Clay's Letters to the Editor

Candidates: We hear you, taxpayers

The Daily Chronicle, (DeKalb, IL) October 24, 2008

We are both candidates for important local public offices: state's attorney and circuit clerk. Both of us are opposed by incumbent officeholders who have spent decades in politics. Neither of us has held office before. One of us is Republican; the other Democrat. One of us is conservative, one liberal. We have both been walking neighborhoods for months now as we campaign around the county. We have both come to the same conclusion: Citizens are demanding that their local government cut their spending. NOW. Their message is loud and clear, and unmistakable. We get it. There is no way to avoid the simple truth that families are suffering financially. You can see the fear in their eyes; hear the uncertainty in their voices. People are broke and going broker. They are struggling to make ends meet. They need help and expect their government to be responsive to their needs. We will.

We pledge to cut the budgets of our respective offices by 5 percent. We pledge to freeze salaries where they are until things get better. We hope that by doing this, the rest of the county offices will consider doing the same. Some may be able to cut more, some less, and some not at all. But we have to try. It may not seem like much to some, or a political ploy to others, but there it is. We must eliminate inefficiencies and redundancies and seek the most cost-effective solutions that are appropriate for our respective offices. For example, a recently approved 24 percent raise in salary for the circuit clerk is not appropriate and will not be accepted.

We feel that this election is no longer about politics, or parties, or ideology - it's about people. We are all in this together. When times are tough on families, they cut their spending. They learn to make do with what they have; they improvise; they get creative. Government must do the same. It is during tough times like these that we have to remind ourselves that government serves the people, the people don't serve government. By showing solidarity with the taxpayers, we hope to gain back their confidence as we look forward to the brighter days ahead, as they surely will come.

Calvin Clay Campbell

Republican candidate for DeKalb County State's Attorney

Josh Boies

Democratic candidate for DeKalb County Circuit Clerk

These veterans deserve better

The Daily Chronicle, (DeKalb, IL) September 8, 2008

Editor:

The other day I met a mom and dad who just saw their daughter off to do her duty as a soldier in Afghanistan. A few days before that, I met a partially disabled Marine and his wife, also a Marine. A couple of weeks back I met a retired pilot who flew missions in the Pacific during World War II. That same weekend I met a father who lost his son in a helicopter crash in Vietnam.

In the next week, I am going to venture over to see a friend of mine, another Marine, who fought at the bloody battle of Peleliu. I cannot miss visiting still another old veteran of our country who was a combat photographer during the liberation of the German concentration camps. I daily get to interact with some bailiffs at the courthouse, veterans both, of the Vietnam and Korean Wars, respectively. This is my privilege.

Earlier this year I attended a legal seminar in Chicago. The subject was the difficulty wounded veterans have in getting their benefits when they return from combat. A husband and wife spoke. His face had been shattered by a roadside bomb in Iraq. His wife was so frustrated in getting his benefits she became a lawyer to advocate for other heroes and their families. You cannot hear their story without getting emotional.

I returned home and vowed to myself that I would do something to help returning veterans. My idea is to use the State's Attorney's office, in conjunction with veterans organizations within our county, the legal community and anyone else interested in helping, to create a safety net of support and information for these heroes. It seems to me the least we can do for those who gave the most.

Calvin Clay Campbell

Republican candidate for DeKalb County State's Attorney

Tax dollars walking out the door

The Daily Chronicle, (DeKalb, IL) August 3, 2008

Editor:

The recent announcement of yet another personnel change in our state's attorney's office reveals a pressing problem our current state's attorney has had in maintaining a staff of attorneys. When Joseph Cullen leaves the office as anticipated, he will be the 20th lawyer to have come and gone in that office since 2000. Twenty lawyers in eight years is an unheard of rate of attrition that should alarm the general public. Each new lawyer hired represents an investment in our tax dollars in terms of salary, benefits and training. Each lawyer that resigns represents those tax dollars walking out the door.

More important than money, however, are the lost relationships that had developed between these lawyers and our local law enforcement. The criminal justice system operates most effectively when prosecutors and police work hand in hand to protect the public. As the popular show “Law & Order” illustrates, they operate most effectively when they work as a team. To require police officers to continually have to get acquainted with new prosecutors is a burden these brave men and women should not have to bear. The focus of hiring new prosecutors should be to find lawyers dedicated to staying in the office. The focus of our next state's attorney should be dedicated to keeping them there.

Calvin Clay Campbell

Republican candidate for DeKalb County State's Attorney