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Health & Fitness

Chicago Tribune endorses Donald Peloquin for Congress in the 1st District.

The Chicago Tribune agrees with People for Peloquin: It's time for a new voice in the new 1st District, and that voice belongs to Don Peloquin.

 

Here's an excerpt from the editorial page:

Twenty years ago, this page endorsed Bobby Rush in his campaign to defeat a Democratic incumbent, Rep. Charles Hayes. Rush, then an alderman, had all the energy and Hayes had to answer for a check-kiting scandal. Rush won.

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As we said, that was 20 years ago.

Rush has one of the safest Democratic districts in the country, and he acts like it. He refused to meet with his Republican opponent for an interview with the editorial board. Because the boundaries of his new district were pushed into northern Will County, Rush has many new constituents. We had hoped he'd accept our invitation to make his case to those voters in debate with his opponent. But no.

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Rush has one of the worst missed-vote records in Congress over the course of his career. He says he shows up for the important votes.

Mayors of some of the smaller towns in his district complain that his office doesn't return calls — and we believe them, because we have a heck of a time getting his office to return ours. Rush thinks this is a case of manufacturing a city-suburb rift.

Republican Donald Peloquin, a funeral director, has been a force for economic development as mayor of Blue Island since 1985. He thinks the district is positioned to become a major transportation hub, built around projects including a long-awaited I-57/I-294 interchange and the CenterPoint Intermodal Center. When St. Francis Hospital announced it was closing, he built a coalition that created MetroSouth Medical Center, saving more than 1,000 jobs. He would bring fresh eyes to the House. We would love to see the Bobby Rush of 20 years ago, but we don't. Peloquin is endorsed.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/editorials/ct-edit-congress5-bd-20121011,0,981965.story

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