democrat Stephenson County Board members
Samuel L. Newton - County Board District B
- Sam Newton is the Vice Chair of the Public Works Committee and also serves on the Public Property and Safety Committee.
- In addition to his County Board duties her is on the following boards:
- Blackhawks Hills Regional Council Board Member
- iFiber Executive Board Member
- UCCI-United Council of Counties Illinois Executive Board Member
- NACo-National Association of Counties
- Telecommunications & Technology Committee
- Greater New Unity C.O.G.I.C of Rockford Pastor and the
- Freeport Ministers Fellowship Alliance President
Sam Newton
snewton@stephensoncountyil.gov
512 E. Winneshiek St.
Freeport, IL 61032
815-821-5378
Elected November, 2022 - 4 year term
Ronnie Bush - County Board District B
Ronnie’s Background:
- Lifelong resident of District B and the 3rd Ward
- 34 years at Kelly Springfield Tire Company, current school bus driver for FSD 145
- Served as 3rd Ward Alderman for 22 years
- County Board Member from District B since 2016
Ronnie Bush
629 E. Pleasant St.
Freeport, IL 61032
815-238-8530
Recently elected in November, 2024 for his second 4 year term
Lynette Williams County Board District E
Walnut Acres
First, I feel we as a community are responsible for our citizens, especially our elderly and military. Second, putting this to referendum would be the responsible way to handle this, as our citizens have spoken previously with dollars to supplement the running of the home. Third, let’s let the people who understand healthcare and government funding of healthcare lead the way. For too long board members have tried to micro-manage Walnut Acres and this has caused lawsuits and payouts. Fourth, can we get an end to this entire scenario?
Transparency and Accountability
Governments make the best decision when every member feels important, respected and feels they can speak freely. As elected members of the community, it is our duty to make decisions that serve the best interests of everyone. It is important that coalitions can be formed across party lines, without any member feeling pressure from their party. Transparency and accountability are essential elements for the success of our community. This cannot happen if elected officials are simply parroting party lines. Each board member elected has experiences and strengths, and each of those talents needs to be used for the prosperity of the community. My hope is to be able to dissect the information presented to me, make a decision on the truthfulness of this information, AND then vote according to your feedback my constituents, and my conscience.
Mill Race Crossing – Future decisions need to be made on this piece of land that some had hoped would be an economic development area. There’s nothing wrong with having a plan, but now we need to take responsibility for this instead of adding one more money pit to our community.
WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT FROM ME
An open-door policy to answer your questions and a friendly ear to hear your concerns. A person who will represent you, not just a rubber stamp person. I want to hear your thoughts and be your VOICE for District E.
Lynette Williams
lwilliams@stephensoncountyil.gov
1034 Arapaho Dr.
Freeport, IL 61032
815-297-3752
Elected November, 2024 - 4 year term
Adam Moderow- County Board District E
Adam was raised in Freeport, the son of a Nurse and a Steel Worker. As a young citizen, he was active in Scouting, becoming an Eagle Scout in 2004, and the performing arts at Freeport High School until he graduated in 2006. Adam attended Millikin University, earning degrees in Philosophy and History, and Rockford College where he earned a master’s degree in teaching. After spending a year teaching outdoor education in Wisconsin and Hawai’i, Adam returned to Freeport and became an instructor at Highland Community College where he teaches developmental reading and G.E.D. classes.
Since returning home, Adam has also helped coach the Freeport High School Speech Team. Adam has served on the Winneshiek Theater board and as the education chair for the Northwest Illinois Audubon Society. From 2016-2022, Adam wrote a regular column in the Freeport Journal-Standard.
Adam was elected to the Stephenson County Board in 2022 to be a new voice in the conversation of what the future of Stephenson County should look like.
Adam currently serves on the Administration Committee and the Public Works Committee. His term expires in 2026.
Adam I. Moderow
amoderow@stephensoncountyil.gov
1949 Bedford Rd.
Freeport, IL 61032
815-541-5842
Elected November, 2022 - 4 year term
Freeport Township Trustee
Ted Odendahl
Freeport Township Trustee
Background
Ted Odendahl has spent his career as an Insurance Broker. He has decades of experience in managing risk and listening to his customers and is excited to bring his expertise to the Freeport Township Board.
Civic Involvement
Current
Freeport NAACP Branch
Boys & Girls Club of Freeport & Stephenson County
Director of YIELD Pre-apprenticeship Program
Past
President, Freeport Sunrise Rotary
President, Head Start Advisory Board
Chair, Christian Education, First Lutheran Church
Vote Ted Odendahl for Freeport Township Trustee on April 1st!
