As the weather turns cooler, state and federal races are heating up across Central Illinois.
Following four years of Democratic leadership in Washington, D.C., Republicans at the federal and state level are looking for a win. In the Illinois General Assembly, the GOP needs just six more seats to oust Democrat Mike Madigan from the Speaker’s chair, a position he has held for all but two years since 1983. In Washington, a win of just four seats will help Republicans claim a United States Senate majority.
But a GOP comeback won’t be easy. U.S. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi has already stated that a Democratic majority in the House is probable. A twenty-five seat win for the party would boost her back into the Speaker’s chair. In the 17th District, U.S. Representative Bobby Schilling faces a tough battle after district boundaries were redrawn by the Democratic-controlled legislature to make it significantly more Democratic.
And at the state level, the 46th state senate district race between Republican businessman Pat Sullivan and incumbent State Senator David Koehler (D-Peoria) has captured voters’ attention. Koehler’s race began as a bid for Schilling’s 17th district congressional seat and culminated as a re-election campaign for his current seat in the state senate.
Twists & Turns
Just six months following the announcement that he would run for Congress, Senator Koehler dropped his bid for the 17th district congressional seat and sought to keep his position serving at the state level, claiming he wished to remain where he could be “most effective to promote the values of Central Illinois” and maintain a balance between labor and business that is crucial to the financial stability of the Peoria area. His decision comes with the backing of Senate President John Cullerton and several of his senate colleagues.
The Three-Term Senator
Koehler says if elected for a fourth term in the General Assembly his first priority will be promoting local issues, mainly job creation. He calls the current fiscal state of Illinois “an embarrassment.” With the state’s unemployment rate topping 9 percent, Koehler says, creating jobs is paramount.
Healthcare is also on Koehler’s radar, a problem, he says, with far-reaching affects for the entire state. A legislator with a background in small business, Koehler claims he understands the detriment of rising health care costs on business and society and has sponsored legislation addressing health care and disease issues.
Elected to the state senate in November 2006, Koehler began serving in December of the same year when incumbent Senator George Shadid retired. Koehler’s six years serving on the Peoria County Board and eight years on the Peoria City Council—including two years as Mayor Pro Tem—serves to buffer his re-election campaign with the experience voters look for when hiring a servant leader to represent them. Working tirelessly on behalf of his constituents, Koehler has used each of his positions in public service to improve the quality of life in the communities he represents.
Prior to holding elected office, Koehler served as manager of Peoria Friendship House, helping community residents secure education, housing, clothing and other basic needs. He also served as the first Executive Director of the Peoria Area Labor Management Council (PALM)—a non-profit with the mission of strengthening cooperation between labor and management in unionized factories. As a community advocate, part of Koehler’s work throughout the 46th District has encompassed creating economic development initiatives involving the Peoria Riverfront Museum, East Peoria’s new downtown and Technology Boulevard and the expansion of Veterans Drive in Pekin.
The 46th Illinois state senate district encompasses most of the City of Peoria and the Southern half of Peoria County, Southwest Tazewell County and most of Fulton County.
Stepping Up
Republican businessman Pat Sullivan, who owns Kelleher’s Irish Pub & Eatery, is on the ballot to challenge Koehler this November and says politicians will have to work together to turn things around for Illinois. “People are tired of the politics,” he says. “We need to just keep working hard, getting jobs in here.”
This is not the first time Sullivan has considered a run for office, but he says this time the pieces just fell into place. Sullivan’s massive amount of business experience gives him a firm handle on what it will take to bring jobs back to the area and create an environment where small business owners feel comfortable enough to hire more workers and grow their businesses. Sullivan’s tenure includes a stretch as an installer for Columbia Rug and Linoleum before beginning his own business, Sullivan Floors, in 1972. In 1988, Sullivan formed JP Companies and later purchased several buildings in Downtown Peoria, which he transformed into four restaurants, a micro brewery, dinner theatre, offices and apartments known as “Le Vieux Carre.” In 2001, Sullivan became co-owner of Kelleher’s Irish Pub and Eatery.
The Peoria Republican hopes to continue his efforts for business growth and expansion in the state senate, creating a favorable business climate for much-needed Illinois jobs. If elected, other items on his agenda include passing workers compensation reform, ending temporary tax increases, reducing state spending and supporting reforms to improve the educational system.
Sullivan has also been an active member of his community, serving on the Heart of Peoria Commission and as Chairman of the Peoria Traffic Commission. He also assisted the City of Peoria with the redesign of Oak and Walnut Streets, making them more pedestrian friendly, and helped form the Warehouse District Association.
A Golden Glove State Boxing champion and AAU State champion from 1970 until 1972, rest assured Pat Sullivan comes into the ring with his political boxing gloves off. But Koehler, a well-liked incumbent, has been a challenging opponent thus far, running down-ticket from President Obama in his home state.
Sullivan currently ties Koehler on the ballot.