Blair Hull has a record of being quite a successful businessman here in the state of Illinois, having built a business from scratch that created hundreds of jobs, “growing his company into one of the most successful trading firms in the country,” according to James O’Connor, campaign manager for Hull.

After graduating high school, Hull went to work in a cannery on an assembly line, O’Connor said, ultimately becoming a card-carrying union man, joining Union Local 679 at age 19. Subsequently, he joined the United States Army and served four years. Afterwards, he instructed young people in high school level math and physics “before becoming a student again himself and going on to higher education with the GI Bill, as his father had done before him,” O’Connor said.

O’Connor tells us that Hull graduated from the University of California at Santa Barbara before receiving an MBA from UC Santa Clara. Hull has been recognized by the Illinois General Assembly for his lifelong advocacy of women’s rights and honored as a lifetime activist by Personal PAC, a pro-choice group.

Here is what Hull had to say concerning some of the issues we questioned him about.

Affordable Housing: “It is clear that we benefit as a society when we provide all our citizens with access to affordable housing. Providing adequate housing and a stable living environment for all our citizens is necessary if we want to improve our urban areas. I am an advocate for fair housing standards and mandating the inclusion of more affordable housing in new developments as well as the national affordable housing trust fund.”

Crime and Violence: “I believe that real solutions to decreasing crime must include prevention programs, enforcement of existing laws and rehabilitation for offenders re-entering our communities. I also believe that we must be smart on crime not just tough on crime.”

Welfare Reform: “I would support a temporary extension of welfare benefits beyond the five year deadline during this time of economic uncertainty, while at the same time developing a long term safety net for the most vulnerable. Under the Bush administration, we have seen more than three million jobs disappear. While I support the concept of welfare to work, I also understand that we need to make sure an adequate safety net is in place that includes affordable health-care and child care issues the Bush administration has failed to address.”

On Poverty: “We need to support and strengthen the current safety net programs and work to improve the quality of living of all, by promoting a living wage and stimulating job creation. I will also work to expand on employment benefits and ensure that part time workers are included.”

Photo by Michael Ibrahem