Serving the 71st District with Mike Boland

I suppose I should tell you a bit about myself. I’m really a guy that prefers to shy away from the spotlight, so I’d rather do my work quietly in the background than be the one up speaking on a stage. I’m most comfortable with regular working folks, and the favorite part of my job is helping the individuals who come into Rep. Boland’s office needing help.

Way back in 1989 I began my "career" in government and politics, starting as a door-to-door canvasser for Illinois Public Action Council (often known simply as IPAC.) Within weeks of joining the organization I was promoted to a trainer position, and then to field manager. By 1990 I was promoted to Regional Canvass Director, and I ran offices for Illinois Public Action and Citizen Action in the Quad Cities, and in the Belleville area near St. Louis.

I met Mike Boland fairly early on in my career, because Mike was a local Quad Cities activist. Boland was one of the original founders of the Citizen Utility Board (often called C.U.B.) In 1994 Mike Boland was first elected to the General Assembly, and he was one of the few legislators willing to come to my Citizen Action office and tell my activists how things were really happening in Springfield. I developed a lot of respect for Mike, and a good working relationship evolved over the next few years.

I left Citizen Action in 1997 and went to work as a Legislative Aid in Mike Boland’s district legislative office. In 1998, Boland named me his Chief of Staff, and I have worked with Mike Boland ever since. I’ve met a lot of wonderful individuals while serving the people of the 71st district with Mike Boland, and I am very thankful for the friendships I’ve made through the years.

Just as many of Representative Boland’s former students were inspired to go on to forge their own careers in public service, many of the interns and associates I’ve worked with over the years in Mike’s office have gone on to much greater things. I hope that many of these young individuals continue in the field of public service, I’d rest a lot better in my old age knowing such quality individuals were in Government.