Paid for by Stephenson County Democratic Party.
Back Side
Ted’s Vision for Freeport Township (Title)
A Balanced Budget
Freeport Township’s most basic responsibility to taxpayers is to live within its means. As Trustee, Ted will only vote for balanced budgets that put the needs of residents first.
Effective Programs
Freeport Township is often a last line of defense for local families in need. Ted will vote for effective funding of Township Programs so that the Township can continue providing services to these families and act proactively to promote a stable Freeport community.
Prepared to meet changing needs
In a rapidly changing environment, his analytical skills and collaborative approach will help Ted assure that Freeport Township will meet the demands of the days ahead.
todendahl@freeporttownship.org
Sworn in May 2025
Term through May 2029
Democrat Freeport City Council members
Joy Sellers
Alderwoman at Large - Freeport
My name is Joy Sellers
I am ready to serve as your Alderwoman-at-Large
Lifelong Freeport resident and graduate of Freeport High School
Married to my husband, Roy, for over 30 years; we have two sons and one grandson
Daughter of Grant and Lottie Harrell, who owned The Harrell Tap in Freeport
Career
25 years at Honeywell, and 4 years at FSD as a Family Resource Coordinator
Owned and operated my own catering business, SellNoir, for 13 years
Parent Specialist at Boys and Girls Club of Freeport and Stephenson County
Community Involvement
Former Member, City of Freeport’s Social Justice Committee
Current Trustee, First Church of God
Member of the Freeport Township Board, 2013-Present
atlarge@cityoffreeport.org
Sworn in May 2023
Term through May 2027
Rachel Sellers - 3rd Ward Alderwoman - Freeport
My name is Rachel Simmons.
I am your 3rd Ward Alderwoman after winning the Municipal Election in April 2023. I have lived in the 3rd Ward my entire life, and currently live here with my husband, Clayborn. I have worked in education for over 20 years. I started as a paraprofessional and currently teach social studies classes at Freeport Middle School have been a member of the Freeport Branch of the NAACP for the past 2 years. I have worked with the NAACP to bring attention to local issues and identify solutions to benefit our community. I am a member of the First Church of God, where I have organized our Vacation Bible School Program for the past few years. I ran for Alderwoman to bring the concerns of the 3rd Ward back to City Hall. I’m looking forward to being their voice. My Goals: Fighting for Our CommunityThe needs of the 3rd Ward have been ignored for too long, and that needs to change. I will be a voice for the residents of the 3rd Ward and bring our concerns to the table at City Hall. I know the potential that exists in our community and I want to see us thrive. Flooding PreventionFlooding is an unfortunate but regular problem in the 3rd Ward, and it needs to be addressed. I will work to secure additional resources for flood prevention infrastructure. In the short term, I will support better sanitation like keeping drains clear to help clear excess water. Better Roads and InfrastructureOur residential roads in the 3rd Ward are in desperate need of repairs. There has been an obvious lack of investment from the city in our ward, and I will be a voice for that investment. We deserve easy access to our homes and the businesses in our community. Public SafetyI want to work toward a safer 3rd Ward community. I will host monthly ward meetings to foster neighborhood cohesion and build relationships between residents. I also want to expand Freeport’s new Ring Doorbell program to include all of the 3rd Ward.
Sworn in May 2023 Term through May 2027
Cecelia Stacy - 5th Ward Alderwoman - Freeport
My name is Cecelia StacyCecelia was born and raised in Freeport. She has been a part of the Freeport School District all her life, graduating with the Class of 1981. Cecelia comes from a two-parent home in the 3rd Ward where there were seven girls and one boy.
She attended three years of college at Eastern Illinois University. Cecelia married Ernest Stacy in October 1993. They have one son, Micah, and one daughter, Makiah.
Cecelia is deeply involved with her church of 12 years, Faith Center Freeport. She currently serves on a committee building the Faith Academy Learning Center, a community center with rental spaces for offices and meeting rooms. They plan to have the Faith Center Academy school in operation by the fall of 2023.
She is a Para Educator and works with Special Needs and Life Skills students. Her current position is at Freeport High School where she works with 9th and 10th-grade students.
Clearly, feels strongly there is a lack of communication between the 3 channels of the city. Cecelia has a ‘will and a why’ to be your 5th Ward Alderperson. Cecelia stands on Jeremiah 29:11, not only for herself but for the City. It is her desire to increase the communication between the City, the County, and the Township.
