsed by the Regular Republican Organization of Palatine Township (TOPPER) was selected at the meeting to run in the General Election on April 7, 2009. Vote Republican on April 7th !!

At our October 18 TOPPER meeting local candidates spoke to the group letting everyone know about the importance of their individual races and support for the whole Republican Ticket. Gary Skoien pointed out that the Chicago Tribune had endorsed Obama and suggested that those subscribing to the Tribune consider canceling their subscriptions. Don't just cancel, call them and tell them why.

At our September 20 TOPPER meeting our guest speaker was Doug Whitley, President of the Illinois Chamber of Commerce. Doug is a recognized expert on the state of Illinois' budget and finances. Speaking on how Governor Blagojevich has lost touch with the people, wanting to give everything away without saying how he's going to pay for these giveaways, Doug wants to restore honest government and fiscal responsibility to Illinois. From Kane County and a former boy scout from a blue collar background, Doug is exploring the possibility of running for Governor. As a "Jeffersonian," Doug seeks to be a public servant to reform and "restore honest government, get the job done and return to the farm."

At our August 16 TOPPER Meeting our guest speaker was Bill Brady, State Senator (Bloomington, IL). Senator Brady briefed the group about events in Springfield including the budget mess and the personal difficulties among the Democrat leaders. The dysfunction of the Democrats provides certain benefits for TOPPER members who love freedom and lower taxes. With control of all three branches of state government, think about what they might have done if they could all work together. Senator Brady made no announcement (or denial about running for Governor in 2010).

At our June 21 TOPPER Meeting our guest speakers were Cook County Commissioners
Gregg Goslin-14th District , Tony Peraica-16th District, and Tim Schneider-15th District.
Each commissioner spoke about their efforts to hold the line against tax increases and are looking out for our best interests. Eight five percent of the Cook County Budget is personnel related (salaries, benefits, etc.) Of significant importance was the County Board's achievement in recently staffing Stroger Hospital's board of governance with quality people.

A meeting with Todd Stroger was held on June 16 at Harper College. State Sen. Matt Murphy, R-27th, of Palatine, and state Rep. Suzzi Bassie, R-54th, of Palatine, have submitted legislation to make it easier for townships to form a new county, but neither bill has moved beyond its chamber's Rules Committee. At the meeting, Bassi blamed Cook County's political influence in Springfield. "You know that the Cook County people control the Rules Committee. If you really think they're going to let the golden goose out of Cook County, the chances of getting those bills out of Rules committee are not real good," Bassi said. (Palatine Countryside, June 17, 2008)

The 2008 Illinois Republican State Convention - June 6-7, 2008 at the Decatur Conference Center & Hotel had attendees from our TOPPER organization. The 2008 Platform of the Illinois Republican Party was decided and now is published on our Party Building page.

Our May TOPPER Breakfast Meeting featured Congressman Mark Kirk (10th District) covering two important topics, Transportation and Terrorism. The State of Illinois is missing out of $4 billion in federal Transportation infrastructure funding because Governor Blagojevich and the State Legislature underfunded the required amount necessary. The Governor and our State Legislature has until the end of 2008 to supply the matching fund requirement. Congressman Kirk then gave an Iraq 101 history and overview on the Iraq war. Attendees found the Iraq 101 message to be very insightful and informative.

Our April TOPPER Breakfast Meeting featured State Senator Matt Murphy and Suzie Bassi. Both gave an overview of the political situation in Springfield and the frustration with our Governor.

Our March TOPPER Breakfast Meeting featured Jim Durkin as our guest speaker. Jim is the Illinois State Representative (82nd District) and the Illinois Chairman-McCain for President. Palatine Village Council member Scott Lamerand followed with information about seceding from Cook County in response to the Cook County Sales Tax Hike. Scott is exploring options with neighboring communities and working with state legislators to see what can be done.