Voters question candidates at town hall
</element><element id="paragraph-1" type="body"><![CDATA[Nearly 150 voters filled The Opera House in Red Bud on Tuesday evening, posing tough questions to a panel of national, state, and local candidates. The "Let Freedom Ring!" conservative town hall event was hosted by the Randolph County Young Republicans and presented the opportunity for voters to directly ask candidates about issues facing the United States, Illinois, and local counties.
"To have well over 100 people show up in Southern Illinois to support conservative candidates is a harbinger of what's to come in the 2010 midterms," explained Eric Robert, an event organizer and officer of the Randolph County Young Republicans. "All of the candidates in attendance this evening are vying for seats held in traditionally Democratic strongholds. There is a groundswell of support rising underneath these candidates to bring real reform to Southern Illinois."
Candidates in attendance included Illinois State Senator David Luechtefeld, 12th U.S. Congressional district candidates Theresa Kormos and Teri Davis Newman, 116th Illinois Congressional district candidates John Piazza and Glenn Farley, Randolph/Monroe County Regional Superintendent of Schools Marc Kiehna, Randolph County Sheriff candidate Mike Hoelscher, Randolph County Clerk candidate James Odom, and Randolph County Commissioner candidate Dave Holder. In the candidates' absence, representatives were sent from Illinois Gubernatorial candidate Adam Andrzejewski's campaign, Illinois Lieutenant Gubernatorial candidate Jason Plummer's campaign, and US Senate candidate Judge Don Lowery's campaign.
A wide variety of issues were addressed at the town hall. Topics included regional unemployment, Illinois' state budget gap, gun control, local election transparency, Illinois state government corruption, and the transfer of Guantanamo Bay prisoners to Illinois.
When commenting on the state government reform, state Senator David Luechtefeld said, "The situation in Illinois is worse than you can imagine, and it's not getting better…It's beyond the point where people can blame George Ryan. This has happened under the Democrats' watch."
In addition to state issues, a significant portion of the evening was spent on national dilemmas like government health care and corruption in Washington, D.C. Local topics focused on education, crime, and election transparency in Randolph County.
The Randolph County Young Republicans (RCYR) provides vital grassroots support for conservative candidates and issues on the local, state, and national level. RCYR presents an opportunity for Republicans and conservatives between the ages of 18 and 40 to improve and reform Randolph County communities through campaign organization, political activism, charitable projects, and fundraising. RCYR events provide the opportunity to exchange ideas, create friendships, and connect with conservatives in the Randolph County area.