The Monroe County Democratic Party has announced its speaker line up for its annual dinner and silent auction event on Thursday, March 26, 2009. Scheduled speakers include Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan, Illinois State Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias and Illinois AFL-CIO President Michael Carrigan. 
Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan will be one of the featured speakers. Attorney General Madigan was first elected to that office in 2002 after serving in the Illinois State Senate with Barack Obama. In 2006, Madigan won re-election with over 70 percent of the vote statewide, including easily winning Monroe County.
As Attorney General, Lisa Madigan is Illinois’ top law enforcement official. Her office has aggressively prosecuted drug kingpins including makers and dealers of methamphetamine. Under Madigan’s leadership, compliance with Illinois’ sex offender registration laws is at the highest level ever. Her office’s task force has arrested and prosecuted hundreds of online sexual predators achieving a 100 percent conviction rate.
 
Madigan and her office also vigorously enforce consumer rights. Her office led a national effort resulting in Bank of America agreeing to an $8.7 billion resolution in a sub-prime lending matter; a settlement which will keep 21,000 Illinoisans in their homes without costing taxpayers. Her office has also: fought electric utilities obtaining $1 billion in rebates for consumers; helped end Illinois’ cable TV monopoly; and, got toys with lead taken off store shelves before any other state attorney general did. Last year, the New York Times listed Lisa Madigan and several other women leaders, in a story entitled, “She Just Might Be President Someday”.
 
Illinois State Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias will also be a featured speaker at the Monroe County dinner. Giannoulias was elected treasurer in 2006 at the age of 30 making him the youngest state treasurer in the country. Under his leadership, Illinois’ Bright Start College Savings program has gone from being one of the worst in the nation to the best. Last year, Giannoulias committed $1 billion of state funds in healthy banks and credit unions to give those institutions more money to lend to consumers and help increase consumer confidence. He has also: launched the nation’s largest state-backed hybrid rebate program; instituted sweeping ethics reforms in the Treasurer’s office; put Illinois’ unclaimed property on eBay; and, started an innovative securities lending effort which is earning more revenue for the state.
 
Earlier this month, Giannoulias announced the formation of his federal exploratory committee to examine a possible campaign for the U.S. Senate seat recently vacated by his friend and mentor, President Barack Obama. The primary and general elections for that U.S. Senate race will be next year.
 
The keynote speaker at the Monroe County dinner will be Michael Carrigan, the president of the Illinois AFL-CIO. Illinois has the third-largest union membership of any state in the country and the Illinois AFL-CIO has more than one million union members which belong to it, including many people from Monroe and surrounding counties. President Carrigan is also the mayor of Decatur, Illinois. 
 
Joining these featured speakers at the Monroe County dinner will be State Representative Dan Reitz, Democratic State Central Committeewoman Barb Brown, Monroe County Board Chairman Delbert Wittenauer, Sheriff Dan Kelley, State’s Attorney Kris Reitz, Circuit Clerk Aaron Reitz, and County Commissioner Mike Kovarik along with Democratic elected officials from the surrounding area, local Monroe County Democrats, and many local municipal officeholders and candidates gearing up for the April 7 municipal elections.
 
Monroe County Democratic Party Chairman Alan Pirtle stated, “We are very pleased to have such high-profile statewide Democratic officeholders and labor leaders at our annual dinner. I think it’s a real testament to the recognition Monroe County’s Democrats have received throughout the state as a result of our hard work and success here. Attorney General Madigan and Treasurer Giannoulias have bright futures and our dinner will be a great opportunity for people to meet them.”
 
The dinner will be on Thursday, March 26, 2024 at Turner Hall, 211 E. Cherry Street in Columbia, Illinois (which is 20 minutes south of St. Louis.) Reception begins at 6:00 p.m. and the dinner program begins shortly before 7:00 p.m. Tickets are $25 each in advance or $30 at the door. Tickets can be purchased individually or in groups. Tickets include homemade appetizers, a buffet dinner, prizes, refreshments, and a chance to participate in a large silent auction.
 
For additional information on the Monroe County Democrat Dinner event or the speakers, Madigan, Giannoulias and Carrigan, contact Alan Pirtle at info@monroecountydems.com or visit http://www.monroecountydems.com.