To look at the needs of the City… there is so much more to Freeport than the downtown. We owe it to ourselves to make sure the people of our City are properly cared for. Our tax dollars need to work for all and bring the services and quality of life we all deserve. It’s time to take our City back as a whole from crime, slumlords, and political clicks. It’s time to pull together so we can come together as a whole and build up Freeport as never before that we truly become a Free Port.
Cecelia ran for this position to bring new eyes, new voices, and new leadership to the City of Freeport 5th Ward. When the voters talk, she will listen. She will work for the people of the 5th Ward. She doesn’t work for fake news. She doesn’t work for developers or political insiders. She doesn’t work for the Mayor of Freeport. Cecelia’s work is for the people of the 5th Ward.
Sworn in May 2023 Term through May 2027
Larry Sanders - 7th Ward Alderman - Freeport
My name is Larry Sanders.
I came to Freeport in 1975 and graduated from Freeport Senior High School, Highland Community College (Information Technology and Network Security), Northern Iowa University (Music), and Rust College (Music Production Engineering).
My spouse is Gwendolyn (met at college, married 52 years) and we have 6 children who have all graduated from Freeport Senior High School and 10 grandchildren.
I have worked at Kelly Tires, Freeport Park District, Honeywell, Structo, Freeport City Water & the Sewer Department in Freeport for 28 years. I am part of Flight Radio Studio Productions Company; as owner Director of Operations, and Production Engineer. I volunteer with the Rockford Black Chambers in helping organize programming, creating community opportunities for job seekers, and business resources for startup capital, Freeport Chamber of Commerce. Currently, I am associated with Flight Radio Studio Production Company Broadcast, D.J., hosting, and disseminating information for general public consumption and educating people on subjects topics: news, weather, and sports, Director of Operations, Computer Assembler, Builder, Computer Analysis.
I have been a self-taught musician for 50 years (guitar, saxophone, violin, keyboards, organs, vocals. I love music and listening especially to my children singing
Sports played: basketball, football, baseball, gymnastics, and track.
First day of business I would like to create a Liaison between the City and the People of FreeportIllinois where they can make their voice heard without any repercussions. Improve Infrastructure (roads, tree removal, street lamps, abandoned homes) and Public Safety (public nuisance, security watch programs)
Sworn in May 2023 Term through May 2027
Freeport Park Board members supported by the SCD
George Yarzak
George Yarzak
George Yarzak
Email: gyarzak@freeportparkdistrict.org
Newly re-elected in April, 2025 for 4 year term.
Freeport School Board members supported by the SCD
Audrey Moore Howard - Freeport School Board
Audrey Moore Howard - Freeport School Board
Audrey Moore Howard - Freeport School Board
Kacey Seal - Freeport School Board
Audrey Moore Howard - Freeport School Board
Audrey Moore Howard - Freeport School Board
Martha Furst -Freeport School Board
Audrey Moore Howard - Freeport School Board
Ryan Shirley - Freeport School Board
Charlene Williams - Freeport School Board
Ryan Shirley - FSD 145 Board
Email: ryan.shirley@fsd145.org
Term Expires: 2029
Reelected in April, 2025
Charlene Williams - Freeport School Board
Charlene Williams - Freeport School Board
Charlene Williams - Freeport School Board
Alan Greene - Freeport School Board
Charlene Williams - Freeport School Board
Charlene Williams - Freeport School Board
Highland Community College Trustees supported by the SCD
Shawn Boldt - Highland CC Trustee
Mary Kaufmann - Highland CC Trustee
Mary Kaufmann - Highland CC Trustee
Shawn Boldt
The Stephenson County Democratic Party endorsed Shawn Boldt in the 2025 election after an interview with several members of our election committee. This process ensures as best we can that candidates we endorse for these non-partisan races upheld our values. Prior to 2023, the party did not endorse candidates for Trustee at Highland.
Mary Kaufmann - Highland CC Trustee
Mary Kaufmann - Highland CC Trustee
Mary Kaufmann - Highland CC Trustee
Mary Kaufman
Reelected in: 2023 for 4 year term
The Stephenson County Democratic Party endorsed Mary Kaufmann in the 2023 election after an interview with several members of our election committee. This process ensures as best we can that candidates we endorse for these non-partisan races upheld our values. Prior to 2023, the party did not endorse candidates for Trustee at Highland.
