Halvorson Returns to District, Opens Joliet Office

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 12, 2008

Contact: Ryan Vanderbilt
708.227.8429

Halvorson Returns to District, Opens Joliet Office
Bipartisan elected officials, school children, public attend district swearing-in

(Joliet, IL) – On Monday, Congresswoman Debbie Halvorson announced the opening of her Joliet district office and participated in a swearing-in ceremony at the Will County Office Building. Halvorson was sworn in by Will County Clerk Nancy Schultz Voots in a program that included remarks by Will County Executive Larry Walsh and Judge Mary Kay O'Brien, with Joliet pastor and civil rights icon Reverend Isaac Singleton giving the invocation. Bi-partisan elected officials from Will and Grundy counties were in attendance, with about 50 children from Joliet public schools and members of general public also present to witness the event.

Halvorson gave remarks after reciting the oath of office, thanking the crowd and 11th District voters for granting her the opportunity to serve. She recognized the need to listen to and represent all of her constituents in the 11th District, commenting, "As I like to say, God gave me two ears and one mouth. I intend to use both ears to listen to each side of every issue. No one party has a monopoly on good ideas. No one person or organization knows the best way forward. We all need to work together to do this right. Thank you for the opportunity to do exactly that. I won’t let you down."

During her speech, Halvorson also recognized the challenges before America. Acknowledging the announcement of 524,000 American jobs lost last month, she said, "Millions in our country are unemployed. Thousands in our Congressional District are also unemployed. And each job lost represents a family that is going through some very difficult times. When the main source of income in the family loses his or her job, health insurance becomes much more difficult to maintain. College costs become even more overwhelming. And yes, it becomes more difficult to put food on the table. This unfortunate reality exists in America even today."

She noted the rise in demand at local food pantries she visited throughout the month of December, and the role many Americans were playing in meeting that demand. "I spoke to multiple directors of these food pantries, who said that despite the rise in demand, their pantries haven’t gone bare. People are pitching in. Every time demand goes up, the supply rises to meet it. Every day Americans are pitching in. Every day Americans are working to meet the challenges we all face, together," Halvorson said.

She then called for dedicated and creative leadership to jumpstart our economy and create jobs, without the usual partisan back-and-forth that has dominated politics for the past several years. "This is not a time to be focused on partisan fights or point scoring. This is not a time to be focused on politics that distract us from furthering good government, job creation, and making small businesses thrive. This is a time to get down to business, work together, and make our government work for us," Halvorson commented.

Halvorson also encouraged her constituents to communicate with her, saying "A representative cannot represent her constituents unless she hears from them regularly, and I hope for, and expect, constant communication with you."

Halvorson’s district office is located at Two Rialto Square, 116 N. Chicago St, Suite 401 in Joliet. The district office can be reached at 815.726.4998 and the Washington, D.C. office can be reached at 202.225.3635. Constituents are able to write letters to their representative by going to http://halvorson.house.gov/ or by mailing Congresswoman Debbie Halvorson at 1541 Longworth HOB, Washington D.C., 20515.