Carbondale, IL—Green Party gubernatorial candidate Rich Whitney will attend a Green Party rally in Hartford, Illinois this Saturday, August 7th. The event will allow residents from the St. Louis metro area to learn about the Green Party and its candidates. The rally will feature family activities such as face painting, balloon makers, and a dunk tank. It will also include a live band and food for sale by local non-profit organizations. Green Party candidates will address the crowd throughout the event.

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Carbondale, IL— Green Party candidate Rich Whitney criticized Governor Quinn’s announcement today of specific budget cuts in education and social services. Schools will receive a total of $311 million dollars less than last year and funding to the Department of Human Services will be cut by $576 million. The reduction in funding in education will mostly impact transportation resources while the cuts to social services will hurt areas such as rehabilitation and mental health treatment.

“The cut to education transportation is a horrible decision for a number of reasons” Whitney stated. “We are going to ask our schools to transport our children on aging buses that are less safe and more expensive to maintain than modern ones. We may also be putting our children at risk by cutting bus routes and asking them to travel farther on their own to school.”

“Instead of fixing the broken tax system, this government’s solution is to make cuts that will hurt the most vulnerable people in the state of Illinois. These are the populations that need our support the most” Whitney explained. “It is time for real change in Illinois. Quinn is doing now exactly what Brady proposes to do; only Quinn is giving us slow torture while Brady would just destroy everything quickly. That’s what the “choice” between Quinn and Brady amounts to. I’m the only candidate that actually has a plan to save our schools and public services.”

Carbondale, IL—Green Party gubernatorial candidate Rich Whitney will deliver the keynote address Saturday at the state convention for the Illinois Green Party. Mr. Whitney will address participants at the convention at 2 p.m. and then hold a press conference immediately following his speech. The convention will take place today, July 30^th through Sunday August 1^st.

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Carbondale, IL— Green Party candidate Rich Whitney received the endorsement today of William “Dock” Walls.  Mr. Walls is a long time activist in the city of Chicago who has worked as an aide to former mayor Harold Washington, served as the National Political Director for the Rainbow PUSH coalition, assisted with John Kerry’s bid for president in 2004 and has run for mayor of Chicago and the U.S. House.

According to Walls, “I began my run for Governor in January of 2009 primarily to make certain voters had a choice they could have confidence in. I was extremely delighted when Rich Whitney of the Green Party announced he would run again for Governor. Not only does he have a complete grasp of the facts; his comprehensive platform is well developed with thoughtful positions likely to move this state forward. Rich Whitney is the one remaining candidate who will balance the budget, improve education funding, and ensure public safety.”

Mr. Walls concluded that “as I withdraw from the race for Governor, I wholeheartedly endorse Rich Whitney for Governor of the State of Illinois. Furthermore, I will fulfill my civic duty and work diligently to help elect him. I am confident that when elected, Rich Whitney will serve with integrity and distinction and will help restore trust in government.”

Mr. Whitney cited several areas of concern that were important to both gentlemen. Whitney explained that “Dock Walls understands and appreciates the critical role that education plays in the creation of a healthy economy and society. He also understands and appreciates the Green Party’s emphasis on genuine campaign finance and ethics reform. Furthermore, Dock understands and appreciates the critical importance of providing quality economic opportunities for all in Illinois and the social problems that are a result of the lack of opportunity —  such as the wave of deadly gun violence being experienced in some neighborhoods of Chicago.”

Whitney is thrilled that he has the support of such an important force for social change in Chicago. “I am honored and gratified to have a fighter for the public good like Dock Walls join me in the struggle to bring clean, effective, and responsible government to the State of Illinois” Whitney explained.  “With Dock Walls joining me today, Illinois voters can have the added confidence that in this election, they should not even consider settling for the “lesser of two evils”. They can finally vote to do themselves some good by going Green and voting Whitney for Governor in 2010.”

