Conscious Choice: Eternal Optimist

October 2004 | Election 2004 Special

Eternal Optimist

by Peter Bernard

IT DOESN’T TAKE LONG to realize that Roselle resident Tim Gingras, a Democratic candidate for a County Board seat in heavily Republican DuPage County is an optimist.

Especially since he had to start running his campaign on the Internet while working in the center of an Iraqi combat zone. In charge of keeping U.S. troops amused during their downtime at Camp Warhorse, a military stronghold about 30 miles northeast of Baghdad, Gingras has survived regular mortar and rocket attacks.

E-mail or satellite phone, are the only way he has to communicate with voters, party officials and journalists.

He plans to return to the States Sept. 20 through Oct. 4 to campaign and hopefully debate his Republican opponent, Elmhurst Ald. Paul Fichtner.

After running unopposed in the March primary, Gingras got 6,886 votes, a surprising number considering DuPage County is known to be a Republican stronghold.

Weeks later, Gingras was awarded a Department of Defense contract to see to the troops’ R&R needs at Camp Warhorse beginning in early June. A Navy veteran who formerly worked for the Department of Veteran Affairs, Gingras jumped at the chance to work in Iraq. He is no stranger to unusual pursuits, having worked days at a local bank while pursuing a career as a standup comedian at night.

Currently a typical day and night means Gingras spends hours maintaining Internet connections, televisions, a collection of DVDs, phone connections, games, a library and a small gym for use by American soliders.

In the wee hours, Gingras foregoes sleep to see to his campaign, e-mailing voters.

“The most effective way for me to stay in touch with my campaign and the issues involved in this campaign is to read as much online as possible,” Gingras said in an e-mail interview. “I also respond to issues as needed via e-mail or statements on my DuPage Democratic Party Web-Page.

Initially convinced that his duties in Iraq would prevent him from running for office, Gingras was encouraged to stay in the race by DuPage County Democratic Chair Gayl Ferraro and Gene Tenner, the party’s communications director in DuPage.

“Tim is just a nice, concerned person, and he truly had an interest in working in Iraq,” Tenner said. “He’s also very concerned with issues affecting DuPage County voters.”

One main issue, according to Tenner, is fiscal responsibility. The county board raised property taxes last year, and proceeded to spend $250,000 on GPS-guided golf carts for a county-run golf course, Tenner said.

“The demographics have shifted in District 1 much more than our opposition thinks,” Tenner said. “We think his chan-ces of winning the seat are excellent.”

The 45-year-old candidate is also impressed with the power the Internet has lent his campaign and said he has been surprised with the range of voters who support him, including, “everyone from veterans to Arab-Americans.”

Peter Bernard is a freelance writer who lives in Evanston, Ill.

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