Farley seeks GOP nomination in Feb. 2 Primary to face Reitz
</element><element id="paragraph-1" type="body"><![CDATA[While running unopposed in next week's primary, Illinois Rep. Dan Reitz (D-Steeleville) can expect some competition in November from one of two Republican candidates.
Illinois primaries used to be held in mid-March, but were moved in the 2008 election to make sure Illinois would put Barack Obama over the top in the presidential primary.
Glenn Farley, 61, of Waterloo is seeking the Republican nomination for State Representative to the General Assembly for the 116th district. The 116th district includes St. Clair, Monroe, Randolph and Perry counties, which has been represented by Reitz since 1997.
Farley notes that Reitz has run unopposed by a Republican candidate in the past. "It's time he had some competition," Farley said. "Competition is good."
Farley will be opposed on the GOP ticket by John W. Piazza, a chemical engineer and resident of Columbia. Piazza is supported by the Illinois Federation for Right to Life. Farley, too, is pro-life. "I'm Catholic," he said. "To be Catholic you have to be pro-life."
A native of West Virginia, Farley has resided in District 116 for 38 years. He says Southern Illinois has been neglected by state politicians and that he would be a stronger voice for the district and the region that Reitz.
"The thing that got me involved," Farley said, "is the fact that Chicago Democrats have run the state for a long time, and you can see what a mess they've made of it. Their past performance has been miserable."
"Getting control of the state budget is the key," Farley says, "and it's really more of a political issue than a mathematical issue." He says, too, that it won't be easy because spending to fund unneeded projects has become politically entrenched. Cutting wasteful spending is the only way to achieve economic recovery in the state.
Along with lowered taxes, spending cuts, Farley says, will spur job creation and encourage small business development.
His primary concerns are lowering taxes, creating jobs, and greater access to educational opportunities in the district. Describing himself as a Reagan Republican and constitutionalist, Farley says he's pro-life, pro-gun and pro-First Amendment.
Farley favors concealed carry and is "always for the First Amendment." "It's the foundation of our democracy. If we give up on that, we'll lose our democracy."
Farley says he sees this happening at the national level under the policies of the current administration.
He says he's proud of and truly loves the people of Southern Illinois and would be honored to be their new voice in the legislature.
A professional pilot employed by American Airlines, Farley has a bachelor's degree in aeronautical engineering. He is a Vietnam veteran and flew helicopters for the Illinois National Guard.
Farley's wife Barbara is a database administrator for ExpressScripts in St. Louis. Married for 40 years, the Farleys have a son Mark, an aviation mechanic in St. Louis, and a daughter Norah, a medical student in Springfield.