campo

FORGOT THIS

hmmn scrape:

Campo – blankenship

Campo fam= tony, nino, peter, terry, nick, tyler

Terry= YR prez,

Nick= county jail, carlock

nino= soccer, county jail, roman cultural,

peter= public works, parking, downtown maint, blago fundraiser at 364 KC, 2002

tyler= schaive, greenville,

tony= loami vfd/pd, jim coffey, dale patterson, real estate, catteau, pawnee

chrissy =armstead – kc 364 – isfm

frank= aarp, jobs, nelson

LINK - Blankenship – terry campo prez YR’s –

(Greg blankenship is a cousin of terry campo)

*Greg blankenship= Illinois policy Inst – dc address, chi, IPI= $1M budget

*(greg blankenship friends with Bill cellini jr. – doc)

*Greg was Ssgt, ING, when at 96’ san diego conv.

*[at san diego R’ convention in 1996]

*Many events filmed by saltz for afl-cio “independent media center” at 96’ convention were norquist events

*Afl-cio Internship set-up in 96, sent me to san diego, pennel apt. jobs, etc.

*Suspect YR’s heavily involved in harassment, ie schweska llcc YR prez and see schweska SPD timeline and “retirement” see also oberweiss and UIS, but see, reinhart and coll dems/blago

Note: campo and YR’s, see also rove and kjellander, and kent gray in IL.

Roman Cultural Society elects slate of officers

State Journal-Register, The (Springfield, IL) - Thursday, April 10, 2008

Section: LOCAL

Page: 9

Dave White has been elected the 50th president of the Roman Cultural Society.

Other officers are Ted Schrock, first vice president; Jim Sodaro, second vice president; Jeff DeMarco, treasurer; Vic Pambianco, secretary; Mike Benson, sergeant-at-arms; and Vince Salvo, parliamentarian. Board members are Steve Dove, Paul Palazolo, Nino Campo , Bob Egizii, Joe Inendino Jr. and Dennis Albanese.

Alderman uses free pass to park closer to office

State Journal-Register, The (Springfield, IL) - Sunday, August 19, 2007

Author/Byline: SARAH ANTONACCI STAFF WRITER

Section: LOCAL

Page: 4

Ward 8 Ald. Kris Theilen has an assigned parking space in a ramp a couple of blocks from his office at Fifth and Monroe streets.

Instead of parking there, though, Theilen puts his "official city business" pink sheet on the front dashboard of his blue pickup and parks at a meter on Fifth Street, usually between Monroe Street and Capitol Avenue.

That lets him leave his car about a block nearer to his office building. And he doesn't have to plug the meter.

"I spend my entire lunch hour doing city business," Theilen said recently. If he parks closer to his workplace - he is an information service specialist for the Illinois Department of Public Health in the Ridgely Building - it leaves him more time to do city business at lunch, he said.

"They've gone through this time and time again," he said. "I was told you're not supposed to park at any meter" that does not allow two hours of parking. "Other than that, it's acceptable."

However, Pete Campo , who heads the parking program for the city Department of Public Works, said aldermen are supposed to use their passes only for what the passes specify: "official city business."

Examples might include "business at the mayor's office or ... coming in to see Mike Norris for a public works event, or something," Campo said.

"We ask them not to use it for work and just use them for official business, but we can't watch every one of them. We like for them to use them for official city business."

Theilen said City Council Coordinator Joe Davis advised him it was OK to use his aldermanic parking pass to park at work.

Davis said last week that it's "been a common practice of aldermen to use it for other than what Campo says. What the official rules are, I can't say. I know it's been a practice."

Theilen, who makes $53,700 a year in his state job, said that if Davis tells him he shouldn't use his parking pass to park closer to work, he'll go back to using the parking garage at Sixth Street and Capitol Avenue where he has an assigned space.

"I don't see where this is a story," he said when questioned by a reporter.

"I'm doing what I was told I should do. If the council coordinator checks and says I'm not supposed to use it, fine. I'll go back to parking at one of the garages.

"I can tell you that I have received parking tickets in the past."

WEDDINGS

State Journal-Register, The (Springfield, IL) - Sunday, September 26, 2004

Campo -Chastain

Elizabeth Christine Chastain and Nino Campo , both of Springfield, were married at 6 p.m. May 8, 2004, at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception by the Rev. Peter Harmon.

The bride is the daughter of Charles and Deborah Chastain of Springfield. The groom is the son of Kevin and Betty Hill, Anthony Campo and Julie Altig, all of Springfield.

Serving as maid of honor was Dana Dyas. Bridesmaids were Lacy Bach, Shelley Bedolli and Celia Callarman.

Best man was Tyler Campo . Groomsmen were Kevin James, Larry Gunville and Chad Schaive. Ushers were Michael and Stephen Hill.

A reception was held at the Hilton Springfield.

The bride is a 1999 graduate of Lincoln Land Community College, a 2002 graduate of Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville and is attending SIU School of Medicine.

The groom is a 1999 graduate of Lincoln Land Community College and a 2003 graduate of the University of Illinois at Springfield. He is employed by the Sangamon County Department of Corrections.

The couple lives in Springfield.

TITLE: WEDDINGS

State Journal-Register, The (Springfield, IL) - Sunday, May 17, 1998

Ward-Oldridge Angela Helen Oldridge and Scot Alan Ward, both of Athens, were married at 5 p.m. Jan. 17 at West Side Christian Church by the Rev. Vaughn Beeman.

The bride is the daughter of Marie McGrew and Tom Oldridge, both of Springfield. The groom is the son of Marcia and Jim Cass and Niles and Wanda Ward, all of Springfield.

Serving as maid of honor was Cindy Wooden. Courtney Oldridge, Penny Sommer, Mandy Wooden, Heather Kadyk, Jenae Hampton, Jenny Minor, Amy Weder, Amy Drone and Kelly Holdman were bridesmaids. Flower girls were Mykensie Ward and Faydra Sommer.

Best man was Jeff Kadyk. Trevor Oldridge, Scott Cox,

*Dale Patterson, Tony Fodor, Don Strode, Brian Sommer,

*Jim Coffey,

*Tony Campo and Ed Kunz were groomsmen. Ringbearer was Pete Campo .

A reception was held at Sherman Activity Center.

The bride is a graduate of Lanphier High School. She is self-employed in the house cleaning business. The groom is also a graduate of Lanphier High School. He is employed as a correctional officer in Logan County.

TITLE: WEDDINGS (from KC’s 364 armstead - ISFM)

State Journal-Register, The (Springfield, IL) - Sunday, November 30, 1997

Armstead-Eder Jennifer Margaret Eder and John Allen Armstead, both of Springfield, were married at 3 p.m. Sept. 20 at St. John's Lutheran Church in Chatham by the Rev. Glenn Strohschein.

The bride is the daughter of Frank Eder Jr. and Mr. and Mrs. James Fagan, all of Mason City. The groom is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Thomas L. Armstead of Springfield.

Serving as matron of honor was Rebecca Poelker. Bridesmaids were Karrie Griffin, Chrissy Campo , Dawn Sanders and Elizabeth Fagan.

Best man was Michael Armstead. Groomsmen were Mike George, Eric Beckwith, Mark Sanders and John Thomas Armstead. Ushers were Wes Eder and Tim Schlosser.

A reception was held at the Eagles Club.

The bride is a graduate of Illini Central High School, attended the College of St. Francis and is also a graduate of the University of Illinois at Springfield. She is employed by the state. The groom is a graduate of Griffin High School.

*He is employed by George Alarm Co.

The couple will reside in Springfield.

