Dale Strough
for States Attorney of Iroquois County
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for States Attorney of Iroquois County
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***PRESS RELEASE**** CANDIDACY ANNOUNCEMENT
Iroquois County Attorney, Dale Strough announces his candidacy for the office of Iroquois County State’s Attorney in the general election to be held in November 2008. His general practice of law includes substantial experience in representing local governments and in the field of criminal law, having served as public defender for the county and previously as assistant public defender for a total of five years. Mr. Strough states that “according to figures from the Circuit Clerk’s Office, major crime has more than doubled under my opponent’s watch. My experience in operating my own practice of law and as public defender will enable me to provide a more efficient and effective prosecution of criminal cases in Iroquois County. Mr. Strough is a resident of the City of Watseka and is a native of the Gilman area. He has four children; Jason, a music teacher at Prairie Central; Jennifer, a Staff Sergeant in the Air Force and Iraq War veteran presently serving in Oklahoma; Matthew, a engineering student at Southern Illinois University; and Emily, a senior at Watseka Community High School. He comes from a family tradition of public service with an uncle, Vernon Strough, serving as Republican County Sheriff in the 1960’s and serving as County Treasurer for several terms and a great-uncle, Robert Strough, serving several terms as Republican Clerk of the Circuit Court. He received his bachelor’s degree from Illinois State University and Juris Doctor from DePaul University Law School. He began his practice with the firm of Fleming and Boyer and has conducted his own general practice of law since 1987. Mr. Strough will be running as a third party independent and will be representing the Green Party on the ballot. One of the basic principles of the Green Party is grass roots democracy. Iroquois County is not had a contested race for county office since 2002 and has not had a contested race for State’s Attorney in the general election since 1988. There will be people voting in the next election who were not even born the last time there was a contested race for State’s Attorney and people who cast there first vote in that race now have children old enough to vote. Competition is an essential part of democracy and I hope the people of Iroquois County will appreciate having a choice for a change. This will be a ‘David versus Goliath’ contest against dominant and controlling partisan political interests. In 2004, I filed a petition with over 700 signatures to run for this office as a Green. That is about 10 times more signatures than are required of the established parties. The County Electoral Commission, consisting of three elected Republican officials, rejected my petition and denied ballot access because I did not have a full slate of 13 county board candidates to run with me. That was unfair and wrong. There are hundreds of Iroquois County citizens who devotedly serve the public as school board members, alderpersons, village trustees, township officials and special district trustees on a non-partisan basis. These are the people that make the county work. I trust these good citizens and the rest of the good citizens of Iroquois County will support my efforts to provide a better administration of justice without regard to narrow partisan interests. Sometimes in controversial cases, special prosecutors are appointed so that there prosecutorial discretion will be free from political party influences. Running as a third party candidate, independent of the major parties, will provide me the opportunity to exercise independent unbiased prosecutorial judgment, just as a special prosecutor does, and to properly administer justice without the influence of party, faction, or clique. I stand for honesty and integrity in local government and believe government should operate in an open and transparent manner with real concern for the public interest. These traditional American values are part of Green principles of Grass roots democracy and justice. Greens are known for their concern for the environment. A good clean environment is also one that is safe and free from crime. The people of Iroquois County have a right to be safe and secure in their homes and property and free from the affliction of drug dealers and manufacturers. I will fight for the right of the people of Iroquois County to be safe and secure in their homes. I will fight for an environment free of the affliction of dangerous drugs and drug violence and will diligently attend to the duties of State’s Attorney in an honest, fair, efficient and effective manner.” |
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