Voters do have a choice in the 16th District Congressional race.

When Adam Kinzinger defeated Don Manzullo in the primary, the assumption was that he would be this young, one-term congressman, a signer of the Grover Norquist pledge, and would automatically become our Congressman.

This assumption did not become a fact. During a People’s Primary created by a group of unhappy voters through Facebook, Wanda Rohl stepped up and was chosen by vote of the 100 or so people present. Supporters gathered 1,800 signatures to get her on the November ballot.

Current Congress members, including Kinzinger, appear to be so focused on partisan politics, they are willing to damage our country rather than compromise.

We need new people in Congress, people who know what it’s like to cope with crises that actually affect our ability to provide for the daily needs of our families.

The following are the words of candidate Wanda Rohl:

“Although I am running for Congress, I am not a politician. I am a social worker, an advocate, and the wife of a man who proudly served his country in the USMC and is a UNION MEMBER. I am a lifelong resident of rural LaSalle County who grew up on a working farm and understands and believes in the family farm way of life. I am a mother of three and know what it is like when the main breadwinner in your family comes home and says, ‘I lost my job.’ I know what it is like to live ‘paycheck to paycheck’ and that we all are just one illness or accident away from devastating poverty.

“I believe in having a voice in our government and that we should have a representative with common-sense experience who understands the struggles the average American faces in daily life.”

To learn more about Wanda Rohl, check out WandaRohl2012.com ^[1] or look for Wanda Rohl on Facebook.

We have choices in November. Let’s make informed choices. Our way of life depends on it.

Arlys Mills
Machesney Park

From the Aug. 22-28, 2012, issue