|
 State Sen. Gary Dahl (R-Granville)
announced today he is stepping down after six years of service in the Illinois
Senate. The resignation will take effect on December 10, 2010.
“It has been an absolute pleasure serving the
constituents of the 38th District,” Dahl said. “It’s been a very
humbling experience representing our communities in Springfield . However,
after six years of representing our area, I feel it’s time to move on to a new
chapter in my life – one where I can spend more time with my family and loved
ones.”
Dahl, a local businessman and owner of Double D Express,
a trucking company and Double D warehouse LLC, was first elected to the Senate
in 2004, beating longtime incumbent Sen. Patrick Welch (D-Peru) in a
come-from-behind victory. He was reelected to the seat four years later.
“For most of my life, going into politics was furthest
from my mind,” Dahl said. “I was content raising a family and running a
business. But there came a time when I saw how out-of-touch Springfield had become and
said ‘enough was enough’ and decided to get involved. From my first day of
public service, I always viewed myself as a citizen-politician, rather than as a
career-politician.”
Looking back on his tenure, the Senator says he’s
proudest of his office’s constituent services outreach in helping local
residents deal with the problems they encountered with state government.
“In my opinion, helping constituents is the heart of
what being a lawmaker is all about,” Dahl said. “Legislators should be
accessible and accountable to constituents as much as possible, and assist them
in grappling with the government bureaucracy. Government should work for the
people, not vice-versa.”
During his time in office, Dahl donated his legislative
salary to charity – money that was donated to various charities throughout the
38th District. A US army veteran, Dahl also took a
leading role in getting more funding to renovate and draw additional nurses to
the LaSalle Veterans Home, which had been critically understaffed for years.
Among the Senator’s other accomplishments – sponsoring
legislation making November RSD (Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy) Awareness Month
to help raise awareness of the painful neurological disorder, as well as various
measures aimed at reforming state government and shedding more sunshine into the
legislative process.
Dahl’s successor will be chosen by a vote of the
Republican County Chairmen in his district. Sen. Dahl represents all of Grundy
and Putnam counties, as well as parts of LaSalle, Bureau, Kankakee , Will, Iroquois and Livingston counties.
To whomever that person is, Dahl offered some words of
advice:
“Stay true to yourself and your beliefs,” Dahl said.
“And above all else, stay true to the people who you
represent.”
###
|
PERU, Ill. – November is RSD (Reflex Sympathetic
Dystrophy) Awareness Month, a time to inform the public about the difficulties
sufferers of the disease experience, says Sen. Dahl.