Posted by jcesarone on 05/31/09

It has been my pleasure and honor to serve as State Coordinator for the Campaign for Liberty in Illinois, but I wanted to let you all know that as of today I am stepping down from that role.

I have greatly enjoyed working with all of you throughout the state. From the early days when we were scrambling to get a state delegation together to represent Illinois at the Rally for the Republic until now, the C4L in our state has grown by leaps and bounds...and we have only just begun. I continue to be amazed at the growing numbers of knowledgeable, hard-working and talented people in our organization. I had some doubts when the C4L started up if the whole concept was going to work, but I no longer have any doubts - I firmly believe that the C4L will be a major force in restoring our freedoms and our Republic.

So why am I stepping down? The reason is that I simply do not have the time available to do the role justice. My day job (which pays the bills) is very time demanding, and requires quite a bit of travel; unfortunately I don't see that pace letting up any time soon. Quality time with my wife and three small children has really suffered, as my state coordinator duties began to consume way too much of what little free time I have.

I always figured I would eventually reach this point, but I wanted to do my small part to help the C4L get off the ground in Illinois. I know from talking with many of you that I am not the only one who is struggling to balance C4L activity with day jobs and personal/family time - each of you needs to do what is right for your own circumstances. I believe that such an approach will ultimately result in the most effective organization going forward, matching the right people to the right roles at the right times. I would like nothing more than to take on a larger role again if future circumstances permit.

As you all know, my co-coordinator Heather Danielowski has been doing an outstanding job - I could not leave the state leadership in better hands. In fact, I believe that one of the best decisions I made as a state coordinator was to appoint Heather as co-coordinator. Whether she absorbs the additional workload herself or appoints another co-coordinator is a decision that will be up to her.

Although my C4L role is changing, my determination and resolve to support the C4L mission statement and leave a more peaceful and freer world for future generations has not diminished one bit. I will still be an active member, acting as local coordinator for my precinct in the 4th district, and standing at your side as we fight for the principles we all share.

Thank you for taking the time to read this, and thank you for all of your efforts which make this organization what it is! Please stay intouch.

In freedom,

-joe

Posted 05/31/09 Heather D Port Byron, IL

Joe, It has been a privilege and an honor to work with you. I am sad to see you step down, but I fully appreciate your reasons. Your dedication to liberty and all of your hard work has ignited a fire of passion in Illinois, and the fire will continue to burn as a direct result of your leadership. I look forward to continuing to work with you as we bring our state and country back to the Constitutional roots that our Founders envisioned.

Posted 05/31/09 Jason.Riddle Normal, IL

Thank you so much Joe for all that you have done for C4L in Illinois. You have definetly earned more time with your family and I wish you the best with your local organizing. While we will miss your leadership and dedication at the state level, you are absolutely correct that we are in excelent hands with Heather. I look forward to working with you in the future as I am sure we will be seeing eachother at future C4L conferences / meetings. Thanks again!

Posted 05/31/09 Doug.Bach Wheaton, IL

Heather and Jason have said it all, but let me just reiterate our thanks for your leadership. We appreciate all you have done for the cause of liberty in Illinois!

Posted 05/31/09 lisaw Momence, IL

Joe- Our committment to peace and liberty must begin in our own households. Family is, of course, always the first priority. Thanks for your time and efforts in getting Illinois C4L off the ground. And, I concur, you're leaving the state organization in quite capable hands; Heather is outstanding. You were a terrific leader (and friend) thoughout the presidential campaign and C4L launch. And, hey, whatdaya know? Illinois C4L, "it's catchin' on, I'm tellin' ya!"

Posted 05/31/09 jcesarone Chicago, IL

Thank you all for the kind words. Lisa, you had me laughing out loud, I had forgotten all about that ad. You inspired me to dig it up from YouTube - here it is! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=30yxHqSUva8&NR=1

Posted 05/31/09 Matt Phillips Lombard, IL

Thanks Joe for all that you've done to get Illinois C4L up and running. Good luck with everything, and I hope to see you at future events.

