Republican from Dixon to run for seat held by retiring Sen. Stoller

DIXON (25News Now) - Two weeks after State Senator Win Stoller (R Germantown Hills) announced he will not run for a third term, another Republican is declaring his intentions to represent the redrawn 37th District.

Chris Bishop is in his second term on the Dixon City Council, having been elected after that city’s comptroller Rita Crundwell was convicted in 2012 of stealing almost $54 million from the city over two decades. It was the largest municipal fraud case in U.S. history.

“During my first term as city councilman, we instituted a change of government and hired Dixon’s first city manager,” said Bishop in a prepared statement.

“I’ve worked with the council to support our economic partnerships that have spurred growth and expansion in our industrial, retail, and housing sectors. We have focused on building and maintaining infrastructure with plans to continue into the future. We have maintained a balanced budget and bonded our police and fire pensions to protect the city’s financial future,” Bishop said.

In state government, Bishop said he takes a “pro-business” approach.

“As the son of a former small business owner and a current employee of the private sector, I understand the importance of attracting, promoting, and supporting businesses throughout the state. We cannot let businesses and jobs continue to exit our state at our current rate,” said Bishop.

“We cannot allow billions of dollars to go out as fraudulent or overpaid benefits or have billions in outstanding debt and think we are headed for a stable financial future,” he added.

A former educator and father of two children, Bishop said, “It is essential to have our students in schools with faculty and administration that have the resources they need to succeed. I will work to limit the amount of red tape standing in their way.”

He said first responders also need support instead of finding themselves as “public targets.”

“They are the ones we look to in our most vulnerable moments, but frequently they find themselves as public targets. I will work towards giving our first responders the tools they need and work to protect their ability to effectively perform their service.”

Stoller announced in late August he’s not a candidate for reelection stating he has no intention of being a career politician, and because his district shifted “much further north.”

The redrawn 37th Senate District now includes just a small slide of northern Peoria, in addition to Dunlap and part of Chillicothe. The district’s boundaries also cover northwestern Illinois communities including Sterling and Dixon.

Copyright 2023 WEEK. All rights reserved.