One of the first things Hinsdale Village President Tom Cauley did Thursday, June 11, was to e-mail long-time friend Kirk Dillard to congratulate him on his plans to run for governor in 2010.

“Kirk is a personal friend of mine, and I e-mailed him this morning just to congratulate him,” Cauley said. “I’m excited about Kirk’s candidacy. It certainly couldn’t hurt to have a governor in place from your own hometown.”

Current Gov. Pat Quinn also is a Hinsdale native.

Recently, Cauley said state Sen. Dillard, R-24th District, was instrumental in facilitating $825,000 in future funding for the reconstruction of the Oak Street bridge near Adventist Hinsdale Hospital.
In a June 9 letter sent to colleagues, Dillard said Illinois is need of new leadership, and Democrats, led by Quinn, are not providing the necessary direction to fix the state’s fiscal problems.

“I am elated with the response I have received in the last 24 hours,” Dillard said in a Thursday telephone interview. “I have not formally announced my candidacy, but I am aggressively pursuing the possibility.

“I am not all the way there yet, but I am very enthused.”

The letter states Dillard was “seriously evaluating a run for governor in 2010.” However, Dillard confirmed his intentions in an interview with Fox News Chicago Wednesday, June 10, saying his family was on board with his gubernatorial bid.

“I think it is safe to say I’m running for governor,” he said on the Fox interview.

The letter was sent to about 10,000 Republican elected officials and precinct committee persons in Illinois, Dillard said.

“While I’m certain I will not be alone in this quest, I can assure you that I will mount an aggressive campaign that promotes tried-and-true GOP principles while holding Democrats fully accountable for their actions,” Dillard said in the letter.

“If I do make a formal announcement, it will be in July Hinsdale on the steps of Memorial Hall,” Dillard told Suburban Life.

Dillard has served in the state legislature since 1993 and was former Gov. Jim Edgar’s chief of staff. A formal announcement would not coincide with the popular Fourth of July Parade in Hinsdale, Dillard said.

“I think anyone would have to have been asleep the last six years to not realize this state needs new leadership,” he said.