Sal Garza’s Story

Candidate for Mayor

It’s easy for people to abstractly talk about outsourcing jobs and free trade. But it’s different when you’ve actually suffered the effects of plant closings, job loss and fear about the future.

I’ve lived those experiences. I was a casualty of the Maytag closing in the 2003. I had started at the bottom at Maytag and worked my way up the old-fashioned way—the way we are told about from when we were kids—through hard work, perseverance and believing in the dignity of doing a job well. I worked there more than 20 years and climbed the ladder to become a Senior Engineer.

But it wasn’t enough. Maytag shipped my job and 2,000 others to Mexico and left us behind with nothing but broken promises.

They may have taken our jobs, our health care and our pensions but they didn’t take away our dignity and our hope for a better future.

I received opportunities to work in other places but chose to stay. Galesburg had become my home and place where I raised a family. I wanted to stay and help lift Galesburg up after the closures of Maytag and Butler’s.

That’s why I chose to run for mayor. Now, more than ever, we need leaders who can work cooperatively to bring good-paying jobs back to Galesburg, restore the values we hold dear and improve our quality of life.

My commitment to public service began as a U.S. Marine. It continued through my new position as an Economic Development Specialist with the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity. Running for mayor is the next step in my commitment to public service and giving back to the community that has given me so much.

The most important issue in this race is jobs. And Galesburg needs someone with a diverse background who can bring jobs to the area and help maintain the ones we have. I worked my way up with Maytag, first at the shop level, and then, after several promotions, to management. I attended classes at night to further my education and know how important good schools are to our economic future. In addition, my role with the main economy development agency in the state has given me insight into what it takes to bring good jobs to the area. As mayor, my priority and the measure of my success will be how many good-paying jobs I help create and maintain in the city of Galesburg and Knox County area.

But to get to the position of mayor, I need your help. I know many people are hurting financially due to the economic downturn. But I’m asking you to support my campaign because there will be a return on investment in form of more jobs and development in our community. Your vote matters in the local election!
There are six and perhaps as many as eight candidates running for mayor. The campaign will be hard fought. I am fortunate to have many strong supporters, from all sectors of the community. But I need your help.

Please join me in making Galesburg a better place to live and work. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me at 309-335-2908 or email salgarza@comcast.net

Sal, 45, and his wife of 23 years, Eva, have three children. Sal worked as a migrant worker in both Illinois & Wisconsin during the summers starting at the age of seven. This is where Sal’s sense of community & compassion for helping others were formed. He graduated from Galesburg Senior High at age 17 and began an eight-year stint in the United States Marine Corps. While serving in the Reserves, he started as a production worker for the Admiral Company and continued his education at Carl Sandburg College, St. Ambrose University and Hamilton Technical College in the evenings.

Garza is a dynamic community leader and has served in many leadership positions over the years and presently serving as a Fire and Police Commissioner for the City of Galesburg; President and Co-founder of the Hispanic Latino Resource Group, Inc.; member of the Board of Directors for the National Railroad Hall of Fame; Chairman for a Poverty Taskforce: Team Knox County and as a member of the Board of Trustees of the Illinois Valley Public Telecommunications Corporation (IVPTC)-the governing body of Central Illinois' public television station WTVP. Sal is also a certified First Responder and enjoys family oriented activities