A former mayor, Maria Rodriguez, to run for lt. gov. with Brady
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[September 18, 2013]
CHICAGO -- Sen. Bill Brady,
Republican candidate for governor, announced Tuesday that he has
selected Maria Rodriguez, a small-business owner and former suburban
mayor in Lake County, as his running mate for the 2014 gubernatorial
election.
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"Maria will bring a fresh perspective, a new ethic and a new energy
to Springfield," said Brady. "As a local government executive for
eight years, she has a keen knowledge of the challenges facing
communities throughout Illinois. Working with her husband in small
business, she knows firsthand the effects that Illinois' high taxes
and over-regulation have on attracting and maintaining
small-business jobs. "For 10 years, the Democrat administrations
have put up roadblocks to building strong businesses and strong
communities in Illinois. Together, we will set a new agenda for
Illinois and chart a new direction toward greater financial security
for our communities, for our state and for Illinois families," Brady
said.
As lieutenant governor, Rodriguez will be responsible for shaping
policies that encourage growth of small businesses and community
redevelopment in a retooled state economic development department in
his administration, Brady said.
"We have the infrastructure, the resources, and most of all that
Midwestern heart and work ethic to become a magnet state for
business and commerce," said Rodriguez. "What we don't have is
leadership. It is time to toss aside those so-called leaders who
continue to force us to accept the 'new normal' of second-best and
reclaim what is rightfully ours. It is time to put the people back
in charge of Illinois."
Rodriguez has lived in Chicago's north and northwest suburbs most
of her life. She and her husband, Ray, are small-business
entrepreneurs with interests in manufacturing, agriculture, real
estate and financial services.
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She served as mayor of Long Grove for eight years before deciding
not to seek re-election earlier this year. Her administration
created a business expansion master plan that is well underway
despite current economic challenges. She worked with community
business leaders and stakeholders for the development of a new
retail center, bringing more than 300 new jobs to the community
during the height of the economic recession.
During her tenure as mayor, she also served as vice chairman of
the Lake County Stormwater Management Commission and as a member of
the advisory commission that formulated the recommendation for the
northern extension of Illinois Route 53. She has been a champion of
government transparency and has a reputation as a common-sense
consensus-builder regardless of party affiliation.
She has a degree in economics from the University of Illinois at
Chicago and was a candidate for Congress in the former 8th
Congressional District. She and her husband have been married for 33
years and have three grown children.
[Text from file received from
Brady for Illinois]
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