It’s with great pleasure that I announce that on February 23rd I was endorsed by The Tri-County Labor Legislative Club and the AFL-CIO Cope for my run for Mayor of O’Fallon. I’m very proud of this endorsement by the hard working men and women of the unions in Lincoln, Warren and St. Charles County.

All candidates running for office in O’Fallon were interviewed at length by a panel of union members during the first week of February. I believe that this was a great opportunity for all candidates to discuss their campaigns, their goals for the residents that they represent, their plans to stimulate economic development and jobs in the city, plus the reasons why they should be the candidate chosen to be mayor of the city.

I was proud to tell the Frain Union Story of my Grandpa Frain who came to the United States in the early 1900’s from Dublin and spent his entire working career as a union printer in Chicago. I also talked about my father who became a union printer in Joliet, Illinois within a week of the time that he got out of World War 2. And finally, I talked about my son who is a high school social studies teacher and the NEA Representative for Eureka High School, my daughter-in-law who is an art teacher and a member of the NEA at Ft. Zumwalt East High School, and my son-in-law who is 14 year member of Local 1310 of the Carpenter’s Union.

Let me personally thank the President of Tri-County Labor Greg Booth with IBEW Local 1, the Vice-President John O’Mara with Pipefitters Local 562, the Secretary/Treasurer Steve Bailey with Bricklayers Local 1, the Recording Secretary Rod Hermann with Gas Workers Local 11-6, the Sgt-At-Arms Kenneth Brooks with Sprinkler Fitters Local 268, and the Sgt-At-Arms Tom Booth of IBEW Local 1 for their endorsement representing the finest union force of men and women in the U.S.

“Our labor unions are not narrow, self-seeking groups. They have raised wages, shortened hours and provided supplemental benefits. Through collective bargaining and grievance procedure, they have brought justice and democracy to the shop floor.”

John Fitzgerald Kennedy, August 30, 1960