MORTHLAND DECRIES COUNTY BOARD DECISION NOT TO RELEASE MINUTES OF PAY RAISE MEETING
ROCK ISLAND – Rich Morthland (R-Port Byron), member of the Rock Island County Board and candidate for State Representative in the 71st House District, responded to the Rock Island County Board’s failure to release minutes from an earlier meeting of the Board that are currently considered confidential under the Illinois Open Meetings Act. The minutes pertain to a closed session at the January 20, 2009 meeting that pertained to pay raises for certain non-union employees of Rock Island County.
“We need more transparency in government, not less,” Morthland said. “During the current economic crisis, the decisions we make about spending taxpayer dollars affect each citizen of Rock Island County more and more. Decisions that affect the compensation of county employees certainly fall into that category. The Board has kept these pay raises under wraps and kept the public in the dark for far too long.”
Minutes of bodies covered under the Illinois Open Meetings Act must be revisited by that body every six months to determine if the reason for confidentiality remains operative. Since January 2009, the Rock Island County Board has consistently voted to keep the minutes of this meeting confidential.
At Tuesday night’s meeting, the Board revisited the minutes of meetings that are still confidential. Morthland made a motion to amend the resolution to require the minutes of the January 20, 2009 meeting to be opened to the public. The motion died for lack of a second, which meant that the matter could not even be discussed.

“This is nothing more than continuing to pull the wool over the eyes of the voters,” Morthland said. “The voters have a right to know about compensation of county employees. They deserve to know how their money is spent. Tonight, what you saw was more Democrat concealment of pay raises. Nobody even wanted to discuss the matter. Well, I did, and I still do.”

For questions or more information, please contact the Committee to Elect Rich Morthland at (309) 654-2229 or via e-mail at electmorthland@gmail.com.

MORTHLAND SPEAKS AT ROCK
ISLAND COUNTY AG XPERIENCE

PORT BYRON – Rich Morthland, member of the Rock Island County Board and Republican
candidate for State Representative in the 71st House District, Thursday attended and spoke at the
Rock Island County Ag Xperience., a two-day program.

“This is a program that is near and dear to my heart,” Morthland said. “A lot of these kids aren’t
going to otherwise get the opportunity to learn about agriculture. I love getting the opportunity
to meet with them and teach them about farming and rural life.”

The Rock Island County Ag Xperience is an annual event held at the Rock Island County
Fairgrounds by the Rock Island County Young Farmers. Quad City area schoolchildren attend the
event and learn about agriculture, rural culture, and farm life.

“This event is a real privilege for me and one that I look forward to doing every year,” Morthland
said. “This gives these kids a chance to learn about how agriculture affects their lives. They get to
come here and learn about ethanol production, where their milk comes from, and how America’s
farmers bring food to their tables. This has been my livelihood since I was a boy, and it means so
much to me to share my experiences with them.”

For questions or more information, please contact the Committee to Elect Rich Morthland at (309)
654-2229 or via e-mail at electmorthland@gmail.com.

CONTACT: Rich Morthland
P: (309) 654-2229

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PLUMMER, MORTHLAND HOLD TOWN HALL ON JOBS AND ECONOMY

MOLINE – Jason Plummer, Republican nominee for Lieutenant Governor, and Rich Morthland, member of the Rock Island County Board and Republican candidate for State Representative in the 71^st House District, met Tuesday with constituents in a town hall meeting on jobs and the economy. Around 50 people attended and discussed the Brady-Plummer campaign’s Border Community Initiative, a program meant to highlight the worsening economic conditions in counties bordering neighboring states.

“Illinois is up against an economic crisis unlike any we have faced in recent years,” Morthland said.  “For border counties like Rock Island, Henry, and Carroll counties, the effect of the economic downturn has been exacerbated by our location next to neighboring states.  Our small businesses are losing revenue every day to Iowa; our factories are leaving for states with better business climates; and our constituents are suffering as a result.”

Over the past decade, Illinois has had a net loss of 442,600 jobs.  The unemployment rate in Illinois is at 10.3%, a rate higher than any neighboring state and almost a full point higher than the national unemployment rate of 9.5%.