SANGAMON COUNTY BOARD

State Journal-Register, The (Springfield, IL) - Wednesday, November 1, 2006

Author/Byline: JOHN REYNOLDS STAFF WRITER

Section: SPECIAL

Page: 11A

The retirement of two long-serving Republican members of the Sangamon County Board and the decision of a one-term Democrat to not seek reelection so he can run for a higher office means there will be some new faces on the board after the election.

Dan Vaughn, who represents the Sherman area, and Dick Bond, who represents west and northwest Springfield, decided not to run for re-election so they could spend more time with their families. Vaughn has been on the board about 16 years, and Bond was first elected 14 years ago.

Democrat Sam Cahnman, who represents sections of downtown Springfield, was first elected to the board four years ago. Instead of running for reelection, he is challenging incumbent Republican Raymond Poe in the 99th Illinois House race.

Cahnman won his county board seat by beating incumbent Republican Bradley Jones. Jones is trying to regain his seat in the 18th county board district. He faces against Democrat Dave Kamper.

The 29-member Sangamon County Board is made up of 25 Republicans and four Democrats. This year, 15 seats are up for re-election. Of those 15, 12 are held by Republicans, and three are held by Democrats. In three of the 15 districts, only one candidate is on the ballot.

How the upcoming election affects the overwhelmingly Republican Sangamon County Board remains to be seen.

Sangamon County Board member Doris Turner of Springfield, the Democratic floor leader, is optimistic.

"(Democrats) are significantly in the minority on the county board, but I think that we really have a lot of good opportunities in the upcoming election," Turner said. "We were able to recruit some good candidates and the candidates have been working very hard. A county board race is basically a shoe leather race, just going door-to-door, knocking on doors and talking to people. That is what the candidates have been doing."

Turner, who represents portions of Springfield's east side, is not up for re-election this year. She said she believes the Democrats have an "excellent" chance of hanging onto Cahnman's seat and she is "very confident" that Tyrone Pace, the Democratic incumbent in the district 20 race, will be reelected.

The board's Republican leader, Andy Van Meter, said he believes his party has fielded a "great team" of candidates, and hopes they can pick up two more seats.

"With both the state and city governments run by Democrats, I hope the upcoming election will be an opportunity to demonstrate to the public that a Republican government can deliver good service and good value for them," Van Meter said.

Candidates running for the board:

* District 2: Democrat Dave Fuchs, 942 W. Fisher Road in Cantrall, is running against Republican Todd P. Smith, 1100 Old Tipton School Road in Sherman. This is the district currently represented by Vaughn, and includes Sherman and Williamsville.

* District 3: Republican David Mendenhall, 1021 Mecla Road in Buffalo, is running unopposed. District 3 includes Mechanicsburg and far eastern Sangamon County.

* District 4: Republican incumbent Andy Goleman, 1248 E. Divernon Road in Divernon, is running against Democrat Pete Campo , 3612 Hoylake Drive. District 4 includes Divernon, Pawnee and the Cotton Hill area.

WEDDINGS

State Journal-Register, The (Springfield, IL) - Sunday, June 18, 2006

Campo -Spoor

Angela Leigh Spoor and Anthony Paul Campo , both of Loami, were married at 3 p.m. March 25, 2006, at Loami Christian Church by the Rev. Gary W. Sproat.

The bride is the daughter of Ronnie and Janet Spoor of Pleasant Plains. The groom is the son of Pete and Jeanne Campo of Springfield and Mary Desecki of Sherman.

Serving as matron of honor was Crystal Sweeny. Bridesmaids were Michele Moss, Laura Manka and Monique Borders. Flower girls were Arika and Cara Spoor.

Best man was Peter Campo . Groomsmen were Troy Snider, Will Smock, Scot Ward and Chris Schmulbach.

A reception was held at the Knights of Columbus in New Berlin.

The bride is a graduate of New Berlin High School and the University of Illinois. She is employed by the state Department of Human Services. The groom is a graduate of New Berlin High School and Lincoln Tech. He is self-employed.

The couple resides in Loami.

Need directions? Ask a street sweeper

(hiring teenagers for summer jobs, maint. Downtown)

State Journal-Register, The (Springfield, IL) - Sunday, June 26, 2005

Author/Byline: DANIEL PIKE STAFF WRITER

Section: CITY/STATE

Page: 13

Mario Austin didn't intend to spend the summer giving directions to tourists.

Austin, 17, thought his job description was limited to maintenance and litter removal. But that changed on his first day at work, when Austin learned he was one of five city-employed teenagers who would act as combination street sweepers and city guides.

It's easy to point out the major sights, such as the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum or the Old State Capitol, said Austin, who just graduated from Southeast High School. But sometimes out-of-towners toss curveballs.

"Someone asked me where the Z Bistro restaurant was," Austin said last week. "I had no idea." (It's at 220 S. Sixth St.)

The new city guides are part of a larger summer crew traditionally hired by the public works department to help keep the downtown area clean, said Ernie Slottag, spokesman for Mayor Tim Davlin.

With the opening of the presidential museum expected to draw more visitors downtown this summer, the city thought someone should be on the streets to disseminate information quickly, Slottag said.

"We want them to be able answer questions on the spot, instead of saying, 'I'll go check,'" he said. "I think people want to know right away."

The teenagers began their guide duties in the past few weeks, after orientations with public works personnel and the Springfield Convention and Visitors Bureau. Guiding actually is a side gig - they don't openly offer assistance to tourists, but rather wait to be approached while doing cleanup work.

"We're more downtown maintenance than downtown guides," said 17-year-old Chris Lipscomb, also from SEHS.

They work an area bounded by Second, Ninth, Cook and Madison streets, said Pete Campo , division manager for motor vehicle parking and the guides' supervisor. They'll be on the streets until late August.

Lipscomb and Austin were part of a crew that spent a recent morning sprucing up shrubbery outside the Municipal Center complex. As they did that, Austin said two fellow city guides were downtown with brooms and dustpans, collecting trash - mainly cigarette butts - and fielding queries from tourists.

But right now, there's not much to indicate to tourists that the sweepers are available to answer questions. They don't yet have the "City Guide" T-shirts that are supposed to be on the way. Their only official markings are on City Water, Light and Power caps they recently started wearing.

"At first, (visitors) didn't know about us," Austin said. "When we got the hats, they started to realize."

Kim Rosendahl, director of tourism for the convention and visitors bureau, said it's the first time the city has used young people specifically to answer visitors' questions. In the past, the bureau has hired "summer ambassadors," but those workers mainly gathered survey information at historic sites.

Although it's not exactly the job Austin expected, he doesn't mind helping folks find their way.

"The first couple of times I was like, 'This is OK,'" he said with a shrug. "But it's growing on me."

Caption: Caleb Bridges, 20, cleans the area around the Lincoln Library on Saturday. Bridges applied through the city for a summer job and was hired to be a street sweeper and city guide.

PERSONNEL FILE

State Journal-Register, The (Springfield, IL) - Sunday, January 9, 2005

Section: MARKETPLACE

Page: 51

GERARDO CAMPOS has been appointed store manager of the Chatham Ace Hardware, 1200 N. Main St., which is scheduled to open in March. Campos , who has been employed by Ace Hardware since June 2001, will oversee the staff and manage the day-to-day business.

Back to work at any age

(see nelson at aarp and dept of aging and see msi at aging)

State Journal-Register, The (Springfield, IL) - Thursday, July 11, 2002

Author/Byline: DIANE SCHLINDWEIN CORRESPONDENT

Section: SPECIAL

Page: 4A

Shortly after her 81st birthday last year, Helen Stefancic of Springfield left nearly a lifetime of factory work behind when she had open-heart surgery. However, following a few months of recovery Stefancic was eager to get back to work.

