John Shimkus: “Deb Detmers Fansler, Steve Tomaszewski, and Rodney Davis were all with me politically and governmentally for 24 years.…”

“Deb Detmers Fansler, Steve Tomaszewski, and Rodney Davis were all with me politically and governmentally for 24 years. It is now my time to thank them. All three have been great public servants. All three are political addicts. Deb is another Western Illinois grad with a political science degree. A farm girl from Petersburg, she rapidly moved up in Illinois Republican circles. After I got elected in 1996, I asked her to run my district office. In the Army, the commander is responsible for all their unit does or fails to do. This was Deb's job: running the district office. I have represented the 20th Congressional District, the 19th Congressional District, and the 15th Congressional District. In total, I have represented 52 of the State's 102 counties. I have had district offices in Collinsville, Maryville, Springfield, Danville, Effingham, Centralia, Olney, and Harrisburg. Deb was responsible for all of them. District offices permit drop-by access to constituents. For me, the district staff also handles all the casework. They are the jumping-off sites for congressional stops throughout the year. I will cover the incredible success story of my caseworkers in the future. Someone has to lead, encourage, and support the caseworkers, and Deb has done that. Deb also has had the difficult task of organizing my schedule back in the district. Getting from point A to point B on time is difficult.…”