It was time for a change in the Macoupin County Sheriff's Department and a new way of doing business. I have begun that change and I bring with me two decades of law enforcement experience.

As a member of the school board I played an integral role in keeping the district's approximately $8 million budget successfully in the black while building several additions and making many improvements. I also played a key role in negotiating many successful union contracts for the district. This experience will better able me to keep the sheriff's department spending in check, and to work well with the department's employee union.

We don't charge any dues for our club. We drew randomly to produce a koa bowl, calabash style, and we sell them in the education room here. That's how we make money for our normal expenses of functioning. There are 34 calabash bowls on sale strictly for club revenue and the rest of the show upstairs is strictly for personal enjoyment.

We all lean towards the koa because that's what Hawaii is known for. But it's tough to work with, especially when you get the curly koa. Because of the complexity of the grain, it's a very challenging wood. Mango is a fabulous wood and it's underrated. For some reason, it doesn't carry the influence that koa does. Mango is some beautiful wood. I work some 30 varieties, generally, because I love the variety.

I spent over five years fighting crime for the Secretary of State Police on the streets of East St. Louis, earning both a lifesaving award and the Secretary of State's Medal of Honor during that time. We like to think that Macoupin County is safe from the problems of the big city, but unfortunately, violent crimes and methamphetamine production are on the rise in rural areas. My experience working in St. Clair and Madison counties will better able me to confront methamphetamine production and violent crime head-on while still understanding the rural needs of Macoupin County.

Albrecht's Law - Intelligent people, when assembled into an organization, will tend toward collective stupidity.