URF’s 8 in ‘08 Interview with Kay

GLEN CARBON - When Glen Carbon’s Dwight Kay saw Democratic 15-year incumbent State Rep. Jay Hoffman’s name come up on a list of the top six major Blagojevich fundraisers during Tony Rezko’s federal trial earlier this year, it confirmed what Kay and others in the district had been discussing for months — 2008 is the year Hoffman may be vulnerable.

Since first elected in 1992, Hoffman has abandoned his blue collar, conservative-leaning constituency and has morphed into a Blagojevich Chicago-lite liberal. Blagojevich and Hoffman’s close friendship go back to the early 90s, when the two freshman House members from opposite ends of the state were room- and office-mates in Springfield. Through the years, Hoffman has raised almost $800,000 for the governor.

Now Hoffman is the governor’s point man in the Illinois House, and often conveys the governor’s viewpoint in legislative floor debate. He wedges solidly between Blagojevich’s arch enemy House Speaker Mike Madigan and a governor with historically-low approval ratings. Many wonder just how proned Madigan would be to sending in forces to help a weakened Hoffman.

Fresh off two victorious southern Illinois regional campaigns serving as finance committee chairman for Illinois Supreme Court Justice Lloyd Karmeier in 2004 and volunteering for Circuit Court Judge Steve McGlynn in 2006, Hoffman’s Republican challenger Dwight Kay, 61, knows how to win political campaigns.

“We were excited to have a part in starting reform in the state’s judicial branch,” Kay said. “With Hoffman’s connections to the governor and questions of ethics surrounding the incumbent, it was clear he had to be challenged in the 112th District.”

Kay began talking to the people of the district, and their responses encouraged him even more to take a run at Hoffman’s seat.

“Government in Illinois is broken, it doesn’t work anymore,” Kay said. “The folks in the district tell me government used to be good, then it became bad, and now there’s no government at all. That just shows you the lack of hope people in the 112th District have right now. They’re ready for something different.”

Not only have voters in the Metro-East district lost hope, they’ve focused blame on Governor Blagojevich.

A recent poll by Ask Illinois indicated 65% in the 112th District wants the Illinois House form a committee to investigate impeachment proceedings against Governor Blagojevich. An overwhelming 56% polled said they want Blagojevich out of office.

Pretty stunning poll numbers from a district who is represented by the Governor’s best friend, Kay said.

“After walking door-to-door throughout the 112th district, it’s no surprise to hear how unhappy
people are with this Governor,” said Kay. “I hear it every day. The leadership in Springfield–including the Governor– has broken our trust. The corrupt leadership has led to high property
taxes; high utility bills, massive state pension debt, and is ultimately the sole reason why a
capital bill will not pass in the legislature, simply because nobody trusts Governor Blagojevich
except my opponent.”

Hoffman’s years as a politician and his part-time affiliation with one of Madison County’s most lucrative trial attorney firms has taken him out of the circles of his Metro-East voters, attached him to Chicago politicians and provided a stark contrast to Kay’s local, private sector work experience.

Over the past 35 years, Kay’s worked his way up from loading dockman to senior vice-president of Cassens Trucking, one of Glen Carbon’s larger area employers. Kay says Blagojevich’s economic policies have made it harder and harder to keep small businesses in the state. Trucking fees and fuel taxes have made it tougher for area employers like Cassens Trucking to make ends meet.

“The Democrats’ policies are driving trucking businesses to bordering states and out of Illinois,” Kay said. “When businesses move, we lose jobs and the state loses revenue. The answer is not to raise taxes on the businesses that stay here. We need to be able to re-invest in new equipment. We need the funds collected to go where they’re supposed to go. Good roads make our business more profitable.”

But it all comes back to the basic question of ethics, Kay said.

“When questions arise about whether a business has to pay-to-play, it affects getting reputable new businesses to come to the state,” Kay said. “No one can trust the governor now, and when Jay Hoffman is listed as one of the Governor’s kitchen cabinet, it’s not a good thing.”

Last week, Kay became the first GOP candidate to call for impeachment proceedings to begin in the Illinois House by launching Impeachthegov.com, a petition website calling for a bi-partisan commission to look into allegations and whether they would constitute the serious nature that could lead to the governor’s impeachment.

Calling for the investigation is not making a judgement, Kay said, it is to find the truth about what’s been going on in the Blagojevich administration. Unasked and unanswered questions about the governor and Hoffman’s dealings could be costing Illinoisans billions each year.

“A corruption tax costs everyone,” he said.

So what exactly would Kay do to change the budget situation?

“We’d need to investigate the current system of doling out state contracts, ask ourselves why we’re in debt as a state,” Kay said. “ We’d check for redundancies and reset priorities. That’s what we do in the private sector when financial difficulties come up.”

Kay says he will continue knocking on doors until November 4, with hopes of visiting a majority of the district’s voters.

“So many of the people in the 112th District are suffering with gas prices as they are. One woman fears she’ll lose her job soon because she can only afford to drive to work four days a week.

“When she said that, it really hit home how much people are suffering now, waiting for gas prices to go back down. They need relief now, for them it’s crucial,” Kay said.

The 112th, which includes Collinsville and Glen Carbon, has been open to visits from their legislative candidate for the most part. Most tell Kay they’ve never met anyone who represents them at the state or national Capitol. When they ask him his opinion on issues faces voters, he responds with conservative positions on both social and fiscal topics. He’s been endorsed by the United Republican Fund as one of their eight candidates in the 2008 election.

“Dwight Kay’s race will be a surprise to everyone,” URF President Steve Rauschenberger said. “When you have an incumbent seen as a home district traitor like Jay Hoffman is, it doesn’t matter how long he’s been in the State House, he’s in trouble. Match that with a well-qualified, inspiring reform candidate like Dwight Kay, and you’ve got the potential for an exciting campaign in the fall. The URF sees Kay as a serious potential pickup for the Republicans this year.”

Kay, married, with a college age daughter and son, says the enthusiasm behind his campaign has energized him through the hot summer months of walking and meeting voters.

“I’m in this to give back to my community,” Kay said. “But not only that, I’m in it for people like those I talk to in the 112th District to take back their government and make it good again. This is the year we can begin to turn things around.”