"I don't have any hobbies, and frankly I was just bored. They wanted me to come back to the factory in Lincoln," Stefancic says. "I've been working on an assembly line since I was 15. But at my age, it was time to try something different."

Stefancic wondered who else would hire a woman in her 80s, especially one who needed to learn new skills. Then a friend directed her to the local AARP Foundations and Senior Community Service Employment Program.

Karen Lentsch, director of the AARP employment program for Sangamon and Macon counties, says she and her staff were pleased to help Stefancic. While many seniors are looking forward to a retirement filled with golf, gardening and travel, Lentsch says some individuals find themselves ready and willing to enter or re-enter the work force. They simply need training and help finding a job.

Lentsch says that thanks to the AARP program, at any given time about 50 people age 55 or over are in training somewhere in her two counties. The program is subsidized by the Department of Labor, so while they are in training, workers are paid minimum wages for 20 hours a week through the Title V portion of the Older Americans Act.

"We're a non-for-profit agency that offers training through 30 different agencies. We were never about free help. We're about training," Lentsch says. "To be part of my program you have to be a worker." Last fiscal year the local program had a 41.5 percent permanent placement success rate.

Other than qualifying financially as "low income" there really is no typical trainee, Lentsch says. While many people think of AARP trainees as empty-nesters, Lentsch says some of her clients still have children living at home.

"If they are 55, even if it is their 55th birthday, we can help them," she says. "Over half of my trainees have school-age children. Of course, I do have quite a few who have to supplement their Social Security."

Some of the people Lentsch serves are widows who find themselves not only alone, but with no job training. Many are embarrassed to admit they are struggling financially.

"So many of the women feel like they are betraying their late husbands by coming in for training," she says, noting that many people are not financially prepared for retirement. "Of course they're not! Who knew that the average car would cost $17,000? Who ever thought that one medical prescription would cost over $100?"

Lentsch says one of the most important aspects of her job is simply paying attention. "I know how to listen right, and I can match the person with the training program. After their training is complete - when I give them a job referral -I'm about 70 percent sure that they have a good chance on keeping the job."

"The idea is to set people up to succeed, not fail," says Frank Campo , employment specialist and safety coordinator for the local AARP employment office.

"I tell them it is their job to find a job, and it is our job to help them find a job."

Lentsch says the success of her clients speaks for itself. Lee Cox, who is the office manager for Airport Mini Storage, thanks the AARP program for finding his job. "I was 62 when I first went to AARP, and I'm 64 now," he says, adding that now he tries to hire other workers through AARP. "If I need help, I go talk to Karen and she takes good care of me."

Campo says Stefancic is another good example of a trainee who has succeeded through their program. Steve and Karen Jeffers, who own two Springfield McDonald's restaurants, trained and hired Stefancic to work in the Ninth and North Grand store. She now works more than 20 hours a week making salads and parfaits, and acting as a hostess for the restaurant.

"We are so happy to have Helen working for us," says Karen Jeffers. "She is a hard worker and really a sweet person. She asked the people who work with her to call her Grandma Helen."

Stefancic attests that her life is definitely better, thanks to her training and new job. "I didn't tell them where I wanted to train. I just wanted a job," Stefancic says. "But I am so happy with my work here at McDonald's. I think any time you work for a family-owned business, they are good to you. This place is just wonderful. The people are nice. I just love it here!"

Finding people jobs is fulfilling work in itself, Campo says. "This is probably the most rewarding job that I have ever held," he says. "When I look back at the people I've helped - well, I feel good knowing that I was able to help them change their lives for the better."

For more information on the AARP Foundations and Senior Community Service Employment Program, call 544-5776.

Caption: Helen Stefancic, 81, works at the McDonald's on Ninth Street and North Grand Avenue several days a week.

Blagojevich starting downstate push with fund-raiser

State Journal-Register, The (Springfield, IL) - Sunday, January 6, 2002

Section: EDITORIAL

Page: 13

The New Year's holiday is past, and so is the lull in the political season. Campaign advertising should start to drown out other messages, and candidates will be criss-crossing the state in a dash toward the March 19 primary.

Among those candidates is U.S. Rep. ROD BLAGOJEVICH, D-Chicago. He has more than $4 million in his campaign fund - far more than any of his rivals - and he will try to supplement that with a fund-raiser in Springfield on Tuesday. The $10 ticket price for the event, from 5-7:30 p.m. at Knights of Columbus Council 364, 2200 S. Meadowbrook Road, should help draw a crowd.

TODD RENFROW, a former Sangamon County Democratic chairman who now works for the secretary of state, is organizing the event.

Others involved include PETE CAMPO of Loami and PAT DAVIS of Greenview.

Renfrow said he's known Blagojevich since the congressman's days in the Illinois House. Renfrow also is close to JOHN GIANULIS, head of the downstate Democratic County Chairmen's Association, which has endorsed Blagojevich.

The Sangamon County Democratic Party and its current leader, BOB WESLEY, have endorsed Blagojevich, though some party activists, including Renfrow friend TIM McANARNEY, have been working for PAUL VALLAS for governor.

Vallas plays down the value of the endorsement by the Gianulis group, especially because proxy voting was allowed for Democratic county chairmen who didn't make the meeting.

Renfrow said he has nothing against Vallas but thinks Blagojevich is "very talented."

Blagojevich also plans to open a Springfield office soon, said spokeswoman AMANDA CRUMLEY.

WEDDINGS

State Journal-Register, The (Springfield, IL) - Sunday, November 25, 2001

Cummings-Catteau

Stephanie M. Catteau of Pawnee and Todd W. Cummings of Loami were married at 3 p.m. Oct. 27 at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Pawnee by the Rev. Roger Simpson.

The bride is the daughter of Michael and Melinda Catteau of Pawnee. The groom is the son of William and Kathy Cummings of Loami.

Serving as matron of honor was Rhonda Horn. Serving as maid of honor was Shelly Catteau. Bridesmaids were Keri Lederbrand, Connie Higgason, Amy Henry and Amanda Catteau. Flower girl was Hannah Lederbrand.

Best man was Darrin Cummings. Groomsmen were Brian Sullivan, Matt Cloyd, T.C. Roesch, Tony Campo and Scott Smith. Ringbearers were Mitchell Horn and Cameron Cummings. Ushers were Michael Cal and Kelly Horn. Junior attendants were Reeve Catteau and Brady Cummings.

A reception was held at Northfield Center.

The couple will reside in Pawnee.

Catteau Jr., Michael A.

View/Sign Guest Book

PAWNEE - Michael "Big Cat" August Catteau Jr., 35, of Pawnee died at 3:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 8, 2009, in Warren County.

Visitation will be held from 4 to 7 p.m. Sunday, April 12, 2009, at Staab Funeral Home, with a prayer service at 7 p.m. Additional visitation will be held from 8:30 to 9:15 a.m. Monday, April 13, 2009, at Staab Funeral Home, followed by funeral mass at 10 a.m. at St. Rita's Catholic Church in Kincaid, with the Rev. Daniel Willenborg officiating. Burial will be at Calvary Cemetery in Pawnee.

Memorials may be made to the Christian Care Program at St. John's Hospital.

UIS soccer team turns to SCI stars

State Journal-Register, The (Springfield, IL) - Friday, April 21, 2000

Author/Byline: RON DICKERSON STAFF WRITER

Section: SPORTS

Page: 43

When this year's recruits for the University of Illinois at Springfield soccer team step onto Kiwanis Field, three will be remembered for their play on the 1998 NJCAA title-contending Bulldogs of Springfield College in Illinois.

