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Contact: Mike Sweeney (847) 305-4152

October 31, 2008

Kotowski Scare Tactics Cannot Undo His Scary Voting Record

Kotowski’s False Attacks On Sweeney Mask His Poor Voting Record

Mount Prospect, IL – Following a new round of attack mailers from his opponent, Mike Sweeney said today that his opponent cannot undo his voting record with direct mail full of lies. Sweeney listed a number of votes Kotowski has been running from in the last days of the campaign, trying to salvage his carefully crafted image in the face of a conflicting voting record:

·         His attacks on my record as Elk Grove Township Clerk are blatantly false – I wasn’t even a township official when the township changed salaries Kotowski is attacking. FACT: Kotowski Voted to fund THREE different pay raises for himself and the governor - SB 241 (9.6% raise), HB 3866 (3.9% raise), SB 1102 (3.8% raise)

·         His Use of Misleading Daily Herald Clips Distorts the Truth – Elk Grove Township Officials have defended my actions on the tax levy issue. FACT: Kotowski had to go to a different township and to a legislator run out of office by the voters in 2006 to defend his attacks.

·         FACT: Kotowski voted TWICE for Gov. Blagojevich’s tax increase on prescription drugs - HB 656

·         FACT: Kotowski voted to raid employee pensions to pay state bills - SB 790

·         FACT: Kotowski voted to WEAKEN sex offender registration laws - SB 121

·         FACT: Kotowski has accepted tens of thousands in campaign contributions from the banking and finance industry his committee regulates (State Board of Elections Records)

“Mr. Kotowski can send out as many mail pieces as he wants, but he cannot hide from his votes to fund pay raises for himself and Governor Blagojevich,” Sweeney said. “He cannot hide from his own campaign finance reports that show the infusion of cash from the very banks and finance companies he’s supposed to be regulating on the Senate Financial Institutions Committee. He can say he’s against pay-to-play, but the record shows his actions during the campaign fall short of his rhetoric.”

 “Lots of ghosts and goblins will be running around trick or treating this Halloween,” Sweeney said. “My opponent is scared the voters will find out about what he does when he’s in Springfield. So, he’s trying to scare them away from me. The only thing the residents of the 33^rd District really have to be scared about is more of the same from Springfield. The voters can send a shudder through the political power-brokers in Springfield when they send real change and Mike Sweeney to the State Senate.”

Mike Sweeney has already stated he will refuse the Legislative pay raise and supports impeachment proceedings against Gov. Blagojevich. A lifelong resident of the 33rd District, Mike grew up in Des Plaines and is now a resident of Arlington Heights. First elected to the office of Elk Grove Township Collector in April of 2005, Mike was appointed by the Board of Trustees to the office of Township Clerk in September of 2005. His term as Clerk ends in the spring of 2009. Mike has served on the Board of the Waycinden Area Baseball League, is a parishioner at St. Zachary Church, and is the Committeeman for the Republican Organization of Elk Grove Township.