* In full…

“This is yet another misleading attack from Debbie Halvorson. The fact is, Marty Ozinga has pledged to do everything in his power to adequately address the concerns of local communities as it relates to the Canadian National proposal. The real question is, how can we trust Debbie Halvorson to address quality-of-life issues in the 11th District when she’s failed so miserably to do so as Senate Majority Leader? It’s on her watch that five state parks in our district are set to be closed soon, but Halvorson and her “father figure” Emil Jones are letting Rod Blagojevich get away with it. That may be brazen, but it’s not surprising coming from someone who said that her job is ‘to be the most loyal and trusted soldier of the Senate President’ and that ‘[Emil Jones’] agenda is my agenda.’ When it matters most, Debbie Halvorson can’t be counted on to look out for the interest of local communities - she’ll always be looking out for herself, doing the bidding of whomever she thinks can give her a hand up the political ladder.”

On Fri, Sep 12, 2008 at 10:04 AM, Andy Sere wrote:
“This is yet another misleading attack from Debbie Halvorson. The fact is, Marty Ozinga has pledged to do everything in his power to adequately address the concerns of local communities as it relates to the Canadian National proposal. The real question is, how can we trust Debbie Halvorson to address quality-of-life issues in the 11th District when she’s failed so miserably to do so as Senate Majority Leader? It’s on her watch that five state parks in our district are set to be closed soon, but Halvorson and her “father figure” Emil Jones are letting Rod Blagojevich get away with it. That may be brazen, but it’s not surprising coming from someone who said that her job is ‘to be the most loyal and trusted soldier of the Senate President’ and that ‘[Emil Jones’] agenda is my agenda.’ When it matters most, Debbie Halvorson can’t be counted on to look out for the interest of local communities - she’ll always be looking out for herself, doing the bidding of whomever she thinks can give her a hand up the political ladder.”

Background quotes:

“‘His agenda is my agenda,’ she said four years ago when Jones tapped her for majority leader.” – Southtown Star¸ 10/3/07

“I’m very honored because the position of majority leader is to be the most loyal and trusted soldier of the senate president.” – Kankakee Daily Journal, 1/12/05

“Halvorson and Jones developed their relationship — one she compares to father-daughter…” – Daily Southtown, 1/13/05