County Board Member Joins Race for New Senate Seat

The Republican primary race for a new state Senate seat just got a little more crowded.

Will County District 5 Board Member Brian J. Smith on Thursday announced his intention to seek the Republican nomination for the new 49th State Senate District.

The district, created under a new state redistricting map, includes portions of Joliet, Romeoville, Bolingbrook, Plainfield, Shorewood, Crest Hill and Oswego.

In a press release, Smith said his desire for his two children to grow up in a “safe, well-respected area” was one of the major reasons he decided to enter the race.

“My philosophy is, if you don’t have it, you don’t spend it,” said Smith, adding that as a county board member, he has been part of passing a balanced budget for the past two years. “And that is the way that any government should be run as well.”

A Will County resident for 12 years and small business owner, Smith said he believes in conservative values and encouraging small business growth.

“The government needs to get out of the way,” he said. “Small businesses are our job creators, and we must help create and retain jobs in Illinois. We need to change the business environment in our state. The current climate in Springfield is forcing businesses to go to states like Wisconsin, Indiana and New Jersey.” 

Smith said would bring his fiscally conservative perspective to the state Senate.

“We are ranked  50th in the nation in state deficits,” he said in a statement. “We don’t pay our bills, we don’t fund our pensions, and we just keep borrowing.  We must get back to the fundamentals of government.  And that is what I would do.”

Smith joins a growing pool of Republican candidates vying for the 2012 nomination. So far, Plainfield Village trustee , Village of Shorewood trustee and Oswego village trustee have announced their intention to seek the 49th district seat.

Another GOP candidate, Fountaindale Public Library board president Robert Kalnicky, briefly considered seeking the nomination, but instead.

No Democrats have publicly announced that they are running in the primary.

Smith, a member of the Plainfield Moose, Illinois State Rifle Association and Walkers Grove Elementary School PT0, was appointed to fill the vacant Will County Board District 5 seat in 2009 and elected in 2010. He is past president of the Will County Young Republicans and past vice chairman of the Wheatland Township Republican Organization (WTRO). He currently serves as a WTRO committeeman and is a member of Alleluia Lutheran Church.