Carbondale, IL— Green Party candidate Rich Whitney was critical of the shutdown of a major proponent of tourism in Southern Illinois. Russell Ward, the sole employee and executive director of the Southern Illinois Tourism Development Office, was laid off earlier this week due to the lack of state funding. The organization promoted tourism in the state’s southernmost 22 counties.

According to Whitney, who resides in Carbondale, “tourism has actually been one fairly bright spot in economically depressed Southern Illinois. A lot of good, solid small businesses have arisen to support the influx of visitors to such places as the Shawnee National Forest, Giant City State Park, Garden of the Gods and many other valuable areas that are used for hunting, fishing, canoeing, hiking and camping.”

“This is one more example of a point that I’ve repeatedly made during this campaign: That we need to restore health to our public sector by fixing our broken tax system in order for our private sector to flourish” Whitney stated. “By failing to come to grips with the budget problem, the leadership of the Democratic and Republican parties, including their respective candidates for governor, are also failing to address the desperate need for more job opportunities in our state. The failure of the two corporate-sponsored parties to deal with our state budget crisis just claimed another victim: The Southern Illinois Tourism industry.”

Carbondale, IL— Rich Whitney, Green Party gubernatorial candidate, will join protesters on Thursday afternoon at an anti-deportation rally in Chicago, IL. Each day there are approximately one thousand people who are deported from the United States. The event, which will occur outside the Cook County Jail, is being held to protest the enactment of Arizona’s SB1070. Mr. Whitney and fellow Green Tom Tresser will address those in attendance during the rally.

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Carbondale, IL—Green Party gubernatorial candidate Rich Whitney will participate in a joint fundraiser with Senatorial candidate LeAlan Jones this Thursday, July 29^th . The event will feature live music from five bands including The Emmet Joseph Band, Steamship, Tritone Ale, Katie Gavin, and Coinstar and the Currency Kids. The fundraiser will be at the Kenilworth Club in Kenilworth, Illinois. This event is open to the public and members of the media.

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Carbondale, IL—Green Party gubernatorial candidate Rich Whitney will participate in a joint fundraiser with congressional candidate Matt Reichel Wednesday, July 28. The event, which will be at the Celtic Crown, will serve as a meet and greet and also feature guest speakers from various community organizations. This is event is open to the public and members of the media.

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Carbondale, IL—Green Party gubernatorial candidate Rich Whitney will make a number of stops Wednesday on his Green Jobs tour. He will begin the morning by addressing reporters at the farm of Green Party State House candidate George Ocshenfeld. The meeting will focus on Whitney’s Green Capital Bill and his call for a modern energy infrastructure, sustainable transportation options, and the construction of energy efficient buildings. Mr. Whitney will next visit the Midwest Permaculture Center in the sustainable community of Stelle. The candidate will then visit the Black Oaks Center for Sustainable and Renewable Living and Pembroke Township later in the day.

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Carbondale, IL—Green Party gubernatorial candidate Rich Whitney will visit Peoria on Monday as part of his Green Jobs Tour.  Mr. Whitney will begin the day with a 9:45 a.m. press conference at the Peoria Transit Center. This press conference will be regarding his Green Jobs proposals. The candidate will then visit the electronics recycling firm Retro-tech. Mr. Whitney will then tour the USDA Agricultural Utilization Lab at 2:30 p.m. The day will conclude with a Meet and Greet with supporters at Peoria Pizza Works. The evening event is open to the public and members of the media.

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Carbondale, IL—Green Party gubernatorial candidate Rich Whitney will visit
Galesburg on Sunday as part of his *Green Jobs Tour*.  Whitney will address
and take questions from an audience at *The Center * from 7 to 8:30 p.m.  The
event, which will be moderated by Peter Schwartzman, will focus on Whitney’s
*Green Capital Bill* and his call for a modern energy infrastructure,
sustainable transportation options, and the construction of energy efficient
buildings. This is event is free and open to both the public and members of
the media.

