Hello, my name is Alexi Giannoulias and I am the Treasurer of the great State of Illinois.
I’ve been reading the site for a while now (I guess I’m what you would call a "lurker") and I constantly find myself in awe of this community’s passion and knowledge.
While I feel like I know many of you simply by reading your work, I would like to formally introduce myself to the community. So, from user ID# 206022....an introduction.
As I mentioned, I am currently the Illinois State Treasurer. I was elected in 2006 as the youngest treasurer in the nation.
I didn’t take the "typical" path to elected office.
I grew up in Chicago, the son of Greek immigrants. I eventually found my way to Boston University, where I studied economics. I played professional basketball in Greece, then came back to America and studied law in New Orleans. After law school, I returned to Chicago and became a community banker, helping families invest in their future.
My first foray into politics was on the campaign of my friend and mentor, President Barack Obama. I volunteered on his U.S. Senate race, and, like you, found his campaign to be transformational.
I saw in him and in his supporters a simple belief that good people can take on powerful insiders and build a state and a nation where everyone has a chance to succeed. I saw strength in numbers and the pragmatic idealism of a new generation.
What I saw inspired me to take action. I stopped "lurking" and decided instead to run for office. And while it seemed that every insider said "no," that a newcomer in politics couldn’t win a race against the establishment, the voters of Illinois said "yes" and gave me the honor of serving as their State Treasurer.
In the years since my election, I’ve worked to transform that office and to change the way we do business in Illinois.
Now, as some of you may know, I am currently exploring a run for United States Senator.
President Obama wasn’t the choice of DC insiders when he ran for the Senate, and neither am I. Fact is, I wasn’t the choice of the insiders when I ran for Treasurer. Far from it.
But I didn’t get into public service to be a favorite of the establishment and to fit into the system. I got into public service to change the system.
I got into public service because providing opportunity is personal to me. Both my parents were Greek immigrants. When they came to America’s shores, they couldn’t speak English, weren’t well-educated, and didn't have any money. But they believed in the promise of America--that with hard work and sacrifice, anything is possible.
As we have seen, the promise of that opportunity is threatened by insiders, special interests, the politically powerful who have essentially rigged the system against families who want to get ahead, and who helped to create the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression.
Over the past few months as I’ve explored a run for the United States Senate, I’ve traveled across the State of Illinois and have seen firsthand how hard-working Americans are struggling with this economy. They’ve shared with me their personal stories, from dealing with skyrocketing healthcare costs to worrying about their children’s future. In small towns and big cities alike, the message is clear: Americans just want their government to work as hard as they do.
We are at a seminal moment in our nation’s history, and the decisions made by our government over the next several years are going to determine the future course our country.
As we rebuild our economy and as we rekindle the American dream, it’s more important than ever those decisions are made by representatives who have your best interest at heart.
And that is why I am here. That is why I’m trying to do things differently. I’ve pledged not to take any money from federal lobbyists or corporate PAC’S because I firmly believe that we will never change the way we do business in Washington until we change the way we elect people to represent us in Washington.
Illinoisans deserve a Senator who will honor the seat formerly held by President Obama. They deserve what every American deserves--a representative worthy of their vote, one free from the taint of political insiders and kingmakers and one who shares their vision for true change and real progress.
I believe that the choice of who will represent Illinois is too important to be left in the hands of the DC insiders. Both the President and the people of Illinois will need a progressive advocate as the Senate fights for health care, as it seeks to end two wars, and as it enacts policies that benefit America’s families.
The times are too serious to let the same old politicians fail to solve the same old problems, and the opportunity is too great to settle for the ineffective status quo.
With a Democratic President and Democratic Congress, we have a rare chance to truly take a leap forward towards that "more perfect union." But it will take all of us to ensure that our progressive principles aren’t compromised, and it will take each of us to make sure this chance for a better America doesn’t fall by the wayside because of politics-as-usual.
So, I’ve set a goal for my campaign: 5,000 grassroots volunteers signed up on our website. If you believe that the person elected to President Obama’s seat should wage a campaign he would be proud of, then join us today.
I also look forward to coming back in the next week or so and talking with members of the community about an example of an issue where Washington is failing us -- bankruptcy reform.
--Alexi