Business Empowered PAC Highlights Candidates Running for
Elected Office in Contested February 2, 2010 Primaries
The Champaign County Business Empowered PAC recently
completed the process of reviewing candidate surveys for elected office in
local and statewide contested races in the February 2, 2010 Primaries.
Those candidates who are not facing a contested primary did not
receive a candidate survey in this round. The PAC will
not make any endorsements in the February Primary but will offer a more
educational approach to inform our members how the PAC Board evaluated the
candidates as compared to their peers.
Click
here for a chart
on all the candidates who responded to the survey outlining their stances on
high priority issues affecting our county. Click
here
for a sample scoring sheet PAC board members used to evaluate the candidate
surveys.
The Business Empowered PAC rated candidate surveys on a
numerical scoring system 0-45 with 45 being the highest score possible.
Candidates with the higher scores were evaluated as holding policy
positions more in line with those of the Champaign County Chamber of
Commerce and the business community; demonstrated greater knowledge of our
local economy and how elected officials interact with economic development;
and knowledge of Chamber of Commerce mission.
Below are the candidates reviewed by the Business
Empowered PAC. You will also find a link to their survey
for your review along with the PAC Board member scoring sheets.
County Board
Republican nomination for County Board District #1
vote for 1
Stephanie Holderfield - 31.93 points
Click here for survey responses.
PAC board did not receive a survey response
from Holderfield’s opponent Chris Doenitz.
Democrat nomination for County Board District #6
vote for 2
Patricia Petrie – 28.93 points
Click here for survey responses.
Joshua Hartke – 20.71 points
Click here for survey responses.
PAC board did not receive
survey responses from their opponents Michael Richards and Debby Auble.
Democrat nomination for County Board District # 9
vote for 2
Christopher Alix – 35.14 points
Click here for survey responses.
PAC board did not receive survey responses from
Christopher Alix’s opponents James Quisenberry and Scott Bennett.
Lieutenant Governor
Democrat nomination for Lt. Governor
Scott Lee Cohen – 25.42 points
Click here for survey responses.
PAC board did not receive survey responses from Scott
Lee Cohen’s opponents
State Senator Rickey
Hendon, State Senator Terry Link, State Rep. Arthur Turner, Thomas Michael
Castillo, and State Rep. Mike Boland.
Republican nomination for Lt. Governor
Don Tracy – 36.43 points
Click here for survey responses.
Jason Plummer – 28.64 points
Click here for survey responses.
Brad Cole – 26.07 points
Click here for survey responses.
PAC board did not receive survey responses from their opponents Randy
White, State Senator Matt Murphy, and Dennis Cook.
Champaign County's Business Empowered PAC
The power of the Champaign County business community to influence positive
change for your bottom line depends on you. The
Business Empowered PAC will endorse candidates for public office who:
- Will be fiscally responsible with your money;
- Will respect your rights to run your business;
- Will govern in a way that helps your business to be successful.
To support the PAC's efforts through a financial contribution,
click here.
If you are interested in serving on the PAC
board of directors, click here.
What is Business Empowered?
Business Empowered is a political action committee (PAC),
which is a group of individuals organized to promote and support policy issues
as well as candidates running for public office at the state and local level.
Nationwide, there are more than 4,000 active PACs.
Why did the Chamber of Commerce establish a PAC?
By establishing a PAC, the Chamber is allowed to influence
elections by publicly endorsing and providing contributions to candidates
running for public office who share our business and legislative positions and
understand the local business environment.
Will the Chamber’s PAC be too small to be effective?
A PAC does not need to be large to make a difference.
Champaign County’s Business Empowered PAC will focus its resources on
local and state elections whose candidates will have the best opportunity to
make a positive impact on the local business community.
Why should I contribute to the PAC?
Contributions to the Champaign County’s Business
Empowered PAC are completely voluntary. However, by contributing to the PAC,
you will be assisting with the election of candidates that share the views of
the Chamber. The PAC will help the Chamber to be a stronger advocate for
business by increasing visibility to lawmakers and other elected officials, a
major step to ensuring a favorable legislative environment.