Federal Democrat office holders
Eric Sorensen
U.S. Representative IL-17th Congressional District
I came out while attending Northern Illinois University and received tremendous support from my friends and family. After graduating college, I moved south to Texas for my first television job. I remember my dad telling me that things would be “different” for me in Texas, and that it shouldn’t be that way. Unfortunately, he was right, and I experienced discrimination in that first job. I was called into my bosses’ office with a copy of my contract sitting on the desk and the “moral clause” highlighted. I was told that I couldn’t be gay and work there.
My experiences in Rockford and the Quad Cities were quite different — I was able to be out on TV! And in the Quad Cities, I took a more active role in our LGBTQ community — serving on the boards of Clock, Inc and The Project of the Quad Cities, initiatives that aim to connect vulnerable individuals to health services. This is part of serving your community that I learned from my grandpas.
Today I live in Moline with my partner Shawn and our two dogs Oliver and Petey. We enjoy bike riding, kayaking, and exploring good food in the Quad Cities and surrounding areas. Click here to learn more: https://sorensen.house.gov/about
Illinois U.S. Senator
Dick Durbin
https://www.durbin.senate.gov/
As Illinois’ senior Senator, Dick Durbin is championing progressive values and protecting working families, delivering economically for Illinoisans across the state, and fighting for affordable health care, humane immigration policies, criminal justice reform, our environment, and so much more. He’s never afraid to stand up to the most powerful special interests, and he’s never afraid to do what’s right for Illinois.
Durbin was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1982, representing the Springfield-based 20th congressional district. After serving seven House terms, Durbin was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1996 and reelected in 2002, 2008, 2014, and 2020.
Senator Durbin has announced that he is not running for reelection in 2026.
Illinois U.S. Senator
Tammy Duckworth
https://www.duckworth.senate.gov
Tammy Duckworth is a champion for working families, civil rights, environmental justice as well as all of our Veterans and military families. From growing up working to pull her family out of poverty to serving our nation in uniform, Tammy’s life shapes her work in the Senate.
State Democrat office holders
Illinois Governor
J. B. Pritzker
Office of the Governor
207 State House
Springfield, IL 62706
As Governor, JB Pritzker is thinking big for all of Illinois. Focusing on growing our economy and creating jobs, stabilizing state government and balancing our budget, expanding healthcare to all Illinoisans, and investing in cradle-to-career education. Governor Pritzker’s agenda serves every region of our state, so no one is left behind.
Elected by the largest margin in a generation, Governor Pritzker knows it’s time for a change in Illinois. That’s why he works hard every day to put state government back on the side of working families. Governor Pritzker is committed to raising wages, reducing healthcare costs, expanding childcare assistance, and increasing college affordability because he believes it’s the job of state government to improve the standard of living for all our residents. He has worked for decades as a national leader in early childhood education and intends to make Illinois the leading state in the nation for our youngest children. Governor Pritzker is working to reform our criminal justice system, end the epidemic of gun violence, prioritize mental health, and defend and expand the individual and civil rights of every Illinoisan.
State Attorney General
Kwame Raoul
https://www.illinoisattorneygeneral.gov/
Attorney General Kwame Raoul was sworn in as the 42nd Attorney General of Illinois in January 2019. Born in Chicago to Haitian immigrants, Kwame brings a lifetime of legal experience and public service to his work as the people’s champion. Kwame defends and upholds the law, protects access to health care and reproductive rights, and fights for equal rights.
As the state’s chief legal and law enforcement officer, Kwame works in a bipartisan manner with prosecutors and police chiefs across Illinois to fight crime and develop criminal justice policy. Kwame partners with federal and local law enforcement to prosecute murder, violent crimes, crimes of sexual violence, and gun trafficking.
Kwame created the state’s first Organized Retail Crime Task Force with law enforcement partners to investigate smash-and-grab crimes. The Task Force recently busted a car theft ring and has recovered over $1 million in stolen merchandise. He also partners with the FBI to investigate unemployment insurance fraud and other COVID-related fraud.
To fight the prevalence of gun violence, Kwame works in partnership with the U.S. Secret Service’s National Threat Assessment Center to conduct training to prevent mass shooting threats in schools, places of worship, and other public places. Kwame also sued to revoke the license of a rogue gun manufacturer that produced cheap guns criminals use in carjackings and other crimes.
Kwame understands the importance of protecting our children and leads the Illinois Crimes Against Children Task Force that investigates and prosecutes online predators for preying on children in communities across the state.