Midfielder Ryan Speckhart, who played at Quincy University last season, Melvin Koon and Eddie Kingston, who walked away from an NCAA Division I scholarship with St. John's University, each played an integral part on the SCI team that placed fifth in the NJCAA tournament.

Thursday, UIS announced those players and four others will play for the Prairie Stars this season.

Two other members of the '98 SCIteam already are with UIS: defender Jeff Ambrose; and midfielder Rene Troppa, who rejected an NCAA Division I scholarship to the University of Wisconsin to stay in Springfield.

"It's like putting the band back together," former SCI coach Tom Noonan said.

Another local college player headed to UIS is Hamilton Michelon, who played for Lincoln Land Community College the last two years. The midfielder is from Brazil.

The other recruits are John Milkovic, a defender from College of DuPage, Justin Deckard, a goalkeeper from Lewis & Clark who was instrumental in ending Lincoln Land's season last year in the NJCAA Region 24 tournament, and forward Matt Blackwell, from Tyler (Texas) Community College.

"We didn't bring in a lot of recruits, but we brought in quality," UIS coach Aydin Gonulsen said. "Combined with what we have coming back, we have what it takes to have another very good season.

"Our goal is to win the national title. We've been knocking on the door, but there is just one team out there that is always so much better: Lindsey Wilson.

"I imagine they're still the team to beat."

The Prairie Stars lost NAIA Region 7 player of the year in goalie Rob Fox from last season's team. Also gone is four-year starter Oscar Valdez in the backfield and midfielders Ercan Uzel, Ali Yigit and Hakan Aydogdu.

"That's a lot of talent and experience we lost," Gonulsen said. "How do you replace a goalie like Rob Fox? That was our No. 1 need as I assessed it. I'd like to get a backup now. But Deckard is a very good athlete and is a strong punter.

"Milkovic was a first-team All-American at DuPage. He's a strong kid with a nice touch. He can play defensive half or center-midfield or stopperback."

Gonulsen likes Michelon's poise and leadership.

"He's very experienced," Gonulsen said. "He's not quick, but he positions himself well and anticipates so well. He's the kind of player who'll play big in big games."

Kingston scored a school-record 41 goals in two years with SCI, while Koon had 17 last year with the Bulldogs.

The complementary styles of Kingston and Koon have developed dating back to their childhood days in Liberia. Kingston is a crafty creator, while Koon is technically superior with a better shot.

"Kingston is dangerous," Noonan said. "He's great at taking two or three players on, drawing the defense to him, then beating them on the dribble. He's the rare player in the sense that teams have to defend him.

"Koon isn't as crafty as Eddie, but he's strong in the air and he has a great shot. It's a strong shot. His acceptance of the ball is fantastic, and he's a left-sided player, who is hard to find, especially one as good as he is.

"I think those two are telepathically connected. They read each other so well."

Kingston spent one year at St. John's as the Red Storm went 16-6-2 and lost to Penn State 2-1 in triple overtime in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA tournament. It was the ninth consecutive tournament appearance for the Red Storm.

"It didn't work out at St. John's," Kingston said. "I just wanted to get out of there. I was uncomfortable with the style of play. We played a more defensive style of soccer. We didn't score many goals."

Kingston did not enjoy playing on Astroturf and did not click with St. John's coach Dave Masur.

"We didn't communicate well," said Kingston, who scored three goals for the Red Storm. "I didn't know my role. I was always guessing.

"I got my release after the season and called Tom (Noonan). He's become a mentor to me. I found it pretty appealing to rejoin many of my SCI teammates at UIS. So, I'm back for my last year of college soccer."

The recruits join returning Prairie Stars Brian Bauer and Bektas Bilgilisoy in the middle, strikers Piper Lee and Flavius Ardelean, and defenders Gerardo Campos and Ahmet Hayat. Also returning are Ambrose and Troppa, Gabe Teeter, Ismail Yakici and Muzaffer Tabag.

Lee led the Prairie Stars with 21 goals last year.

"We won't have the numbers," Gonulsen said, "but we have enough to be very, very, good."

TITLE: POLICE BEAT

State Journal-Register, The (Springfield, IL) - Saturday, June 21, 1997

Edition: M1.

Section: LOCAL

Page: 7

o An angry motorist allegedly drove to a Springfield car dealership and hit an employee with a stick.

Police said Anthony P. Campo , 29, of Loami arrived about 9:45 a.m. Friday at Landmark Ford, 1800 S. Dirksen Parkway. He allegedly got out of his car and began yelling for a 35-year-old employee.

When the man approached to speak to Campo , Campo allegedly struck the victim with a 2-foot brown stick. The blow raised a welt on the victim's elbow, but he did not require medical treatment, police said.

Campo allegedly drove away from the car lot but later called police and made arrangements to turn himself in at a retail store in the 1200 block of South Dirksen. He was arrested on suspicion of aggravated battery.

Police said the alleged attack stemmed from a personal matter between the two men.

Campo appeared Friday afternoon in Sangamon County court and was released on his own recognizance

Blankenship – terry campo prez YR’s –

Greg blankenship= Illinois policy Inst – dc address, chi

Greg blankenship is a cousin of terry campo

(greg blankenship friends with Bill cellini jr. – doc)

Greg was Ssgt, ING, when at 96’ san diego conv.

[at san diego R’ convention in 1996]

Many events filmed by saltz for afl-cio “independent media center” at 96 convention Were norquist events

Afl-cio Internship set-up in 96, sent me to san diego

Suspect YR’s heavily involved in harassment, ie schweska llcc YR prez and see schweska SPD timeline and “retirement”

OBITUARIES

State Journal-Register, The (Springfield, IL) - Thursday, March 9, 2006

Section: LOCAL

Page: 28

Richard T. Blankenship

SPRINGFIELD - Richard "Dick" Tony Blankenship, 66, of Springfield died Monday, March 6, 2006, at Passavant Area Hospital in Jacksonville.

He was born July 29, 1939, in Quincy, the son of Kenneth Floyd and Ruth Edwards Blankenship. He married Margaret Ann "Peg" Robb in 1963 in Murphysboro.

Mr. Blankenship was a veteran of the U.S. Army National Guard.

He worked for the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency.

Survivors: wife, Margaret; son, Greg Blankenship of Springfield; daughter, Kara (husband, Aaron) Walz of Champaign; four grandchildren; stepmother, Mae Blankenship of Springfield; brother, Mike (wife, Laura) Blankenship of Las Vegas; and three sisters, Trish (husband, Dave) O'Shea, Kathy (husband, Randy) Herr and Mary (husband, Don) Chance, all of Springfield.

Cremation was accorded by the Cremation Tribute Center.

TITLE: WEDDINGS

State Journal-Register, The (Springfield, IL) - Sunday, October 29, 1989

Gross--Hutchinson Dorothy Ann Hutchinson and Jason Jeffrey Gross, both of Springfield, were united in marriage at 4 p.m. Sept. 23 at Washington Park. The Rev. Donald McPeek officiated.

The bride is the daughter of Mrs. B.D. Hutchinson of Godrey. Her father is deceased. The groom is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Richard Gross of Springfield.

Maid of honor was Shelley Hutchinson, with Amy Gross, Bernadette Bonner and Laura Dickinson serving as bridesmaids. Flower girl was Miranda Jones.

Best man was Keith Ramey. Other members of the groom's wedding party were Bill Cellini Jr., Mark Schaffer, Greg Blankenship , Chris Pemberton, John and Joshua Wisely.

A reception was held at 624 West.

The bride is administrative director/director of public relations for the Illinois Association of Community Mental Health Agencies. The groom is manager of Dick Blick Art Supplies in Decatur.

The couple will live in Springfield.

