Speaking in front of republican supporters at the Knights of Columbus Friday morning, State Sen. Dan Rutherford told onlookers that, if he is elected into the Illinois Treasurer’s spot, his first order of business would be to shut down six satellite treasurer’s offices in the state.
Rutherford challenged incumbent Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias and his Chief of Staff Robin Kelly’s decision to open six new satellite offices when the state is in the midst of a financial crisis.
“How many of you have been to the Illinois Treasurer’s office?” he asked a non-responsive crowd.
The latest treasurer’s office to open was in Collinsville on June 18 — two weeks before the state’s fiscal year ended with a $13 billion deficit. If elected treasurer, Rutherford said a little “tough love” will go a long way in cutting spending.
Kelly will be Rutherford’s opponent in the upcoming November elections. Giannoulias is leaving the post to run for a seat in the U.S. Senate.
“I really like being senator,” Rutherford said. “I love my state. A lot of things are going great in Illinois. But, a lot isn’t. People are mad as ‘h’ and they are not going to take it anymore.
“What we need in Springfield is some tough love,” he added. “You’ve got to use an ugly, foul word in Springfield — ‘no.’”
Rutherford’s campaign will target ethnic populations to garner the majority vote, he said. And, it is a demographic with which he said he is familiar.
“My background is in international business,” he said. “These are constituents that are American. They are our doctors and our nurses.”
Rutherford said his biggest challenge is fundraising. Additionally, improving voter turnout will be extremely important in this year’s elections, he added.
“We need to go way beyond what we’ve ever done as far as turnout,” he said.
State Rep. Keith Sommer attended Rutherford’s speech that morning, encouraging those in attendance to support Rutherford in his campaign for treasurer.
“I put a lot of miles on my car,” Sommer said. “But, this guy is on the go every day. (Rutherford) is dedicating himself to us.
“This man will succeed,” he added.
Rutherford said the campaign trail will be busy. And, there are some local events he is going to miss as he makes his push toward the elections.
“I’ve got a lot of local events going on,” he said. “I feel bad I can’t be at the Pumpkin Festival parade.”
Switching posts is also a challenge for the current senator, he said.
“As far as fear — I don’t have any,” Rutherford said. “I’ve always had that mentality.”
