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Tom, LeAlan , Rich and the Green Team marched on Saturday, August 14 in the 2010 Bud Billiken Day Parade. It was hot as the dickens but we all had a great time and met thousands and thousands of parade-goers who cheered and encouraged our call for REAL change in 2010! Photos by Adam Snow – [...] The April edition of Illinois Issues decries the state of political leadership in Illinois. Charles Wheeler III is the director of the Public Affairs Reporting Program at the University of Illinois at Springfield and he asks… Illinois faces its worst fiscal crisis in eight decades, a daunting challenge for the state’s purported leaders. So how have [...] I am very pleased to be the recognized Green Party candidate for Cook County Board President. I declared my candidacy on October 17 and met several times with Green Party members. I was delighted to be embraced by the group. Green Party members provided counsel and support for my run. 15 Green Party members circulated petitions for me. All told, 75 people volunteered to help me get on the ballot. I would not challenge a recognized Green Party candidate. After I declared, I learned that Frank Coconate was another Green Party candidate for this office and that he had gathered a considerable number of signatures. When he heard that I was running, he generously decided not to submit his petitions, saying that I was the stronger candidate. Had he decided to stay in the race, I would not have challenged him because he was a known and respected ally of the Green Party. I said so publically and meant it. On November 2nd I learned that Sean Burke, 31, of Westchester, had also filed for Cook County Board President as a Green. No one in the Illinois Green Party had heard of Mr. Burke. Why had Mr. Burke not contacted the party leadership after deciding to run? Trying to find out something about him, Green Party members performed a web search and discovered he owned the web address for the Cook County Young Democrats. Phil Huckleberry, the State Chair, left a message for Mr. Burke and later Alberto Bocanegra, Jr., the Cook County Chair, also left a message. Mr. Burke did not return their calls. I discussed the situation with Green Party members and other advisors who cited cases where people had run as Green Party members with the intention to drain resources from creditable Green candidates. The Machine has taken note of the Green Party and it’s entirely appropriate to protect the party from candidates who are running to mess with us. I and some of my mentors and Green Party allies believe that the party needs to protect itself from people who want to run as a Green but who do not hold to the core values of the party, are not reformers, are not fighters, who are serving the Daley-Stroger Machine and who actually want to damage viable Green party campaigns. Tonight I participated in my first candidate’s forum at the Hispanic American Construction Industry Association, which was held at the Cervantes Institute on Ohio Street. I shared the stage with Cook County Board President Todd Stroger, Alderman Toni Preckwinkle, Metropolitan Water Reclamation District President Terry O’Connor and John Garrido, a lieutenant with the Chicago Police Department [...] The race is on! This morning Tom turned in 2,296 signatures for his nomination as the recognized Green Party candidate for President of the Cook County Board of Commissioners. Friends, family, Green Party members and ABC News Chicago’s Charles Thomas looked on! [download a copy of Tom's remarks upon submitting his petitions] Watch as Tom’s campaign officially starts!  The campaign to take back Cook County government has begun! Tom’s remarks upon turning in his nominating petitions: GOOD MORNING. MY NAME IS TOM TRESSER AND I’M THE RECOGNIZED GREEN PARTY CANDIDATE FOR PRESIDENT OF THE COOK COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS. I HOLD IN MY HAND THE SIGNATURES OF 2,296 CITIZENS WHO HAVE SIGNED MY NOMINATING PETITIONS FOR THIS POSITION. THESE SIGNATURES REPRESENT OVER 180 HOURS OF WORK BY 75 VOLUNTEERS OVER JUST TWO WEEKS. THIS GROUP OF VOLUNTEERS CAME TOGETHER QUICKLY FROM ACROSS THE COUNTY TO SUPPORT MY CAMPAIGN AND THEY REPORT THAT COOK COUNTY CITIZENS ARE READY, EAGER AND PREPARED FOR SIGNIFICANT CHANGE IN HOW THEIR LOCAL GOVERNMENT WORKS. THE PEOPLE WANT THEIR ELECTED REPRESENTATIVES TO SERVE THEM – NOT LIE TO THEM, RIP THEM OFF, DELIVER TERRIBLE SERVICE AND DEAL AWAY PUBLIC ASSETS – THE TAXPAYERS OF COOK COUNTY ARE NOT BEING SERVED AND THEY KNOW IT. We’re going to document the process to get and stay on the ballot. Here is the first mini-video describing how the nominating petitions must be prepared for the [...] TOM TRESSER’S REMARKS AT ANNOUNCEMENT OF CANDIDACY FOR PRESIDENT OF COOK COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS Watch a video of Tom’s speech ABC News coverage:
Tom launches his campaign for the office of President of the Cook County Board of Commissioners!
[download PDF copy] Good morning. Thank you all for [...] 
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Copyright © 2010 Tom Tresser for Cook County Board President - All Rights Reserved |
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