Tuesday, July 28, 2009

GOP Businessman Dick Green Close to Announcing Bid for IL-10

The next (potential) candidate we take a look at today in our continuing series on how the race to succeed Congressman Mark Kirk is shaping up, is Winnetka businessman Dick Green. Green has been out working the 10th District since even before Mark Kirk officially announced his intention to seek the U.S. Senate seat currently held by Blagojevich-appointee Roland Burris, but I managed to catch up with Green at last night's meeting of the Libertyville Township Republicans (a very important township for anyone competing in the 10th District).

Green has a strong entrepreneurial background, having moved from Evanston, where he was born, out to California after graduating from Harvard. He immediately joined a very small bond market consulting firm and was named President of the firm only three years later. Green grew his business rapidly, and it was named an Inc 500 company (top growth rates for small business) three years in a row. The company was sold to S&P/McGraw-Hill in 1989 and he remained as President through mid-1992. Green then started his own business, Briefing.com, in 1993 and moved the business to Illinois in 2000. In 2005, Smart Money Magazine named Dick Green a top market mover on its annual Power 30 list. He has grown his business to 60 employees, and is headquartered in downtown Chicago.

Green's political experience is mostly limited to his stint in California, but he notes that as a local party chairman, he's "written many checks, dialed for dollars, and stuffed many envelopes." He's been married 18 years, has one 15-year old son, and three grown step-children.

Green says his primary focus is jobs, jobs, jobs. He wants to "take business sense to Washington and be a passionate advocate for private enterprise, particularly small business." He wants to halt the excessive government spending, reduce the debt and end corruption.

Green says he will be a "partial self-funder," which sounds a little vague, but is understandable considering that even a successful businessman like Green should be leery of personally committing the millions of dollars up front that this campaign will likely cost. Besides, we on the North Shore have not traditionally reacted too well to self-funders (even if they try to bribe us with ice cream).

Green expects to make a formal announcement "soon," likely after the fanfare over the Hamos announcement today dies down a little. So far, he's probably been mentioned the most in news articles leading up to this point, including Politico, Talking Points Memo (TPM), Roll Call (subscription required), as well as some local coverage.

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

These aren't normal times so anything is possible, but millionaires have not faired that well here lately. A LOT was invested and thought of in McSweeney and Greenburg and those guys ran awful campaigns. People on the north shore want service in their candidates, not writing checks but people who have shown that they are serious. At the 2000 primary debates, Mark really shined when he referenced his work in d.c. a lot more than when people made eyes roll with, and we made a big business expansion and therefore I'm your guy/gal.

Hopefully this guy turns out to be a winner, but it's been tough.

Side note, if you go to archive.org type in juliehamos.org, you'll notice she's flip flopped on A LOT of issues in changing her website from yesterday when she wasn't a candidate to today. Not even in the race and she's already 2 faced.

FOKLAES

Anonymous said...

Sounds like a great guy! I can't wait to find out more about him.

Cao said...

I really hate Rinos and I don't like what they're doing to the Illinois GOP. They might as well be democrats the way they treat conservatives.

Look at this.
http://tinyurl.com/nydx97

That's how they treat their own - they should all get run out of Illinois on a rail - tarred and feathered.

Anonymous said...

Tsk tsk to Paul (Cao 8:14). You were asked to remove your literature from the Republican booth not your presence personally. 62 is not an open seat. Literature for all open seat candidates is ok. (There's a difference, right?) You ran as a Constitutional Party candidate 2 years ago...claiming the Republican party left you. Now you're whining Republicans aren't like you or Constitutional Party candidates? whoa...dude. Sounds like you're the one who's afraid.
Gotta chuckle - you using this *Dick Green* thread for your boohoo!

Anonymous said...

I have met Dick Green on numerous occasions and he seems like a decent guy but he is not going to win a general election in the 10th. Let's keep our eye on the prize which is the big win in November 2010. We need a fiscally conservative and socially moderate female to run. Let's keep recruiting.

Anonymous said...

I don't think we need a female to run. If Hamos is the dem candidate, then her brand of militant leftism will drive away moderate women, regardless of her genitalia. She will also bring men out in bounds to defeat her. If the dem candidate is a male, then the issue is largely moot.

In the GOP primary:advantage vagina. In the general: advantage penis.

AgentOrange said...

Dick Green may be hanging around Libertyville looking for votes, but he hasn't even bothered to tell the people in his own neighborhood that he's running for dogcatcher, let alone congressman.

Guy lives mere feet away from Republican strategists, media sources and independently wealthy financiers, yet he has made zero effort to leverage these contacts.

That and falling asleep at the Cook County Republican Committee meeting might get you elected dogcatcher.

He's either not serious about running, or simply has demonstrated no skill at interpersonal politicking.

Anonymous said...

My dad lives in Kenilworth and Dick Green has reached out to him at least three time. Apparently, Tolbert also seems to be a strong backer of his. Green has spoken to the NTRO twice that I know of. I have no doubt that Dick Green is serious about keeping the seat for Republicans.

Whats' that name of that Roach guy? Maybe you are confusing Dick Green with that guy??

Cao said...

Hey anonymous, get your facts straight. In previous years all candidates were welcome in the republican booth at the Fair, suddenly Sandy Cole can't take the heat; so Venturi changed the rules, much to the outrage of the voters who deserve a choice.

It wasn't me who was thrown out of the booth, I am not Paul Mitchell.

The voters should be allowed to decide; that decision doesn't belong to Dan Venturi.