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Two candidates at the top of the state ticket will be guests of honor when Aurora Republicans gather for the 35th annual Lincoln Reception on Thursday, May 13.

Sen. Bill Brady, the Illinois gubernatorial candidate, and his running mate, Jason Plummer, Lt. Gov. candidate, will speak at the event, which will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Paramount Theatre, 8 E. Galena Blvd. in Aurora.

Brady, of Bloomington, has represented the 44th district in the Illinois Senate for eight years, and served as congressman for the 88th district from 1993 to 2000. This is his second run for the Governor’s post.

Plummer is vice-president of corporate development for R.P. Lumber, a family business with 43 locations in Illinois. The Edwardsville man also serves as an intelligence officer in the US Navy Reserves.

The event is organized by the Aurora Township Republicans.

Heavy hors d’ouevres will be served. Tickets are $50. Sponsorships are available. For more information, call Penny Falcon at 630-254-8291 or info@auroragop.com.

They say Republicans bleed red and, in Aurora, GOP supporters will prove its true at the "I give Republican Red" blood drive on June 19. Held in support of the RNC Coalitions effort to help the American Red Cross collect blood across the United States, the Aurora event will take place from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Una Voz, 22 E. Downer Place.

Candidates will be at the event, taking shifts to rally support for the drive, as well as to answer questions about their campaigns.

To sign up for a donation time, call Gabriela Wyatt at 630-772-6436 or Penny Falcon at 630-254-8291.

Last Saturday I took some time away from my family to attend a meeting at the Geneva City Hall with our 14th Congressional District Rep. Bill Foster. When I entered the building I was informed that only a limited number of people would be able to ask questions in a private room away from the public. Only 45 numbered slips of paper were given out, with each person rationed to a few minutes.

What I found interesting is that while Foster was taking numbers and seeing people in seclusion, Geneva's Mayor Kevin Burns was holding an open forum, right outside of Foster's private meeting room. Mayor Burns didn't hide. He took tough questions about recently installed red-light cameras and a possible water rate increase. Mayor Burns did not ask us to take a number or shuffle citizens to a side room. He took the heat.

After I waited for more than three hours for Foster, he finally came out of the City Hall building. As he came down the steps I wanted just a couple of minutes to ask about the impending health care bill and his voting record. He answered a question from an individual who supported him; however, after being introduced as the chairman of the Kane County Young Republicans, I was brushed aside and told, "Sorry, there isn't enough time."

Maybe by waiting in line, taking a number and rationing the amount of time each person had with Foster was a foreshadowing of what's to come. As we move closer to socialized medicine, maybe Rep. Foster was giving us some lessons. Health care will be politicized. Everyone will take a number and wait in line. And if you wait long enough, eventually your time will run out.

Cody McCubbin

Chairman, Kane County Young Republicans

Geneva

Join the Kane County GOP Unity Party from 10 a.m. to noon, Saturday, Feb. 6, at Riverside Receptions, 35 North River Lane in Geneva. Organized by the Kane County Young Republicans in conjunction with Aurora Republican Women and the Kane County Chapter of the Republican National Hispanic Assembly, the event brings together candidates from the Republican Party in a show of support for the winning candidate going into the General Election. The event is free; reservations are required.

Sponsors are the Kane County Advisory Council and the Kane County Republican Central Committee. Special thanks to 42nd District State Rep. Tim Schmitz; 14th District US Rep. candidate Ethan Hastert, Kane County Treasurer candidate Bob Kovanic; Governor candidate Dan Proft; Kane County Board candidate Bill Wyatt; 50th District State Rep. Kay Hatcher, Senator Randy Hultgren, 50th District State Rep. candidate Bob McQuillen; Circuit Judge candidate Kevin Busch; and Kane County Sheriff candidate Rob Russell.

RSVP to Heather Trask by phone at 630-945-3444 or by email to htrask@comcast.net.

Republican women from Kane County seeking financial assistance for college can apply to be considered for the Mary Richards Scholarship Fund, offered by the Aurora Republican Women's Organization.

Mary Richards, a graduate of the Northwestern School of Nursing, served on the Kane County Board for 24 years. She was integral in the formation of the county’s Health Department and the development of its prenatal care program.


A former president of the Aurora Republican Women’s Organization, Mary was active in the Republican Party and a strong advocate of voter registration. Richards passed away in 2007.

Scholarships in the amount of $500 will be awarded.

Applicants must be female and a resident of Kane County, Ill. They must be enrolled in a two-year or four-year college in Illinois. Other conditions also apply.

Applicants also must submit a written essay of 500 words or less, answering the following: "I’m interested in better government practices because…"

Applications must be received by April 15. Winners will be announced in May.

For full details of the scholarship, e-mail pennyfalcon@sbcglobal.net.

Voters can learn more about the Republican candidates for 14th District US Representative and 25th District State Senator at a Candidates Forum on Monday, Jan. 25, at Prisco Center, 150 W. Illinois Ave. in Aurora. The Aurora Republican Women’s Organization is sponsoring the event. Doors open at 6:30 p.m.; the event will begin promptly at 7 p.m.

Republican candidates running for the 14th District US Rep.’s post are Ethan Hastert and State Senator Randy Hultgren.

Hastert, an attorney in private practice in Chicago, is a fifth-generation resident of the Fox Valley. Prior to going into private practice, Hastert worked in the White House as a Special Assistant in the Office of the Vice President of the United States.

Hultgren is serving his first term as state senator of the 48th District, after serving four terms as a state representative. His legislative victories include winning passage of medical malpractice reforms, sponsoring a property tax assessment freeze for disabled veterans, fighting the Blagojevich Gross Receipts Tax, and passing legislation to protect seniors from identity theft.

Running for the 25th District State Senator seat are the incumbent, State Senator Chris Lauzen, and Sugar Grove Village President Sean Michels.

Lauzen has served in the Illinois State Senate since his election to the 25th District in 1992. Since entering public service, Lauzen has been a leader in property tax reform and education funding, and has fought to lower gas prices by capping the gas tax. Lauzen, a CPA, is the former owner and manager of an accounting practice.

Michels, a project manager for McCue Builders, has been the Sugar Grove Village President since 1999. Prior to that, he served as a Sugar Grove village trustee for two years. Michels’ private work experience includes business development for Old Second National Bank, and serving as a trust officer for GreatBanc Trust Company. He is also on the executive board of Metro West and the director of Silver Stars Girls Basketball.

Questions will be fielded from the audience. Penny Falcon, 1st vice president for the Illinois Federation of Republican Women and a former journalist, will moderate the event.