Representative of Bill Richardson's Campaign to Speak at September 13th Meeting

We are pleased to announce that Mike Fourcher who represents Bill Richardson’s campaign for President will speak at the September 13^th meeting of the DuPage Democratic Club. As customary, our meeting will be held at the Lombard Community Building, 433 E. St. Charles Road in Lombard. Members and guests are invited to arrive at 7:30 PM for a brief social period followed by the start of our formal meeting at 8 PM.

Mike Fourcher, has worked for Chicago and national political leaders for over a dozen years, and has consulted or worked for leaders such as New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, Cong. Loretta Sanchez, Chicago alderman, state legislators, and many others.  Today Mike works at the Haymarket Group, a Chicago political consulting firm and is an Illinois Co-Chair for Bill Richardson for President.

Bill Richardson was elected governor of New Mexico in November 2002, having defeated the Republican candidate, John Sanchez, 56-39 percent. He succeeded a two-term Republican governor, Gary E. Johnson. He took office in January 2003 as the only Hispanic Governor in the United States, other than then-Governor Sila María Calderón of Puerto Rico.

In his first year, he proposed "tax cuts to promote growth and investment" and passed a broad personal income tax cut and won a statewide special election to transfer money from the state's Permanent Fund to meet current expenses and projects. In early 2005, Richardson made New Mexico the first state in the nation to provide $400,000 in life insurance coverage for New Mexico National Guardsmen who serve on active duty. Thirty-five states have since followed suit.

Working with the legislature, he formed the Governor Richardson's Investment Partnership (GRIP) in 2003. The partnership has been used to fund large-scale public infrastructure projects throughout New Mexico, including, through the use of highway funds, a brand new commuter rail line (the Railrunner) that runs between Belen, Albuquerque, and Bernalillo.

In 2006, Forbes credited Richardson's reforms in naming Albuquerque, New Mexico the best city in the U.S. for business and careers. The Cato Institute, meanwhile, has consistently rated Richardson as one of the most fiscally responsible Democratic governors in the nation.

 Richardson has been an envoy for the United States as he has brokered many political deals around the world and has been nominated four times for the Nobel Peace Prize (in 1995, 1997, 2000, and 2001) for negotiating the release of hostages, American servicemen, and political prisoners in North Korea, Iraq, and Cuba.

On December 7, 2006, Richardson was named as the "Special Envoy for Hemispheric Affairs" for the Secretary General of the Organization of American States with the mandate to "promote dialogue on issues of importance to the region, such as immigration and free trade”.

In March 2006, Richardson vetoed eminent domain legislation in response to a surge of interest created by the Supreme Court's 2005 decision in Kelo v. City of New London to increase local governments' eminent domain power.

Richardson won his second term as Governor of New Mexico on November 7, 2006, 68-32 percent against former New Mexico Republican Party Chairman John Dendahl. He received the highest percentage of votes than in any gubernatorial election in the state's history.

All DuPage Democratic Club meetings are open to the general public. We welcome and encourage attendance by individuals of all political views and affiliations.  

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