*Sunday, July 25*

*Who: *Green Party Gubernatorial candidate Rich Whitney

*What:  *Discussion on *Green Capital Bill*

*When*:  7- 8:30 p.m.

*Where:* *The Center*

123 S. Cherry Street* *

Galesburg, IL.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE—July 23, 2010

MEDIA ADVISORY

CONTACT: Brandon Punke, Communications Director

Whitney for Governor

618-434-0046

media@whitneyforgov.org

RICH WHITNEY TO MARCH IN THE DISABILITY PRIDE PARADE AND ATTEND DUPAGE COUNTY FAIR

Carbondale, IL—Green Party gubernatorial candidate Rich Whitney will participate in two events this Saturday, July 24, in the Chicagoland area.  Whitney will join Green party candidate for Senate LeAlan Jones and interact with the gathered crowds before marching in the Disability Pride Parade Saturday morning. They will then attend the post parade program at Daley Plaza from noon to 1 PM. Following the parade festivities, Whitney will then attend the DuPage County Fair from 2 to 7 PM.

Saturday, July 24

Disability Pride Parade

Who: Green Party Gubernatorial candidate Rich Whitney

What: Disability Pride Parade

When:  10 AM – interaction with crowds

11 AM- Parade

Where: Dearborn and Van Buren

Chicago, IL.

DuPage County Fair

Who: Green Party Gubernatorial candidate Rich Whitney

What: DuPage County Fair

When:  2 PM to 7 PM

Where: 2015 Manchester Road

Wheaton, IL.

Rich Whitney is a 55-year-old civil rights and employment lawyer from Carbondale. As a lawyer, he has fought for working people who have lost their jobs or had their rights violated. A founder of the Illinois Green Party, he has long been politically active in support of the labor, health-care reform, environmental, civil rights, and peace movements. In 2006, he served as the Green Party’s first candidate for Governor, winning over 360,000 votes and making it possible for Illinois voters to have a third choice on the ballot statewide.

For candidate interview requests please contact Brandon Punke at 618-434-0046.

PRESS RELEASE

CONTACT: Brandon Punke, Communications Director

Whitney for Governor

618-434-0046

media@whitneyforgov.org

Carbondale, IL— Green Party candidate Rich Whitney was critical of Illinois Governor Pat Quinn for his amendatory veto that would partially change the way voters participate in primaries. Whitney’s issue with Quinn was twofold: the technique used and the limited reform it will institute. Quinn used the instrument to amend HB4842. Quinn’s amendment removed the necessity for one to publicly declare party affiliation before voting in the primary.

For Whitney, the governor’s actions run contrary to the purpose of the amendatory veto.  “The way that Quinn went about it was an abuse of his powers as governor” Whitney commented. “The amendatory veto is not supposed to be a device to legislate. Even if some people like the rewrite, this is not the way to do it. This upsets the system of checks and balances in Illinois.”

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“I am very disappointed that the IEA leadership chose to ‘recommend’ that its members vote for Pat Quinn for governor. However, I am not discouraged. I believe that most educators are very good about educating themselves — on the real issues facing our state and the real choices they have on the November ballot. They also have experienced first-hand the devastating effects the Quinn administration and the rest of the Democratic Party leadership have had on education. As more and more teachers are getting pink slips heading into fall, they have more than ample reason to hand a pink slip to the incumbent governor.

Join Educators for Rich Whitney!

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Contact: Brandon Punke, Communications Director            July 1, 2010
618-434-0046

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

WHITNEY BLAMES DEMOCRATIC LEADERSHIP FOR PAINFUL BUDGET CUTS

“Gov. Quinn, his predecessor, and the Democratic leadership in this state, are responsible for this colossal and inexcusable human and social  disaster.”

Green Party Candidate for Governor Rich Whitney issued the following statement today:

Two weeks ago, Republican gubernatorial candidate Bill Brady held a fundraiser featuring former Florida governor Jeb Bush. Democratic Lieutenant Governor candidate Sheila Simon responded by holding a rally at a Laborers’ Local in Bloomington, titled “Keep Bushonomics Out of Illinois.”