Posted 06/01/09 Orville Brettman Huntley, IL

Joe: Thanks for all you have done for C4L. We will miss your leadership and inspiration. The long fight to regain our liberty continues and we all thank you for getting us up and moving in the right direction.

Posted 06/01/09 Scott D Chicago, IL

Good luck Joe! I hope we will see you around at our Cook County functions this summer.

Posted 06/01/09 Terry Jack Springfield, IL

Joe, thanks for all the hard work with C4L and the 2008 Presidential campaign! Good luck and hope to see you at the next state function!

Posted by jcesarone on 05/12/09

HR 1207 is up to 149 cosponsors! Phil Hare's name now shows up on the list at Thomas.

Posted 05/12/09 clampo01 East Moline, IL

How many people need to cosponsor before the bill can move out of committee? Or, I guess what are the next steps to getting the bill passed?

Posted 05/12/09 jcesarone Chicago, IL

I have been told that there is no magic number. I believe it could move out of committee at any time.

Posted 05/13/09 Justin Kapacinskas Elgin, IL

Make that 156! http://www.campaignforliberty.com/index.php#18076

Posted by jcesarone on 05/02/09
Last updated 05/02/09

Still the same four from Illinois, though. See the latest tally from Thomas.The momentum continues - let's keep the pressure on!

Posted 05/02/09 bobjones68 Schaumburg, IL

Outstanding news!

Posted 05/02/09 ShedPlant Slough, United Kingdom

Outstanding! Brentroos, is the official Thomas tracker more accurate or less prompt than the Open Congress website?

Posted 05/04/09 Ryan.Gaba New Lenox, IL

The C4L should put a HR 1207 counter on the front page.

Posted 05/04/09 lisaw Momence, IL

Bill Foster is on Facebook and lets friends post to his wall. Two have already posted encouraging him to support HR 1207. Posting on social networking sites has the dual effect of publicizing this bill to the masses. http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?sid=76339761ce70c1704c70990ae59aa8e6&id= 510894947&hiq=bill%2Cfoster&ref=search

Posted by jcesarone on 04/27/09
Last updated 04/27/09

Today, I called Congressman Gutierrez's local office for the second time within a couple of weeks, voicing my support for HR1207 - I had also emailed him almost two months ago. I told the staffer that I had yet to get a response from him, and she said I would need to talk to the DC office, which she connected me to.

The staffer at the DC office put me on hold for a minute, then came back to say that the congressman "has yet to articulate a position on that bill". I therefore encourage all my fellow 4th district residents to help Congressman Gutierrez articluate his position by stopping by his local office tomorrow morning at 11:30 when we drop off all the signed petitions! See you there!

Posted by jcesarone on 04/24/09
Last updated 04/24/09

Timothy Johnson (IL-15) has signed on as a cosponsor, joining Don Manzulo (IL-16) and John Shimkus (IL-19). Be sure to thank them if you live in their district!

The total is now up to 84 cosponsors, according to Thomas. Jesse Benton said the total was actually 88 as of yesterday at 3:00pm, so I suspect we will see another update on Thomas soon.

Posted 04/24/09 Joel Phillips Yorkville, IL

Great news!!!

Posted 04/24/09 lisaw Momence, IL

On the conference call last night, I believe I heard that Judy Biggert signed on as well.

Posted 04/24/09 jcesarone Chicago, IL

Lisa, I thought I heard that as well...and I don't remember Jesse mentioning Timothy Johnson...but that was a noisy call so I could have missed it. I hope it's true about Biggert, especially since she sits on the Financial Services committee.

Posted 04/24/09 TehTpyoKing Hartford, IL

Fantastic, glad to hear Shimkus got on board. I just wrote Costello and I'm urging my friends and relatives to do the same.