Kwame also works to reduce the long-lasting effects of violence and provide support to survivors and their families through his work to improve Illinois’ Crime Victims Compensation Program and increase funding for the Violent Crime Victims Assistance Program provides financial support to victims and witnesses of violent crime.
Access to health care is particularly important for Kwame as Attorney General and for his own personal health journey. As a cancer survivor, Kwame benefitted from early detection and excellent medical care, solidifying his commitment to protect and defend everyone’s ability to access health care to build a healthy future.
A woman’s right to make her own health care decisions is part of that critical work. Kwame is leading national efforts to protect access to reproductive healthcare in response to an increasing number of states, especially in the Midwest, that seek to deny women the reproductive rights afforded in Roe v. Wade. Kwame is also a national leader in the fight for women’s equality to ensure the Equal Rights Amendment is recognized as the 28th Amendment to the Constitution.
Together with state attorneys general across the country, Kwame works to protect voting rights and, during the Trump administration, critically defended our democracy from extremism and rollbacks of Obama-era progress.
In the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, Kwame continues to defend lifesaving COVID mitigations to prevent more illness and death and defends safeguards for essential workers.
Kwame also prioritizes protecting the rights of workers in Illinois, creating a Worker Protection Unit in his office that enforces violations of worker protection laws. Kwame also leads a statewide task force to prevent discrimination, wage theft, misclassification, and other unlawful practices affecting Illinois workers.
To combat the epidemic of prescription drug addiction in our country, Kwame has filed lawsuits to hold drug manufacturers accountable for peddling opioids, which resulted in millions of dollars in relief for Illinois communities that have felt the devastating impacts of opioid addiction.
Since taking office, Kwame has recovered over $180 million in taxpayer money for Illinois through his office’s litigation and collection efforts. Kwame has been honored as Public Official of the Year by the Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police for his leadership on criminal justice matters and by Planned Parenthood of Illinois with the Lifetime Achievement Award for his critical work to protect access to reproductive health care.
Before his election to Attorney General in November 2018, Kwame was a state senator for 14 years and a leading voice for equal rights and a woman’s right to choose. Kwame sponsored landmark legislation to abolish the death penalty, require mandatory background checks on private transfers of guns, reform workers’ compensation, and enact some of the strongest voting rights protections in the nation.
Kwame began his legal career as a prosecutor in the Cook County State’s Attorney’s office, previously served as a senior staff attorney for the City Colleges of Chicago and was a partner at two national law firms.
Kwame is a graduate of DePaul University and earned his law degree from Chicago-Kent College of Law. He is married to Dr. Lisa Moore, and the couple are the parents of Che, Mizan, John, and Madison.
State Comptroller
Susana Mendoza
https://illinoiscomptroller.gov/
SUSANA A. MENDOZA − ILLINOIS’ HIGHEST VOTE GETTER AND FIRST HISPANIC INDEPENDENTLY ELECTED TO STATEWIDE OFFICE.
Susana A. Mendoza was elected to her third term as Illinois Comptroller on November 8, 2022. She earned the distinction of being the highest vote-getter in the November 2022 General Election, earning 2,331,714 votes. She is the first Hispanic independently elected to statewide office in Illinois.
A tested and proven executive officer, Susana has successfully navigated the State through unprecedented fiscal challenges, in a way that doesn’t put the burden on the backs of the working-class families that make Illinois such a great place to live.
As Comptroller, Susana brought the same tenacity, passion, and creativity that she always exhibited throughout her career in public service.
She is an independent, truth-telling, fiscal watchdog that prioritizes both the fiscal and moral health of the State. As the state's Chief Fiscal and Accountability Officer, Susana has championed greater transparency in the state's fiscal accounts.
Her historic hallmark transparency reform legislation, the Debt Transparency Act, requires state agencies to report monthly, rather than only once a year, their accrued liabilities as well as late payment interest penalties associated with those liabilities.
Building upon that success, Susana spearheaded the Truth in Hiring Act to ensure that future governors present honest budgets that accurately reflect the size and cost of their staff.
Comptroller Mendoza is laser-focused on shining a greater light on the state's finances to best protect how taxpayers’ dollars are spent, provide greater accountability, and set the state on a better path toward responsible cash and debt management.
“PRIMARY ARCHITECT OF ILLINOIS’ FINANCIAL TURNAROUND”
Beyond these historic transparency reforms, Comptroller Mendoza is a primary architect of Illinois’ financial turnaround.
She eliminated the state’s backlog of unpaid bills, down from a staggering backlog of $16.7 billion, to working Accounts Payable under $3 billion, without using ARPA federal stimulus funds.