“By most measurements, Illinois is at the bottom of the pack in job creation, business climate, and economic performance,” Morthland said.  “We have three-quarters of a million unemployed people in this state.  People and businesses are fleeing the state for greener pastures, and that isn’t hyperbole – we have the third highest net migration rate in the country right now.  Bill Brady and Jason Plummer understand the plight of these border communities and are making it a priority to improve the business climate and save jobs.  I am looking forward to assisting them with their efforts in the General Assembly.”

Brady and Plummer plan on traveling to border communities across the state of Illinois in the coming weeks.  They will return to Rock Island County in early October to unveil their plan for improving the business climate and restoring jobs to the Quad Cities area and other border communities in the state of Illinois.

For questions or more information, please contact the Committee to Elect Rich Morthland at (309) 654-2229 or via e-mail at electmorthland@gmail.com.

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MORTHLAND ENDORSED BY NATIONAL FEDERATION OF INDEPENDENT BUSINESS

PORT BYRON – Rich Morthland, member of the Rock Island County Board and Republican candidate for State Representative in the 71^st House District, announced that he has been endorsed by the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB).

“I am honored to accept the endorsement of this outstanding organization,” Morthland said.  “Now, more than ever, Illinois needs to adopt pro-opportunity and pro-employment policies that will keep businesses and jobs here in our state and create new ones. NFIB represents the very same job creators we so desperately need.”

Over the past decade, Illinois has had a net loss of 442.600 jobs.  The unemployment rate in Illinois is at 10.3%, a rate higher than any neighboring state and almost a full point higher than the national unemployment rate of 9.5%.

“By most measurements, Illinois is at the bottom of the pack in job creation, business climate, and economic performance,” Morthland said.  “We have three-quarters of a million unemployed people in this state.  The state has been hit very hard by the economic crisis, but the most unfortunate aspect to this whole situation is that our position has been made even worse by the poor political and economic decisions made during the Blagojevich and Quinn years.

“Illinois’ job growth and business climate ranks 46^th worst in the nation according to a 2009 article in CEO Magazine.  We are 48^th nationally in economic performance according to the 2009 Alec-Laffer State Competitiveness Index.  We are 5^th worst in the nation on unemployment insurance taxes, are 3^rd worst in the nation on gasoline taxes, and have the highest pension deficit per capita in the entire country.  People and businesses are fleeing the state for greener pastures, and that isn’t hyperbole – we are have the third highest net migration rate in the country right now.

“Organizations like the National Federation of Independent Business understand this.  They understand the difficulty of doing business here and the difficulty of keeping jobs local.  I will make it a priority as state representative to support policies that will lead to job creation and retention and the development and support of small businesses.  These small businesses are the engines of job creation, and I believe we must do everything we can to keep them in Illinois and not crossing our borders into neighboring states like Iowa.

“As state representative, I will support initiatives designed to help rebuild our state’s economy.  I will never vote in favor of a tax increase and will hold the line on new user fees.  I will vote to reform workers’ compensation in Illinois and bring those costs down.  Most importantly, I will push to balance our state budget and hammer our budget deficit down to zero, just like the Illinois constitution requires.  These steps would help us make great strides toward creating jobs and rebuilding our state economy.”

For questions or more information, please contact the Committee to Elect Rich Morthland at (309) 654-2229 or via e-mail at electmorthland@gmail.com.

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MORTHLAND STATEMENT ON PASSING OF FORMER REP. JOEL BRUNSVOLD

PORT BYRON – Rich Morthland, Republican candidate for State Representative in the 71^st House District, reacted to the passing of former Representative Joel Brunsvold.

“Betsey and I were very saddened to hear of Rep. Brunsvold’s passing,” Morthland said.  “Our deepest condolences and prayers go out to the Brunsvold family.  He was a great public servant and a true leader in our community.  He will be sorely missed.”

Rep. Brunsvold passed away Tuesday morning.  He served as representative from the 72^nd House District from 1983-2003 and also served as Director of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources.

For questions or more information, please contact the Committee to Elect Rich Morthland at (309) 654-2229 or via e-mail at electmorthland@gmail.com.

