The Hancock-Henderson Quill, Inc.

Lieutenant Governor Speaks At Republican Lincoln Day Banquet

by Dessa Rodeffer, Quill Publisher/Owner

March 1, 2017

Having the Lieutenant Governor of Illinois come to Henderson County to be the feature speaker at Republicans annual Lincoln Day Dinner was a first for Henderson County Republicans and a real treat.

The lively Evelyn Pacino Sanguinetti, 46, is the 47th Lieutenant Governor of Illinois. Her term began January 12, 2015 alongside Governor Bruce Rauner, both elected on November 4, 2014.

Although she is the third woman in Illinois history to hold this office, Sanguinetti was elected the first female Hispanic Lieutenant Governor in the United States.

The Lincoln Day affair was at the Terre Haute Methodist Church Fellowship Hall, and Sanguinetti arrived in time to shake most everyone's hand prior to the delicious midwestern roast beef and pork meal.

As she needed to leave, Sanguinetti was introduced first and spoke of her life story from her quick birth to her immigrant parents, to their poverty status, and to her failing 1st grade as she struggled to fit in. (Sanguinetti was born November 12, 1970 in Miami, Florida soon after her 15 year old Cuban mother and Ecuadorian father immigrated to America.)

Sanguinetti said, "My mother told me, that in this country I can rise like the foam if I seize the moment. So even though I'm a product of the safety net, and the safety net did save me, I used it to catapult me on to other things."

Sanguinetti did just that. She got an educational opportunity and seized the moment. She earned a bachelor's degree in music from Florida International University and moved to Illinois and obtained a juris doctor from The John Marshall Law School in Chicago.

She became an attorney and adjunct professor of law at John Marshall Law School and worked as an assistant Illinois Attorney General during the tenure of former Republican Attorney General Jim Ryan and has served on the Wheaton City Council.

She is an example of what can happen if you do things legally, apply hard work, and use the system as an opportunity to better yourself.

Sanguinetti told why she chose to run alongside Rauner, how he did a lot of things in education for kids who grew up in poverty like she did. She also said he had six kids and none of them chose to live in the state of Illinois.

She gave a synopsis of the state of the budget and assured that Governor Rauner and she were both on the same page-standing firm to have a balanced budget and to make the necessary adjustments badly needed at the state level to make this wonderful state a great place to stay, work, and live.

"I have three kids at home," and I want my three kids to stay and live in the great state of Illinois if they find opportunity here," Sanguinetti said.

"It's the whole reason we are engaged in this mission. We are all engaged in this mission."

"Right now we are engaged in a fight, I call it street fight, because the minute Bruce and I were sworn into power, we knew our constitution says our budget has to be balanced."

"You have to have your state kind of in the way you drive your own home, which means you live within your means."

"So when we were presented with our first budget, do you think that budget was within balance?" she asked.

"The first budget was $2 billion dollars off whack!"

She said, "we knew we were going to be on this mission to fight against powers that had already been intrenched for so many many years."

So, they fought. Then, the second year the budget was presented to them offset by 4 billion dollars! she said.

"The third budget gets worse offset by 7.2 billion dollars," she said.

"What's the other side tell us to do, well it's easy, they say, just raise our taxes and it's all over, they say."

"We haven't seen a balanced budget for over twenty years, and this is the reason we need to fight. We need to fight for our families. We need to fight for us to be able to stay here."

Sanguinetti said we need to increase our numbers to keep up this fight and asks that everyone work toward being active in the cause.

Also, speaking about the state of Illinois and the daily growing debt were Senator Jil Tracy and State Representative Randy Frese, States Attorney Coby Hathaway, Republican Chair Bill Knupp, and giving a thank you for everyone's support, Judge Ray Cavanaugh.

Money was raised from a silent auction of delicious homemade pies and flowers donated by Jim Blender were given as door prizes. Several judges, officers, Precinct committeemen and women, along with officers/members from neighboring Republian Clubs were in attendance and introduced.

Opening and closing prayers were given by Jim Bennett of Rozetta and Jim Blender of Raritan.