Incumbent Terry Link is facing Keith Gray in the race to represent state Senate District 30.

Link, 61 has represented the 30th District since 1996. His political accomplishments have included passing tougher environmental-protection laws and developing tax-cap legislation, he said.

“Smoke free Illinois - I think that’s probably the most environmentally important plan I’ve ever done,” he said.”And I just think there is more that I can do to help the district.”

Gray, 47, owns the small business Integrated Lakes Management, which is an environmental management and restoration firm based in Waukegan.

He said he has no desire to become a career politician and is running to improve the quality of life in District 30.

“I have a track record of getting things done, having started a successful company and turned another around from the brink of bankruptcy,” he said. “I am fiscally responsible, and I know how to effectively manage people and hold them accountable. I know the power of the private sector, and I know how to create jobs that generate tax revenues.” FULL STORY

The Tribune offers more endorsements today in contested races for the Illinois Senate.

30th District (Lake County): Sen. Terry Link is a Lake County Democratic powerhouse, part of Emil Jones‘ leadership team and one of the contenders to replace Jones as Senate leader. That sounds like a prescription for the status quo in Springfield. In August, two of his campaign workers were indicted on charges that they submitted phony signatures to put him on the ballot. He’s running against Republican businessman Keith Gray of Mettawa, vice president of the Rondout School Board and a member of the Mettawa Zoning Board of Appeals. Gray is a very good candidate.

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State Sen. Terry Link and his Republican challenger for the 30th District, Keith Gray, agree Illinois needs new jobs, more money for roads, equitable funding for education, and lower taxes.

Yet, the two have different approaches on how to get those things done in Springfield.

FULL STORY

Members of Lake County’s legislative delegation are a friendly bunch of folks. Overall, they’re a fairly personable group.

But there’s a difference between engaging in fellowship and looking out for the interests of Lake County in the Legislature. For our Democratic legislators, they have become part of the dysfunction in Springfield today whether they would admit to it or not.

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From the Daily Herald, October 6, 2008

Less than 30 days from the general election, candidates running for a handful of suburban seats in the Illinois legislature aren’t making any bold promises about not raising taxes.

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From the Daily Herald, September 30, 2008

Expanding gambling has been proposed as one method of potentially propping up state spending, and financing billions of dollars for a capital spending plan to fix roads and bridges, improve transit, build schools and undertake other long-range needs.

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Keith on WKRS 1220 AM Libby Collins show on August 14, 2008

Click here to listen: Keith Gray on the Libby Collins Show

WAUKEGAN - Keith Gray, Waukegan businessman and Republican candidate for State Senate in Illinois’ 30^th District, today condemned the actions of his opponent, Senator Terry Link, following the indictments of two of Link’s petition circulators and called for the Senator to remove himself from the ballot.

Jerry D. Knight and Kenneth Davison, petition circulators for Link’s campaign committee, were responsible for collecting 2,700 out of more than 3,200 signatures on Link’s nominating petitions. Today the grand jury announced the indictments of both circulators on multiple counts of forgery and perjury.

“I’m outraged that these kinds of activities have become something we expect in Illinois politics,” Gray said. “This would not even be an issue if the 12-year incumbent Senator took a few hours to walk door-to-door, stand at a train station or go to a grocery store. He’s out of touch with voters, out of touch with reality and wholly responsible for this situation.”

In December 2007 during the primary election campaign, former North Chicago Mayor Jerry Johnson, Link’s Democratic opponent, challenged the validity of Link’s petitions after discovering a host of irregularities including signatures of deceased individuals.

The Illinois State Board of Elections held court hearings in December 2007 and allowed Link to remain on the ballot due to a technicality prohibiting ISBE from considering the fraud allegations, which included a confession from one of the circulators. The Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office and the Illinois Appellate Prosecutor’s Office has since been investigating the allegations.

“Though the State Board of Elections followed procedures, this is a textbook example that the system is failing the citizens when people like Terry Link aren’t being held responsible for their staffers’ actions,” Gray said. “Senator Link remained on the ballot because of a loophole in the system which further proves the need for reform in Illinois government.”

“Now that these indictments have been made by the grand jury, it’s time for Senator Link to admit that his nomination is irreparably tainted and illegitimate, and he should remove himself from the ballot,” Gray said.

In a similar recent case Rodney McCulloch, a political consultant who collected nominating petitions for Milton Township Assessor Jim Gumm, was found guilty of election fraud and perjury in DuPage County Court. Gumm withdrew from the race when forgeries on the petitions were made public.

“I’m calling on Senator Link to be accountable for the actions of his campaign and his petition circulators by removing himself from the ballot,” Gray said. “It shows irresponsibility on his behalf to allow members of his team to engage in ethically questionable, if not downright illegal, activities. The indictments announced today prove we need a change in leadership in this district and this state, and we need it now.”

In July 2008 Gray announced an ethics reform plan governing campaign disclosures as a roadmap for ethically conducting business with the State.  In his plan, Gray would introduce legislation including the following proposals:

• candidates for public office sign all documentation filed with the Illinois State Board of Elections in order to be accountable for business conducted by the candidate’s campaign;
• campaign organizations file quarterly finance reports with the Illinois State Board of Elections, requiring all transaction amounts to be fully disclosed (currently only semi-annual finance reports are required and transactions under $150 are not itemized); and
• increase civil penalties for those who violate campaign ethics laws.

Gray also supports ethics legislation currently held up in by the General Assembly and the Governor’s Office, including House Bill 0824, which would ban state contractors from giving campaign contributions to the statewide officeholder responsible for awarding the contract.

“As we learn more over the coming months, I am hopeful voters will join me in raising the standard for elected officials and candidates and prevent any more Chicago-style politics from permeating Lake County - that is why I am running,” Gray said.