Dudycz announces bid for Congress (12/31/89)

Dudycz announces bid for Congress

CHICAGO - State Sen. Walter Dudycz on December 17 announced he is a candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives in the 11th Congressional District of Illinois. Mr. Dudycz, a Republican from Chicago, said he made the decision to run because he wanted to play a leadership role for the 11th District and focus on new ideas for the problems of the 1990s.

Flanked by family and friends at a Chicago news conference, State Sen. Dudycz said, "The 11th Congressional District, along with the rest of our nation, faces many uncertainties of the future. We Americans have an obligation to provide quality education for our children, a secure retirement for our senior citizens and finally a return to the traditional family values for ourselves."

Mr. Dudycz was born in Chicago on March 11, 1950. Upon graduation from Holy Trinity High School in 1968, he enlisted in the United States Army where served his country for three years, including a 12-month tour of duty in Vietnam. After his honorable discharge in 1971, Walter Dudycz returned to Chicago to continue his career in public service. He enrolled in the Chicago Police Academy, and undertook continuing education courses at the Chicago Citywide College. He graduated from the Police Academy in 1972 and served with distinction on the Chicago Police Department for 13 years. He held the rank of detective during his last six years on the police force.

In 1983, Mr. Dudycz's career as a public servant took a new path when he announced his candidacy for the Illinois Senate. The Chicago Tribune endorsed him as "an unusually bright, aggressive challenger," who offered "hope of giving Republicans a voice in Chicago politics." In addition, the Chicago Sun-Times endorsed Dudycz, "whose entry in politics could infuse the city GOP with fresh talent.

His landslide victory in 1984 have him the distinction of being the first Chicago Republican in the Illinois State in over a decade. In November 1988, State Sen. Walter Dudycz was overwhelmingly reelected with over 66 percent of the vote to his second four-year term in the State Senate.

Mr. Dudycz has served in the Illinois State Senate since 1985, where he has played a leadership role in legislation addressing family values, holding the line on taxes and vote fraud. He has won numerous state and national awards based on his record, including the Veteran's of Foreign Wars Outstanding Citizen of 1989 Award and awards from the Illinois Chamber of Commerce and Taxpayer's Federation for his record on tax and business issues.

"A candidate for elective office should be judged not only on his promise for the future, but his commitments to the present as well as his accomplishments of the past. Both my opponent and I have records to compare and during the next 11 months they will be scrutinized," State Sen. Dudycz said.

Mr. Dudycz concluded by challenging his opponent, incumbent Rep. Frank Annunzio to debate the issues in a series of one-on-one discussions before the public and the media. The 11th Congressional District includes portions of Northwest Chicago and Cook County.