She has focused on paying down debt service early, saving taxpayers millions in interest payments.
She brought the state’s vendor payment cycle down from a strangling 210 working days to well under 30 days – the fastest vendor payment cycle in over 20 years, and her fiscal leadership helped secure Illinois 8 full credit upgrades, the first in over two decades – in the middle of a global pandemic.
Comptroller Mendoza’s work successfully managing the state’s finances through historic crises, earned her the distinction of becoming the first statewide Democrat to ever be endorsed by the Illinois Chamber of Commerce.
Before her statewide election, Susana made history by becoming the first woman ever elected as Chicago City Clerk. Under her leadership, more than 1.3 million Chicago City Vehicle Sticker customers were shifted from an inefficient and archaic seasonal sales program to Year-Round Sales. The new system, modeled after the Illinois Secretary of State's license plate renewal program, resulted in millions of dollars of new revenue and vastly improved customer service at a lower cost to taxpayers. The program was awarded a 2015 “Bright Idea Award” from Harvard University. Before she served as Chicago City Clerk, Susana served six terms between 2001 and 2011 as a Democrat in the Illinois House of Representatives.
Starting as the youngest member of the 92nd Illinois General Assembly, she quickly earned a reputation as a tenacious and effective legislator, who stood out for her bipartisan approach to governing. Susana was routinely recognized for her leadership in the areas of social services, education, job creation, law enforcement, and animal welfare.
As a State Representative, Susana served as Co-Chairperson of the Conference of Women Legislators and has served three times as a delegate to the Democratic National Convention. She is a co-founder of the Illinois Legislative Latino Caucus and a member of HOPE (Hispanas Organized for Political Equality) Binational Fellowship Program. She is a proud Aspen Institute Rodel Fellow.
Tapped to serve in the US Department of State’s Professional Speaker's Program, Susana has promoted democracy and leadership across the globe, in places like Uganda, Tanzania, Mexico, Peru, Brazil, Venezuela, and Chile. She was also Chairman of the Illinois International Trade and Commerce Committee.
In 2010, Susana was selected by the National Conference of Women Legislators, at the behest of the US Secretary of State, to serve as one of only seven elected women representing the United States as an international observer of the Iraqi elections in Baghdad.
Susana lives in Chicago’s Portage Park neighborhood with her husband David, their ten-year-old son, and her 87-year-old mother. She is a foodie, a soccer fan (and a former collegiate soccer player), and occasionally loves jumping out of perfectly fine airplanes.
Secretary of State
Alexi Giannoulias
Restoring public trust in government and its elected leaders is Alexi’s top priority. As the youngest State Treasurer ever elected in Illinois, Alexi Giannoulias pursued a progressive, reform agenda that focused on innovative initiatives and policies designed to curb ethical abuses, create jobs, safely invest taxpayer dollars, and improve the financial futures of all Illinoisans.
State Treasurer
Michael Frerichs
https://www.illinoistreasurer.gov/Office_of_the_Treasurer/Treasurer_Frerichs
Mike Frerichs was born and raised in the small farming community of Gifford, Illinois (pop. 975). The son of a Teamster truck driver and a university secretary and AFSCME member, Mike became the first member of his family to graduate from college when he received a degree from Yale University. After college, Mike returned home to run a technology start-up and serve as a volunteer fireman. In 2000, Mike was elected to the Champaign, Illinois County Board and became the Champaign County Auditor in 2002.
In 2007, Mike was sworn in as the State Senator 52nd District, which includes parts of Champaign and Vermilion Counties. In the Legislature, Mike spearheaded efforts to provide financial assistance to farmers and pushed for expanded use of alternative fuels. Mike also fought to reduce disparities in education funding across Illinois.
After a heated competitive election in 2015, Mike was sworn in as State Treasurer of Illinois. Mike, a Certified Public Finance Officer, resides in Champaign with his daughter Ella. He was re-elected as State Treasurer in 2018 with broad statewide support.
As the state’s Chief Investment Officer, Mike does more than make wise investments and protect taxpayer dollars, he provides tools to help people invest in themselves.
During his tenure, he has returned more money back to Illinoisans than any other Treasurer in history through the I-Cash program and he has expanded access to higher education by improving the 529 College Savings Program to the top-rated program in the country. Mike has expanded tools like the Secure Choice program that helps seniors retire with dignity. And tools like the ABLE program that will help families plan for loved ones with disabilities.
Mike believes through these tools and smart investing, the Treasurer’s office can help families achieve the American Dream.