Congresswoman Cheri Bustos made a stop in Galesburg yesterday as part of her “Cheri on Shift” projects. She did some job shadowing at Galesburg Castings were she tested some iron samples – but her primary goal was to learn about challenges that face small businesses in her district.
Besides learning more about EPA air quality regulations that manufacturers like Galesburg Castings face, Bustos received some insight on the impact that elections have on local economies.
“Right after that election, things began to pick up,” Bustos said. “But going in to that election there was a slow-down. I found that very interesting. You would think it would matter if it were a Democrat or a Republican that was elected. But what was causing them a slow-down was, I think, the length of the election.”
Coming up on Saturday, Bustos has invited Democratic candidates for Governor to take the stage in Bartonville as part of a free event.
Bustos tells WGIL that she’s planning on basically asking two questions to candidates: What is your path to victory? and What is your plan for the down-state economy? “Illinois is a great, big state and there’s a lot of small towns and smaller counties outside of Cook and outside of Chicago. And since all but one of the candidates is from Chicago, I want to know what their plan is for down-state Illinois.”
Bustos went on to say that she wouldn’t mind seeing more down-state candidates running for office. Down-state candidates, according to Bustos, take a much more practical approach to issues – and everything isn’t a fight.
