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Richard is from a working class family and knows what it is like to struggle. But he also knows that no matter what your origins are hard work and dedication can lead to success. Raised by a single mother who lived across from a steel mill in Chicago he did not have the advantages that many other children had. His mother and he moved to the Round Lake Area before his sophomore year of high school in search of a better future. This move was not easy and his family nearly foreclosed on their home on two different occasions. In graduate school he survived on less than $1,000 a month and took a job as a school bus driver to help make ends meet. Throughout it all Richard pursued his education with the kind of vigor and determination that is unusual in such a young person.
Richard holds Bachelor's degrees in Political Science and Public Policy from DePaul University. He earned a Master's degree in the Social Sciences at the University of Chicago, spent a semester studying at Oxford University in the UK, and completed a Ph.D. in Government and Politics from the University of Maryland. Beyond his academic training he has conducted research for the Chaddick Institute for Metropolitan Development in Chicago and for the Laboratory for Student Success in Philadelphia. His public sector experience includes executive oversight of private contractors at the Chicago Housing Authority and research and public relations for the Governor's Office of Smart Growth in Maryland. He is a published author and is currently an Assistant Professor in the Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences at National-Louis University and is the Secretary for the Illinois Political Science Association.
Like many of us he is angered and appalled by the greed and corruption that is rampant in Illinois politics. He is determined to fight corruption with the same vigor and determination that led to his academic success. Richard is a fighter that truly understands the struggles of ordinary people. He has the intelligence and will power to fight the big moneyed interests and stand up for the common person.
He has lived in Round Lake Park, Round Lake Beach, and Grayslake for 16 years.