MORTHLAND STATEMENT ON BRADY JOBS PLAN

PORT BYRON – Rich Morthland, member of the Rock Island County Board and Republican candidate for State Representative in the 71^st House District, releases the following statement on Senator Bill Brady’s jobs plan for Illinois:

“I applaud Senator Bill Brady and his staff for putting together this jobs plan.  Senator Brady’s plan is comprehensive, and will do what needs to be done to jump-start Illinois’ economy and create jobs.  His plan focuses on creating a stable tax climate, long-term strategic planning, creating a competitive playing field, and restoring accountability and transparency to the state budget process.  These are all things we desperately need in Illinois.

“Senator Brady’s plan recognizes how the poor political decisions of the Blagojevich-Quinn years have created this mess.  His plan seeks to fix these mistakes.  During the Blagojevich-Quinn years, we have lost over 440,000 jobs in Illinois.  We rank 48^th in the nation for economic performance.  This shouldn’t be the case. Illinois has such great natural advantages – a hard-working populace, a great location at the heartland of America, and the finest farming land on the planet.  We should be doing much better, and under a Brady Administration, we will.

“Governor Quinn and House Speaker Michael Madigan want more of the same.  They want to continue to failed policies of the Blagojevich Administration and add more anti-jobs policies of their own.  Governor Quinn and Speaker Madigan already have a plan to increase taxes, spend like crazy, and drive businesses out of Illinois.  Those plans will hurt hardworking Illinois families and will only make our economic situation worse.

“Fortunately, we have a choice.  Today, I am proud to say that I am choosing to follow Senator Brady.  I support his jobs plan.  Through stabilizing taxes and creating a better climate for businesses, we will fix the damage and rebuild our economy.”

For questions or more information, please contact the Committee to Elect Rich Morthland at (309) 654-2229 or via e-mail at electmorthland@gmail.com.

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CONTACT: Rich Morthland
P: (309) 654-2229

MORTHLAND ATTENDS DISABILITY FORUM

Moline, IL – Rich Morthland, Republican candidate for State Representative in the 71st House District, attended the LifeMyWay Legislative Developmental Disability Forum on Monday evening.

“The developmental disability forum was an important event for me,” Morthland said. “As the parent of a daughter with epilepsy, I am deeply concerned about the role of state government in assisting and protecting individuals with disabilities.”

At the forum, Morthland emphasized his opposition to cuts to services for the developmentally disabled. He also encouraged a forensic audit of the Illinois budget to identify waste and corruption to make changes needed to continue to provide services for
those who need the assistance the most.

“Let me be perfectly clear about this: I will never use the developmentally disabled as pawns like Governor Quinn has done these past two years,” Morthland said. “I do not believe in balancing the budget on the backs of those who need help the most. I think we need to streamline our current system and stop wasting money. For example, the state spent $55 million on planes and other vehicles for officials in Illinois last year. Can you imagine what kind of impact $55 million could have on the lives of developmentally disabled individuals?”

“I believe we need to take two steps. First, we need to perform a forensic audit of the Department of Human Services to find ways to cut that will not negatively affect services; and second, we need to eliminate wasteful spending like the state planes and use those savings to properly fund human services and education.”

For questions or more information, please contact the Committee to Elect Rich Morthland at (309) 654-2229 or via e-mail at electmorthland@gmail.com.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 17, 2010

MORTHLAND RESPONDS TO BLAGOJEVICH VERDICT

PORT BYRON – Rich Morthland, Republican candidate for State Representative in the 71st House District, responded to today’s jury verdict in the Rod Blagojevich corruption case:

“While I am pleased that Rod Blagojevich was found guilty of one charge, I do not believe this result allows us to move on. Today’s verdict was a minor conviction for his major crimes. So long as no resolution has been reached on all 24 counts, it is my opinion that justice has not yet been served. We cannot yet close this unfortunate chapter in our history.

“Rod Blagojevich’s corrupt reign as Governor of the State of Illinois has tarnished our State. It is my hope that, at his retrial on the remaining 23 counts, a future jury of his peers will allow us to move forward toward a more ethical future. The State of Illinois has great citizens who want to put this public fiasco behind them and once again focus
on a brighter future.”

“Our civil service workers, teachers, tradesmen and businessmen and women want to move forward. I am confident that they are up to the task. I hope that for all of the hard working citizens of Illinois we will be able to turn the page of corruption once and for all and right our course.”

“It is time to get the State of Illinois moving in the right direction.”

For questions or more information, please contact the Committee to Elect Rich Morthland at (309) 654-2229 or via e-mail at electmorthland@gmail.com.