Bernard Schoenburg: Policy institute has new top staffer

State Journal-Register, The (Springfield, IL) - Sunday, April 12, 2009

Author/Byline: THE STATE JOURNAL-REGISTER

Section: opinions

An Illinois-based free-market think tank founded in 2002 has a new top Springfield staffer and now has a budget of more than $1 million annually.

The Illinois Policy Institute also has been doing its best to be a player in state government, as it opposes tax increases that have been proposed by Gov. PAT QUINN.

It's new Springfield-based executive vice president is KRISTINA RASMUSSEN, 25, who has moved to Illinois after working 3½ years for the National Taxpayers Union in Washington, D.C., where she was director of government affairs.

"We're an organization that supports the ideas behind limited government and liberty, and, for example, how Illinois can balance its budget without relying on a tax hike," Rasmussen said. "We provide the good ideas that legislators can choose to run with, if they so desire."

On its Web site, www.illinoispolicyinstitute.org, among solutions to a budget hole in the billions are establishing the need for a three-fifths majority of the General Assembly to pass tax increases, creating an independent commission of business leaders to make specific recommendations to consolidate or eliminate duplicative, outdated or ineffective programs and calling on the legislature to vote the full package up or down at one time, and calling for lawmakers to offset the expense of any new spending program by eliminating an existing program.

And while Quinn says that 5 million people would get tax relief even with the higher base income-tax rate he wants because of a tripling of the personal exemption to $6,000, the institute has countered with calculations for families without a lot of kids. For example, the institute says, a couple earning more than $28,000 annually would pay higher taxes, and a household of four with income over $56,000 would pay higher taxes.

MARCELYN LOVE, spokeswoman for the governor's office of Management and Budget, calls the institute's calculations incorrect, and provides it's own at a Web site, www.budget

.illinois.gov/taxcalculator.htm. At that site, the couple would pay $34 less under Quinn's plan, and the family of four would pay $67 less.

"The governor believes the current tax system is outdated," Love said. "He wants to reform the tax code in a way that helps families and accounts for the rate of inflation."

Rasmussen notes that the administration's calculator bases the tax on adjusted gross income estimated to be 92 percent of income, which she said could wrongly show lower taxes for some.

"We think that this is somewhat misleading because adjusted gross income will be different for everybody, depending on their income sources as well as the deductions and credits they choose to take," she said. "We thought the fairest number to use would just be 100 percent of income."

Rasmussen, who is not related to the namesake of a national polling company, is a Minnesota native with a political science degree from what was then Randolph-Macon Woman's College, and is now Randolph College, Lynchburg, Va., and has a master's from the Graduate School of Political Management at George Washington University, Washington, D.C. Her husband, HENRIK RASMUSSEN, is originally from Denmark, and while he made the move to Springfield as well, he remains a public affairs consultant with a Washington, D.C., firm, helping companies interested in doing business in Europe.

The Illinois Policy Institute's chairman and CEO is now JOHN TILLMAN, who is among staffers based in Chicago. In Springfield, Rasmussen is joined by COLLIN HITT, director of education policy.

In addition to government budgeting and taxes, Rasmussen said another key issue is transparency. It wants all state expenditures to be online, for example.

Rasmussen said the 2009 budget for the institute is more than $1 million - but the source of that money isn't something the organization is transparent about. "That's something actually we don't disclose because some of our donors are concerned that they could face political repercussions if their support became known," she said. "Their right to privacy is protected by nonprofit law. We do respect that."

She pointed out that government money is from taxpayers, while institute money is from private sources.

The institute was started in 2002 by GREG BLANKENSHIP , 41, a Springfield native who had been in Washington, D.C., but returned to Illinois' capital city to get the think tank going. He had been president of the organization, and according to the institute's tax-exempt filing with the Internal Revenue Service for 2007, he was paid $72,666 that year. Rasmussen declined to say what she is paid now.

In November, Blankenship filed paperwork to incorporate a different group, the Illinois Alliance for Growth. That group's mission, as told on its Web site, www.all4growth.org, is to protect taxpayers from higher taxes and hold government at the state and federal levels accountable. It does this through advocacy of lower taxes and more open, transparent government."

Blankenship said his new group, unlike the institute, is allowed to lobby. Back in 2007, Blankenship hosted a speech by GROVER NORQUIST, president of Washington, D.C.-based Americans for Tax Reform, in Springfield.

"Grover for years has been whispering in my ear" to start the kind of group that can lobby, Blankenship said. "You can be much more aggressive."

Blankenship said he got some startup money from the National Taxpayers Union for the new group.

"We've doubled the size of limited-government groups in Springfield," Blankenship said. "There are two now."

Rasmussen said a lot of people asked why she moved from the nation's capital to Springfield.

"I am loving it," she said. "Traffic; there is none. People are very friendly. I feel like the small businesses I patronize, you get to meet the owners and establish a relationship. And people are just a little more open, a little more friendly. I'm from the Midwest, so I love being kind of back in this smaller-town culture.

"D.C. is a very hectic, fast-paced, transitory culture," she said. So Springfield is "very attractive to me."

She said that as a private citizen, she called her new legislators - state Sen. LARRY BOMKE, R-Springfield, and state Rep. RICH BRAUER, R-Petersburg, and was called back.

"They spent time speaking with me," she said. "And I thought it was so refreshing. ... I haven't always gotten that where I lived."

She doesn't claim a political party, saying she is "committed to ideas," but did say it would be awkward to vote in a primary here.

"It's the first time I've ever lived in a state where they have a closed primary," she said, and the voter has to ask for a certain party's ballot, making that party choice part of the public record.

Sowing the Seeds of GOP Domination - Conservative Norquist Cultivates Grass Roots Beyond the Beltway

Washington Post - Monday, January 12, 2004

Author/Byline: Laura Blumenfeld, Washington Post Staff Writer

Edition: F

Section: A Section

Page: A1

In a noisy corner of Harry's Tap Room, two men huddled over a map of the United States. They spoke in quiet voices:

"Tennessee will be run by Steve."

"West Virginia -- we have three people."

"North Dakota is tough. You talked to Michigan?"

Diners brushed past the men unaware, as Ken Mehlman and Grover Norquist hopscotched across state lines, refining what Norquist calls, with a wink, "our secret plan to seize power." Mehlman, the Bush-Cheney campaign manager, and Norquist, gardener of the conservative grass roots, were discussing a new tactic for the 2004 election: The campaign would activate the conservative base as it never had before.

Norquist, 47, is known for his weekly strategy sessions of conservatives, a Washington institution. But quietly, for the past five years, he also has been building a network of "mini-Grover" franchises. He has crisscrossed the country, hand-picking leaders, organizing meetings of right-wing advocates in 37 states. The network will meet its first test in the presidential race. On this evening at Harry's, several blocks from campaign headquarters in Arlington, Norquist presented his master contact list to Mehlman, mapped out and bound in a book.

"Fabulous, Grover. Awesome," Mehlman said, scanning the book like a hungry man reading a menu. "We're going to take that energy and harness it."

The binder was Norquist's gift to the presidential race. His aspirations, though, extend far beyond the White House. Congress, governorships, state legislatures, the media, the courts -- Norquist has a programming plan, and it is all Republican, all the time. Norquist closes his letters, "Onward." He takes the mission so seriously, he has named a successor in his will. Socially, he is often introduced as the head of the vast right-wing conspiracy. He accepts the title with a faint blush.

"He is an impresario of the center-right," the president's strategist, Karl Rove, said in an interview. Rove said Norquist's activists helped President Bush push trade promotion, tax cuts, judicial nominees and tort reform, among other items. "They've been out there slogging for us in the trenches."

