Elmwood Park man starts write-in campaign

BY CATHRYN GRAN | STAFF WRITER
Published August 16, 2006

A lack of faith in either of the two candidates has moved an Elmwood Park man to run as a write-in candidate for governor.

Angel Rivera, 41, said he was not impressed with the job current Gov. Rod Blagojovich is doing or with Republican challenger, Judy Baar Topinka.

"I'm dissatisfied with the choices, as are many of the voters I talked to on the street," Rivera said. "I'd stop people at the store and ask them who they were going to vote for, and they'd tell me 'the least of the two evils' or that they were going to write someone in."

The results of his informal survey served as the impetus to start a write-in campaign.

"There are 12 million people in this state, and (the political parties in charge) could only come up with two candidates?" he asked. "That's not the choice of the people. I'm offering them another option.

"I don't come from a political background," said Rivera, who is a lung transplant procurement coordinator at the University of Chicago Hospital. "I understand issues affecting family - paying the bills every month, worrying about the quality of education our children are receiving.

"I worry about health insurance and prescription costs," he continued. "I have to worry about how I insure my family.

"I worry deeply about the elderly. We do a poor job of taking care of our elderly in this country," he said. "We need to provide for the elderly poor.

"And how can someone earning minimum wage now manage to set something aside for retirement?

"We have an obligation as a society to look at these things, and to work with the elderly to lighten that load."

According to Rivera, candidates talk about political reform, until they become the politicians. "Then they forget all about reform," he said.

Rivera suggested a cap on contributions from organizations that do business with the state. "A governor has to make tough decisions," he said. "I will speak the truth and follow it up with action."

Additional information about Rivera is available at www.vote4angel.com.

cgran@pioneerlocal.com
dkidwell@tribune.com