Today, as we look at the human casualties of another $1.4 billion in budget cuts, coming on top of the cuts in real spending and elimination of state jobs and services that have been imposed in the last several budgets, I have to ask my Democratic opponents in this race: How on Earth can you claim to be keeping “Bushonomics” out of Illinois? Gov. Quinn, his predecessor, and the Democratic leadership in this state, are the ones responsible for imposing Bushonomics on the State of Illinois!

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE—May 24, 2010

Media Advisory

CONTACT: Brandon Punke, Communications Director
Whitney for Governor
618-434-0046
media@whitneyforgov.org

Carbondale, IL—Green Party gubernatorial candidate Rich Whitney will begin day six of his 654 mile tour of Illinois with a meeting with the Sustainability Coordinator at Illinois State University at 8 am. His day will continue in Normal with a meeting at the Ecology Action Center and a meeting with the assistant city manager to discuss transportation. Mr. Whitney will then depart for Springfield where he will announce the details of his Green Capital Bill at a 3 pm press conference in the Blue Room at the Illinois State Capitol.  The day will continue with Mr. Whitney meeting with the Springfield Trade and Labor Council at 7 pm and conclude with a fundraiser at Norb Andy’s Tabarin at 7:30 pm.

Mr. Whitney’s Green Capital Bill is a “Marshall Plan” scale program to modernize and foster growth for Illinois in a way that is both sustainable and economical. It will focus on alternative energy supplies such as wind and solar, emphasize efficient energy options, and building a Green economy that will foster job creation.

The Sustainable Transportation Tour is a 9 day, 654 mile event in which Mr. Whitney will travel the state of Illinois using a bicycle and public transportation. He is using this as an opportunity to illustrate and discuss his proposed Green Capital Bill. For a complete itinerary of the tour, please visit here.

May 25th Itinerary

8:00 AM- 8:45 AM Meeting with Illinois State University’s Enid Cardinal
9:00 AM- 9:30 AM Meeting at the Ecology Action Center

10:30 AM- 11:00 AM Meeting with Normal Assistant City Manager Geoff Fruin

11:00 AM-11:30 AM Open for Interviews
11:39 AM Depart for Springfield via Amtrak
3 PM Press Conference Detailing Green Capital Bill- Springfield

7 PM Meeting with Springfield Trade and Labor Council
7:30 PM Evening Fundraiser- Norb Andy’s Tabarin

To schedule an interview, please contact Brandon Punke at 618-434-0046.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE May 3, 2010

Cohen lacks comprehensive vision and plan; good intentions are not enough

Carbondale, IL- Green Party candidate for Governor, Rich Whitney, issued the following statement regarding Scott Lee Cohen’s announcement that he will run as an independent for Governor:

Even assuming that he gets on the ballot, I am not overly concerned by Scott Lee Cohen’s presence in the race. He seems to be positioning himself as some sort of centrist. But being in the “center” between two candidates who each support devastating cuts to education and essential social services, who won’t fix our broken tax system, and who have no original ideas for creating real job opportunities for Illinoisans, is nothing to brag about.

Mr. Cohen won the Democratic primary race for lieutenant governor on the strength of his message and support for unemployed workers seeking work — and I commend him for that. But good will and helping individual job searchers is no substitute for the public policies that can not only create jobs but move us toward a full employment economy. I am the only candidate in this race that has a comprehensive plan for attaining that goal, including:

– a Green Capital Bill designed to promote both short-term and long-term employment opportunities;

– policies to promote local agriculture and a resurgence in good manufacturing jobs in Illinois;

– investment in people, especially a publicly funded universal health care system in Illinois and free higher education, both vocational and college, a powerful source of new business and employment;

– a state bank that can provide low-interest credit to productive small businesses and start-ups, and invest in renewable energy, energy efficiency and re-tooled manufacturing; and

– use of eminent domain to reclaim abandoned factories and facilities and retool them under worker or community ownership.