They gather every Wednesday morning in a boardroom of Americans for Tax Reform. Norquist is president of the anti-tax group. The shades are down, the lights are weak, yet an incandescent assuredness infuses the room. A hundred and twenty people mill around, eating bagels, distributing talking points, exchanging business cards and tips. They are lobbyists, analysts, senior White House and Hill staffers, advocates for property rights, gun ownership and traditional values. There are never enough chairs. The air is as warm as a hatchery.

"Guys, could you all please be seated," Norquist said on a recent Wednesday. " 'Cause as usual, we have a fun-filled, action-packed, spine-tingling agenda."

The sessions are by invitation only, and off the record. A Washington Post reporter was allowed access on the condition that no participant would be quoted without permission.

One week, Norquist called on Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) to speak. "Thank you all," Frist said, rising. He smiled at men with American flags on their lapels, at women who have driven around tornadoes to attend meetings. He addressed them in a manner a man might use with his guard dog, mixing appreciation, condescension and a note of fear. Ever since the conservative base turned on George H.W. Bush and he was defeated for reelection in 1992, the Republican leadership has been wary of its bite.

"I understand that it takes all of you to get this far," Frist said. A member asked Frist about passing legislation with a 51-seat majority.

"I'm in the business of recruitment," Frist said, of the 2004 Senate elections. "I need to net up three folks."

In the meantime, Norquist offered to lobby senators on specific issues: "Let us know about votes. We'll see if we can get you three more good guys."

Political pressure is the intended outcome of every meeting. Although members represent disparate causes, Norquist said, "they play nicely together." He calls it the "leave us alone" coalition. Unlike groups on the left, which fight among themselves for government aid, he said, the right unites over its disdain for government.

Norquist sits in the middle of the table, ticking down a list of presenters. His features are pointy and directional, giving him a look of forward momentum. His eyebrows appear to be blown back by a headwind. In rapid succession, people take the microphone and make their appeal.

On the estate tax: "Let's team up," urged Richard Patten, executive director of the American Family Business Institute. "We can amplify our separate armies and kill the death tax."

On judicial nominees: "Blast-fax your media list," said Kerri Houston, vice president of policy at Frontiers of Freedom. "If this thing doesn't blow a hole through the Beltway, we're in big trouble."

After a presentation by Matt Schlapp, the White House director for political affairs, David Keene, chairman of the American Conservative Union, exclaimed, "This is an administration that cares not just about the president, but about all the other races. I've never seen such coordination."

Coordination, though, assumes cooperation. For those who do not cooperate, Norquist plays enforcer. Democrats are "bad guys," but errant Republicans are "evil." When the House voted to pass school vouchers in September, Norquist growled, "Who voted wrong on that?" A Hill staff member distributed the Republican blacklist. On the Internet access tax vote, he targeted two Republican senators from Tennessee and Ohio: "We're trying to get [Lamar] Alexander and [George] Voinovich to behave. Any advice appreciated."

When Alabama Gov. Bob Riley (R) tried to pass a state tax increase, Norquist helped defeat it. "We're going to keep him on life support," he said. "We'll put him in a freezer, as an example." He gave the Alabama state party chairman an award for opposing the hike. Instead of a plaque, Norquist sent him a sword with a steel blade. Even presidents have felt his wrath. Norquist first organized the Wednesday meetings in 1993 to galvanize opposition to Bill Clinton's health care plan. He keeps a rubber stamp by his desk, "Find Him and Kill Him." Near it, he has taped a yellowing scrap on which he had written: "Oct. 12, 1987. Bush: 'I won't raise your taxes, period.' " Norquist still condemns the first President Bush for breaking that promise.

He criticized George W. Bush's policies as well, when Bush was governor of Texas. But since Bush has become president, Norquist has muted his disapproval. Paul Weyrich, another conservative leader, said the younger Bush has earned the base's respect: "I have worked with administrations going back to Nixon. These people are more responsive than any other White House."

Liberals offer less favorable interpretations of Norquist's support for the administration. "He's a crass hypocrite," said Leon Wieseltier, an editor at the New Republic. "He won't attack the president because it would be imprudent to be intellectually honest with the king. He's a Washington grotesque -- a man who has created a successful character in a tacky sitcom, and he doesn't want to hurt his ratings."

Norquist treats speakers from the White House deferentially. Although political candidates are put on the spot -- "What's your stand on guns and babies [abortion]?" -- Cabinet members and other senior officials are not. After introducing Daniel Sutherland, the Department of Homeland Security's officer of civil rights and civil liberties, Norquist cocked his head: "Explain to us, are we for this or against this?"

When Joshua B. Bolten, director of the Office of Management and Budget, came, Norquist asked, "For those of us on the outside, when someone sticks a mike in our face and says, 'Spending is up! You guys on the right are failing,' what are the talking points?"

Bolten rattled off the budget statistics that he could use.

Yet under Bush, the largest budget surplus in history has become the largest deficit in history. In the past, Norquist has said he wants to shrink government "down to the size where you could drown it in a bathtub." Now, glancing up at Bolten, Norquist ventured politely: "Is there a single agency you want to get rid of? It would be really helpful for us to say, 'This administration wants to get rid of . . . ' "

Norquist's conversion from ideological outsider to member of the establishment reflects a broader transformation in the movement. One Wednesday morning, former House speaker Newt Gingrich, Norquist's comrade in the Republican revolution of 1994, walked into the boardroom. He smiled at Norquist, his tongue resting on his lip, like a boy who was about to misbehave.

"Health," Gingrich began his pitch, "is one of the great opportunities for conservatism."

Congress was voting on the Medicare bill that week. For the next 15 minutes, Gingrich tried to convince the audience that the proposal, the greatest entitlement expansion in a generation, was good for the conservative cause. The reception was mixed.

"Be positive. Let the other side be nasty," Gingrich said, a shade pinker than when he had entered the room. His message: If you want to hold on to power, you cannot be purists. "The best way to beat Hillary [Clinton] is to build our base. Shrink hers." He licked his bottom lip: "Then we can crush her."

While he spoke, three groups circulated petitions opposing the Medicare proposition. Others grumbled that Gingrich was taking this view because his new Center for Health Transformation was funded by health care companies.

Some conservatives have stopped attending the meetings because, they say, the institution has "gone Beltway." Now that Republicans are in power, the emphasis has shifted from ideology to lobbying for rich clients, they say. At one session, former representative Bob Livingston (R-La.) promoted a telecom client. At another, former Oklahoma governor Frank Keating (R) talked to the audience as president of the American Council of Life Insurers. One coalition dropout dismissed Norquist as a "homo economicus" -- driven by market forces rather than by social issues.

And yet Norquist's bachelor townhouse bears evidence of a man whose ideological core is hard. The art in his living room is early Ronald Reagan. His Costco-brand shirts hang in a closet under a picture of former Senate leader Robert J. Dole (R-Kan.) signing a no-tax pledge.

He is often described as an eccentric. For a bedside table, Norquist uses a giant green canister for Kraft parmesan cheese. He displays what he hopes will be the world's largest collection of airsickness bags. At staff meetings, employees say, he holds court while variously sitting on a giant red plastic ball, eating tuna from a can, rubbing his feet against a massager and sniffing hand lotion as he kneads it into his fingers. He excuses himself to go to "the ladies room."

His manner is charming, though bitterness creeps into his voice when he talks about classmates at Harvard, where he attended college ('78) and business school ('81). As a Republican, Norquist felt isolated among the students, whom he calls "Bolsheviks." At a reunion in the early 1990s, he said, he told a classmate: "For 40 years we fought a two-front war against the Soviet Union and state-ism. Now we can turn all our time and energy to crushing you. With the Soviet Union, it was just business. With you, it's personal."

