State Representative Charlie Meier

On Sunday, March 11, 2018 the Morning Sentinel endorsed Charlie Meier's re-election in the Republican primary to be held on Tuesday, March 20. Here is what the paper had to say...

Charlie Meier (R-Okawville) is seeking re-election to the Illinois House in the 108th District. He deserves your consideration and your vote.

First, Charlie is available to all constituents and others every hour of every day. He freely distributes his cell phone number and will answer calls while working the farm or working the floor of the Illinois House.
He listens, he acts and he gets results.

The people who should be most interested in getting Charlie re-elected are the residents and parents of residents at the Warren G. Murray Developmental Center in Centralia. Unfortunately, many of them cannot vote.

Charlie took up the cause when the former administration tried to close the center. He never gave up the fight and he never backed down. Parents who do not live in Charlie’s district still support him and very publicly. Local support from the parents is visible and vocal.

Charlie has proved he will not give up on Southern Illinois. He will remain a strong advocate for this area, for new jobs, lower property taxes and for paying off the state debt.

When the Illinois Department of Agriculture laboratory closed, he worked with Rep. John Cavaletto of Salem to get the building donated to Kaskaskia College.

When the state delayed paying utility bills at the Centralia Correctional Center, Charlie worked with the state to keep the resources needed to keep the center open.

He assisted residents of New Minden after a tornado that killed people and damaged property.

He helped block a proposal that would have prevented church members and volunteers from serving food at local fundraisers.

He corrected a law that allowed a local health department to prevent a young girl from baking and selling cupcakes.

He helped pass a law making handicap-accessible parks eligible for Open Space Lands Acquisition and Development (OSLAD) grant funding.

He remains active in educational reform and is a strong supporter of the U.S. Route 50 Coalition, which promotes a four-lane Route 50 across Southern Illinois.

He is a familiar face at many locals breakfasts and dinners and he knows a lot of people at each event by name

He voted for a Democratic income tax increase at the procedural level, but voted against the actual tax increase.

He is the Republican spokesman for the House Agriculture Committee and understands the importance of agriculture to the state’s economy. He is a farmer himself.

He has served on the BCMW Board and currently serves as vice chairman. Through BCMW, he has helped provide meals to seniors, funding to help low-income residents pay their power bills, youth programs and clearing blighted buildings, primarily in Centralia.

He also serves on the Heartland Conservancy Board which works to protect the Kaskaskia Watershed.

In a sometimes toxic environment, Charlie Meier is a breath of fresh air and he should be elected to continue to represent us as he has proven that he can.