–eliminating spending that exists only to reward political supporters of favored legislators and that does not serve a legitimate public purpose.

If Illinois voters are ready to vote for a candidate outside of the same Democratic and Republican Party leaders who created the mess we are in, they do not need to look to a newly “independent” candidate who comes cut from the same cloth.

They can support the truly independent candidate and party that already fought to get on the ballot four years ago and are already ballot-certified now; the candidate that clearly has the best platform for serving the public good; the candidate that is not beholden to the wealthy and privileged and special interests but to the people of Illinois.

###

CONTACT: Brandon Punke, Communications Director, Whitney for Governor

618-434-0046

media@whitneyforgov.org

Contact: Brandon Punke, Communications Director March 26, 2010

618-434-0046

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

WHITNEY BLASTS DEMOCRATIC LEADERSHIP ON HEALTH CARE, PUBLIC PENSIONS

“This was a sneak attack on working people and on middle-class living standards, rammed through to appease Wall Street . . . .”

Green Party Candidate for Governor Rich Whitney issued the following statement today:

Two major events this week strikingly illustrate how the leadership of the Democratic Party makes a pretense of defending the interests of working people – while actually attacking those interests on behalf of their corporate paymasters, including Wall Street.

The first is the signing of the so-called Health Insurance reform bill in Washington – which should properly be named the “Health Insurance Company Enrichment Act of 2010.”

The second is the ramming through of Senate Bill SB 1946 in Springfield, which created a two-tier public pension system in most of our state’s public pensions. This was done in one day – between the time the text of the bill was amended and its passage in both houses of the General Assembly.

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Green Party candidate for Governor Rich Whitney congratulated fellow Carbondale resident Sheila Simon on her selection as Democratic candidate Pat Quinn’s running mate yesterday.

“Quinn’s selection of a Southern Illinoisan was probably an adroit move on his part. I think it says something about the gathering strength of our own campaign that he decided to try to address my own base of support in this part of the state,” Whitney commented.

Whitney added: “Of course, in selecting her over Art Turner, an accomplished State Representative who actually campaigned and worked hard for the position, Quinn continued a very familiar pattern, of Democratic Party leaders taking African-American voters for granted – just as they take the peace movement for granted, organized (and unorganized) labor for granted, the environmental movement for granted, etc. He forgets that African-American voters, the peace movement, labor, the environmental movement, the movement for tax and school funding reform, and more, now have other candidates to vote for, the candidates of the Green Party. These include myself and my own running mate, schoolteacher Don Crawford, in the governor’s race. In the Green Party, these constituencies now have a party that will consistently stand up for them, not sell them out.”

“So in the final analysis, Quinn’s selection could end up being a miscalculation,” Whitney continued. “Still, I congratulate Sheila Simon on her selection. I know her personally and think highly of her as a person, just as I like Quinn personally. But like many other seemingly ‘good Democrats,’ they are still prisoners of the institution known as the Democratic Party and its reliance on corporate financing. Even the very best, well-intentioned Democrats still heed their masters’ call when their corporate sponsors demand something — and they also are well-trained enough to stay within the bounds of what corporate America deems acceptable public policy.”

“In any event, I’m sure that Sheila Simon will prove to be a very articulate and effective advocate for Pat Quinn’s poor public policy positions.”

Green Party candidate for Governor Rich Whitney issued the following statement today in response to the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission:

In a transparently political decision, a majority of the U.S. Supreme Court overturned its own recent precedent yesterday and paid tribute to the giant corporate interests that already wield tremendous power over our political process and political speech. Drawing upon a much older precedent – the legal fiction of corporate “personhood” that it created in 1886 – the Court determined that these contrived “rights” trump the public interest in having genuinely representative government.

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