He leaves the impression that perhaps some of the 18 hours a day he devotes to establishing a permanent Republican majority has to do with punishing college tormenters. As for being socially awkward, his mother had advised him when he was growing up in Weston, Mass., to "dance with the wallflowers." If you do, she said, you will be at the center of things.

That is how Norquist spends his days -- dancing with wallflowers. He cultivates state legislators, whom others overlook, working them like a farm team for Congress. He organizes events to bring nontraditional groups into the Republican tent: Indians, gays, single women. Some conservatives have attacked him for his outreach to Arab and Muslim Americans, charging that he has embraced radicals with ties to terrorism. Administration officials, including Rove, have said there is no truth to the allegations.

Other conservatives offered reasons of their own for avoiding him. One called his meeting "a freak show" that is "intellectually insulting." Another said he "represents a rare level of vitriol and suspicion." Many dismiss him as a media creation, a showman who is better at generating press than political results. None would speak for the record. His friends said this was proof that his detractors speak out of jealousy.

"He's the engine that empowers us all," said Gary Maloney, a Republican consultant and friend. "I call him up and say, 'What should I think?' "

Now he's focusing on the "mini-Grover" state coalition meetings and their role in the presidential campaign. In Maine, organizers bake cranberry muffins. In Hawaii, members fly in from all the islands. In Texas, participants are so boisterous they limit meetings to a single issue. A precursor of the group in New Mexico had to be shut down after it was taken over by conspiracy theorists who believed black helicopters from the United Nations were moving people around at night.

Norquist issued meeting guidelines, including: "No gossiping. No whining. No rambling discourses or philosophical discussions. We know we are hard core." Whether they are religious activists, home-schoolers or business advocates, participants find a place where they can joke about being "extremists" and "rabid right-wingers." Greg Blankenship , leader of the Illinois group, said it was a relief in his liberal state to assemble with like-minded conservatives: "I guess you could say I live in enemy-occupied territory."

The gatherings in one New England state are so effective, they place stories in the local media four or five times a week. "No one knows it's the coalition doing it because there is no publicity of the meetings," the leader wrote in an internal memo. "I don't know how much longer we can operate below the radar."

During a monthly conference call with the state meeting leaders, Norquist asked the Vermont representative for dirt on the former governor, Howard Dean, the front-runner for the Democratic presidential nomination. "It would be extremely helpful for you to get the information out," Norquist said. "So people around the country have talking points on Dean."

Democrats used to anger him, Norquist said. He's past angry now. "Do you get mad at cancer? We'll defeat and crush their institutions, and the trial lawyers will go sell pizza. We're not going to hang them. Most of the people on the left will be happy in Grover's world. I feel about the left the way [Donald H.] Rumsfeld felt about the Iraqis."

And after Norquist purges the United States, there is the rest of the world. He says this with the confidence of a man who uses a black laundry marker as a pen. He has helped start Wednesday meetings in Canada, New Zealand, England and Japan. He has learned to be patient: "I now understand you can't just explain to the idiots how to do it and to see it your way, because they're too foolish to see it."

Norquist knows he will survive politically, as sure as he outlived Reagan and Gingrich. He will always be relevant, he said, because he embodies the issue that unifies Republicans: lower taxes.

The plan -- The Plan -- in all its detail turns round in his head when he climbs into bed at midnight. "You're Bush and you're trying to get reelected," Norquist said he was thinking. "What should you do?" A framed copy of Bush's '02 State of the Union address hangs across from his bed. A Bush-Cheney '04 contribution envelope lies next to him, along with a black machete from Malawi.

As he goes to sleep, he rehearses lines for speeches and opinion columns. Lately, he has been working on an article about the presidential race: "A cornered rat fights. The left is playing for its life, and will fight harder than anyone on the right sees. . . . " The words keep marching -- onward -- until he loses consciousness.

CAMPO HEAD OF DELEGATES FOR FORBES CAMPAIGN

State Journal-Register, The (Springfield, IL) - Thursday, December 28, 1995

Author/Byline: BERNARD SCHOENBURG STAFF WRITER

Edition: M1,M2

Section: LOCAL

Page: 3

Springfield lawyer Terry Campo is leading a central Illinois slate of delegate candidates supporting Malcolm "Steve" Forbes Jr. as the Republican

candidate for president.

Campo, a Springfield lawyer who unsuccessfully sought the GOP nomination in the 20th Congressional District in 1994, said Wednesday he likes Forbes' message. "He's the only candidate that's really gaining ground" in the GOP field, Campo said.

Even if U.S. Sen. Bob Dole of Kansas, now considered the front-runner, gets the nomination, Campo said, a strong Forbes showing could influence the debate.

Forbes is pushing a flat-rate income tax, and Campo said Forbes could lead the country in "major, fundamental changes." "Even my friends who are working for Dole, a lot of them seriously question whether he can win," Campo said.

Campo is being paid as a consultant to the Forbes campaign, organizing slates of delegate candidates in four congressional districts. Campo said it was his own decision to become one of the candidates.

Larry Horist of Chicago, Illinois coordinator of Forbes for President, said all 59 elective delegate slots and at least 52 alternate slots have been filled.

Forbes is president of Forbes Inc., which publishes Forbes magazine.

In the 20th Congressional District, Campo, former national chairman of Young Republicans, is joined on the delegate slate by Carol A. Dart of Springfield, a business and public affairs consultant, and Robert J. Walters of Bethalto, a former member of the Illinois House who is president of the Southwestern Illinois Industrial Association.

In the 18th Congressional District, Forbes delegate candidates are Andrew N. Dowling of Springfield, an Ameritech Cellular Communications executive and past president of CrimeStoppers of Sangamon and Menard counties; John G. Sohn of Peoria, vice president and general council of CILCORP; Laura Otten of Washington, a Tazewell County assistant state's attorney; and Greg Blankenship of Springfield, a staff sergeant in the Illinois Air National Guard.

Candidates for alternates *at the San Diego convention from the 20th are Mark Pettyjohn of Rochester, owner of Travelers' Insurance of Central Illinois; Scott A. Sabin of Springfield, lawyer and vice chairman of the Springfield Community Relations Commission; and Jeffrey A. Weenes of Peoria, marketing manager of the Westfall Co., an insurance firm.

Alternate delegate candidates from the 18th for Forbes are Byron Farrell of Godfrey, president of Helmcamp Inc., a construction company, and former national chairman of the Associated General Contractors of America; Charles Barenfanger of Vandalia, president of Barenfanger Inc., a construction and railroad management company; and Amy Peterson, a paralegal in Springfield.

Policy group plans luncheon / Head of Americans for Tax Reform to be speaker at fundraiser

State Journal-Register, The (Springfield, IL) - Tuesday, September 18, 2007

Author/Byline: BERNARD SCHOENBURG POLITICAL WRITER

Section: CITY/STATE

Page: 6

Grover Norquist, president of Washington, D.C.-based Americans for Tax Reform, will be here next week to speak at a luncheon hosted by the Springfield-based Illinois Policy Institute.

Norquist, an early booster of George W. Bush for president, is considered a leading proponent of tax limitation and one of the most influential organizers of the modern conservative movement.

"I don't want to abolish" government, he once said. "I simply want to reduce it to the size where I can drag it into the bathroom and drown it in the bathtub."

The $100-per-person luncheon at noon Monday at The Inn at 835 will mark the five-year anniversary of the institute. It also is a fundraiser for the group, said Greg Blankenship , its president and founder.

Norquist will speak on the continuing need for fiscal responsibility in Illinois.

