WurfWhile

[Comment sent tonight to the Beacon Blog discussing comments on Bill Foster’s poll in the 14th District]

Hi Mike,

First off thanks for covering this race - and I appreciate the notice you gave me a few days ago. I really do believe the 14th District Congressional race may be one of the most exciting races in the area.

I think it’s really misleading to portray Bill Foster as discussed above - he’s a long-time district resident (moving into the Fox Valley area in 1984 and raising a family; working at Fermi Lab for 22 years; and seeing his son graduate from Batavia High School and his daughter graduate from Aurora’s Illinois Math and Science Academy). His roots are substantial. Having met him and talked with him for a good hour plus, I can say he comes across as very down to earth, informed and serious about running for office.

What’s been Bill’s method of operation his adult life? He finds what he wants to do, he does the work necessary and he is successful and committed in what he does. The examples:

- In 1975, 19 year-old Bill and his brother borrowed $500 from their parents and created in their basement Electronic Theatre Controls, a theater lighting manufacturing company with a current market share of more than 50% in the U.S. - and one that has 500 good-paying mid-western jobs. Bill could have sat on his laurels with the company - he didn’t.

- Bill went to Harvard and graduated with a PhD in Physics in 1984. He then moved to the Fox Valley area to work at Fermi Lab - designing equipment, managing multi-million dollar construction and research projects and participating in cutting-edge physics experiments and discoveries. Bill could have retired after 22 years as a very accomplished scientist - he didn’t.

- Bill was concerned about the direction the country was taking under George Bush and hearkened back to his family political roots. Bill’s father was both a scientist and a civil rights lawyer who helped write the landmark Civil Rights Act of 1964. Bill’s mother worked for Illinois Senator Paul H. Douglas and, among other accomplishments, helped Illinois police officers get college degrees and helped college students become police officers. Bill went to a Democratic congressional candidate gathering to see the candidates and, after some research on them, decided to volunteer for Iraqi War Veteran Patrick Murphy’s campaign in 2006. Bill worked a number of campaign positions, came up with an innovative way of maximizing campaign voter contact, and despite being in a historically Republican district - Democrat Murphy won. Bill then worked for Murphy as an aide in Washington, learning the nuts and bolts of legislation and helping write some.

Then Bill came home and commissioned the poll you mention above to see if he could win in his home congressional district and help address some of the important challenges this country faces - challenges that have been neglected. The results were pretty positive for a Democrat - people are looking for a new direction and wants action on getting out of the Iraq War, on making health care more accessible and affordable and on restoring fiscal responsibility among other issues. Bill has found what he wants to do - and he has begun the work necessary to do it - working on a congressional campaign and with a congressman, commissioning the poll, assembling a quality campaign and devoting his own money to the race. It won’t be an easy race - but I wouldn’t bet against Bill. If past is prologue, Bill is successful in what he does.