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October 1, 2010
“Don’t steal. The government hates competition.”
– Bumper Sticker –
Dan Patlak, a member of the National Tax Payers Union, was endorsed by the National Taxpayers United of Illinois PAC and the Illinois Committee for Honest Government. Dan’s a member of St. Joseph the Worker Catholic church, a 4th degree Knight of Columbus and lives in Wheeling with his Filipino wife and their nine year old son Teddy. Candidate Dan Patlak is the Republican Party’s nominee for Commissioner of the Cook County Board of Review-District One. I’ve asked him a few questions about himself and his campaign.
“Sir could you tell our readers/viewers something about your current office and some of the duties involved?”
“I’d be glad to, as the Wheeling Township assessor I don’t assess property taxes. I’m a taxpayer advocate, an ombudsman if you will. As assessor I work with filing property tax exemptions for seniors, the disabled, ordinary homeowners, and our veterans. I also file assessment appeals for troubled taxpayers.”
“Candidate Dan, what inspired you to enter government service? I ask this question to all government officials I interview. I want our readers/viewers to know motives of the person getting their votes.”
“Certainly…before I was elected to my first political office as school board member I got angry and was appalled at seeing how taxpayer monies were misspent. There’s so much wasteful spending in government it’s sickening. I felt I had to do something about waste so I decided to run for public office. To my complete surprise I won my election! From then on I was hooked on helping society through political change.”
“Dan here’s another question I ask all my interviewees but they generally skip over it but what were some of your high points and low points in your present office?”
“Fred, let me be the first…granted my office isn’t all ‘peaches and cream’ but I don’t have any low points worth mentioning. My entire political career up to this time has been one long roller coaster ride with newer and grander challenges just around the bend! Before I won my present position I gave voters 10 campaign promises. I made good on all 10 including reducing the Assessor’s salary by 10%. Your readers can learn about my plans for the Board of Review by going to my web site at: www.ElectPatlak.com.”
“Sounds good to me.” LOL!
“I know.” LOL!
He continued: “When I worked at the Board of Review for eight years, I helped thousands of people reduce their unfair assessments. In the early 1990’s I testified at the County Board against establishing the original ¾ cent Cook County sales tax. Based on my credentials, I’m the most qualified candidate to ever run for the Board of Review.”
“Not bad.” When I got home I did go over Mr. Patlak’s record. Dan’s a ‘New Breed’ of American politician. He’s young, smart, tech and media savvy, driven, dedicated, and blessed with a family that reflects our country’s changing attitudes regarding race and ethnicity. During our interview he mentioned that current 1st District incumbent Brendan Houlihan’s idea of a hard day’s work is driving to work, parking his car in his special taxpayer financed space, and putting in a ‘full day’s work’ at his real job at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange. In addition, his credentials are marginal at best non-existent at worse.
Houlihan’s a relic of the old ‘Boss Daley’ era according to Dan Patlak.
“Dan if elected how will your new job impact Chicago’s Filipino-American and other Asian communities?”
“Filipinos own property and pay taxes. It’ll be my responsibility to see that they, along with every other taxpayer,r are treated justly.”
“How will an election victory translate to jobs and programs for Filipino and other Asian-Americans living in your district?”
“We need qualified Filipinos and other Americans to work with providing services to property owners. Taxpayers need empowerment. They need to be educated. Due to your space restrictions I can’t get into this in detail. If your readers/viewers log in to my campaign site listed above, they can view my video and see for themselves; best yet they can GIVE ME A CALL. I like to know the voters as persons not statistics before and after Election Day. My cell phone number is: 1-847-867-2375. My email address is: danpatlak@aol.com.”
Dan further mentioned his reaching out to members of the other ethnic communities. Dan encouraged people to get out and vote, promote his campaign, invite him to host seminars, coffees, and talks at Filipino events. Mr. Patlak further encouraged readers to peruse his website and Facebook page and volunteer working his campaign. He further stated that if you can’t work actively in his campaign call his office for a free yard sign. Being part of a Filipino family gives him a certain insight into the needs and concerns of Fim-Ams. For complete listing of Dan Patlak’s previous political experience, academic credentials, and personal history, go to his web page.
ENDORSEMENT
Candidate Dan Patlak seems to have his act together. The man’s qualified, articulate, and extremely dedicated. Yesterday at the time of this writing when I interviewed him, he pulsated with pure energy, ambition, and drive. He has an infectious sense of humor. No dullness here! Win or lose he won’t bore his constituency.
Reader the age of partisan politics is over: VOTE THE CANDIDATE AND NOT THE PARTY. As mentioned in previous articles, Republicans and Democrats are two sides of the same political coinage; both are full of sound and fury but don’t do a damn thing but spout the same old garbage. Candidate Dan appears to be a cut above all that. This man’s actually serious about initiating positive political change in Illinois politics something that’s hasn’t been done since Abraham Lincoln.
Reader I’m no Republican. When I was a kid to even admit to GOP membership was tantamount to being second only to the anti-Christ-evil incarnate. In our family voting Republican just wasn’t done. The first and only time our family voted Republican was in 1969 when Jesse Jackson, Sr. ‘ordered’ the Black community to vote Republican to oust Edward Harahan after the murder of two Black Panther party leaders in a pre-dawn police raid.
Loyal generational Democrats all the way-until very recently; I’m not endorsing any party but if Mr. Patlak is who he says he is politically he’s got our vote. I’m titular head of a very large extended family in which EVERYBODY TURNS OUT ON ELECTION DAY and assumedly vote one way: Democratic. Maybe this man with his incredible drive and infectious sense of humor will win the day. When the restaurant interview was over he paid the check!
Next week we’ll have the newly appointed Philippine Consul General the Honorable Leo M. Herrera-Lim as our special guest. Till then drive carefully, don’t mess over each other, and GOD bless. (vamaxwell@yahoo.com)