"We wanted to have Grover in because he has probably been our most outspoken supporter both in the state of Illinois and in Washington as we have developed this organization," Blankenship said.

Blankenship said his group, which he defined as "center-right" politically, shares many beliefs with Norquist's organization, including opposition to increased taxes.

"The one thing that we really agree on is that we just want government to leave us alone," Blankenship said.

He said Norquist's group helped the Springfield-based institute begin a weekly conference call with activists from around the state, including "home-schoolers to gun-rights advocates to social conservatives" as well as anti-tax conservatives.

"I've been hosting that call for five years," Blankenship said. "Once or twice a year, Grover will join us and find out what's going on in the state."

The institute has three full-time employees - Blankenship and Collin Hitt, director of education and policy reform, in Springfield, plus John Tillman, who lives in suburban Chicago, as chairman and CEO.

Abdul-Hakim Shabazz, a radio talk-show host in Indianapolis who had a similar job in Springfield, is a visiting fellow working in the area of legal reform.

Norquist's Americans for Tax Reform is a coalition of taxpayer groups, individuals and businesses opposed to higher taxes at all levels, according to the organization's Web site. ATR seeks to have candidates sign a taxpayer-protection pledge to oppose all tax increases.

However, ATR also has been accused of serving as a conduit between disgraced former Washington lobbyist Jack Abramoff and various grassroots lobbying efforts.

Abramoff, a longtime friend and political ally of Norquist, pleaded guilty last year to conspiracy, mail fraud and tax evasion. Norquist has denied any wrongdoing.

Norquist serves on the board of the National Rifle Association, is a contributing editor of American Spectator magazine and is on the board of directors of the American Conservative Union.

Tickets to the Monday luncheon can be obtained by calling Blankenship at 544-4759. The event is expected to last 90 minutes.

Norquist's 'liberty agenda' / National anti-tax crusader addresses Springfield luncheon

State Journal-Register, The (Springfield, IL) - Tuesday, September 25, 2007

Author/Byline: BERNARD SCHOENBURG POLITICAL WRITER

Section: NEWS

Page: 1

National anti-tax activist Grover Norquist told a Springfield audience Monday that there is a battle going on between liberty and more government spending and intrusion.

Norquist, president of the Washington-based Americans for Tax Reform, told a $100-a-plate luncheon for the Illinois Policy Institute, a Springfield-based think tank, that in the struggle over the role of government in America, he's part of the "center-right" coalition that has a "liberty agenda" of being left alone.

That coalition, he said, takes in "the Reagan Republican Party," including some independents and Democrats; taxpayers who don't want higher taxes; businesspeople who don't like regulation; believers in Second Amendment gun rights; and "people who want to ... transmit their faith to their children without the state throwing prophylactics at their kids in school."

Different members of the coalition may have different interests, he said, but "we agree that everybody should be free."

On the other side, Norquist said, is the "takings coalition - people who view the proper role of government as taking things from some people and giving them to others."

They include, he said, "the trial lawyers, the labor unions, the big-city political machines, the two wings of the dependency movement - those people who are locked into welfare dependency (and) those people who make $90,000 a year managing the dependency of other people, making sure none of them get jobs and become Republicans."

Norquist, speaking to about 50 people at The Inn at 835, said his organization believes politicians should take anti-tax pledges.

"If we do our job correctly and put our foot on the air hose, and if we say no new taxes ... then everybody on the takings coalition sitting around that table begins to look at each other like the second-to-the-last scene in the lifeboat movies; they're wondering who they're going to throw overboard or who they're going to eat, because the left is not made up of friends and allies. It is made up of competing parasites.

"... And the takings coalition, when they get hungry, can be very desperate and very mean and very powerful and hurt people who get in between them and your money."

Norquist said there are strong spending pressures on politicians in Washington and Springfield, and groups that fight tax increases, such as the Illinois Policy Institute, need to provide the "exoskeletons" to "not bend when that pressure comes."

Since it began in the mid-1980s, the anti-tax movement has been fortified, Norquist said, by the explosion in the number of people who own stock, through mutual funds, 401(k) plans, Individual Retirement Accounts and other financial instruments. Now, he said, when politicians talk of taxing corporations, "It's a little easier to say to people, 'They're taxing your retirement. They're taxing you.' "

Norquist, who is a Republican, said his favorite Democratic candidate for president is Sen. Hillary Clinton of New York.

"She frightens every part of the leave-us-alone coalition," Norquist said.

But he also said that in order to beat well-financed candidates John Edwards and Barack Obama, Clinton will have to use a figurative "baseball bat" - which he thinks she will do.

"She'll look mean and mean-spirited and left wing when she's finished taking care of those two guys ... which is how she wanted to not start the presidential race," Norquist said.

He didn't name a favorite GOP candidate, saying they are "all generally moving in the right direction" on taxes, and "the one of them that most looks and sounds like (Ronald) Reagan, that doesn't have a glass jaw, and when you shake him, any skeletons that come out are non-threatening skeletons - that's the one I want."

Norquist said his group favors "a single rate that taxes income one time," such as a flat-rate income tax or a retail sales tax.

He also told reporters that government should be more transparent and that he likes a trend in some areas of putting budgets and contracts on the Internet in ways that the public can search and find specific expenditures.

On health care, Norquist thinks many states, including Illinois, could cut costs by removing requirements that specific types of treatments be covered. That would allow consumers more choice of the coverage they want. He said he doesn't think Americans want a system like Canada's, where he said care is nationalized but rationed, so people have to wait for certain procedures.

"People don't flee the United States and go to Canada to get health care," he said. "It goes the other way."

Asked about Gov. Rod Blagojevich, Norquist said he'd heard of "his drive this past year to dramatically increase taxes," which he said would be "pushing Illinois even further in a direction that's been harmful."

Blagojevich this spring unsuccessfully sought a gross-receipts tax on business to increase health-care spending.

"You can reform government or you can pay for what you've been doing without additional thought, and he seems to be in the second category," said Norquist, who thinks politicians should re-examine if existing programs are needed before adding new ones.

Illinois House Minority Leader Tom Cross, R-Oswego, at the invitation of Illinois Family Institute president and founder Greg Blankenship , introduced Norquist, calling him one of the architects of the "very, very successful Republican revolution" of 1994.

Caption: Grover Norquist, left, speaks with Zakary Davis after addressing an Illinois Policy Institute luncheon Monday.

Groups: Budget full of 'wasteful spending'

State Journal-Register, The (Springfield, IL) - Thursday, April 10, 2008

Author/Byline: GATEHOUSE NEWS SERVICE

Section: LOCAL

Page: 10

Illinois' state budget for the current fiscal year is loaded with hundreds of millions of dollars in "wasteful spending," two organizations said in releasing the 2008 Illinois Piglet Book on Wednesday.

"Constantly, we are told we are in a crisis," said Greg Blankenship , director of the Illinois Policy Institute, which issued the report along with Citizens Against Government Waste.

Yet at the same time, state government somehow manages to find money for pork-barrel projects, Blankenship said at a state Capitol news conference.

State officials should fund true priorities, such as a capital program, before they set aside money for other types of items, such as $550,000 for the conservation of pheasants, he added.

The report identifies $686 million in wasteful spending, singling out such expenditures as:

* $1 million for the Illinois film office in Chicago.

* $40,000 for the Springfield Figure Skating Club.

* $35,000 for the Prairie Aviation Museum for a display gallery in Bloomington.

* $156,000 to refurnish cabins at the Touch of Nature Environmental Center at Southern Illinois University-Carbondale.

fromDennis Delaney <dwdelaney@gmail.com></dwdelaney@gmail.com>

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Terry Campo, a lawyer and former chairman of the National Young Republicans organization,