For the past 21 years, Sheriff
Wilhelmi has dedicated his life to serving Whiteside County through the
Whiteside County Sheriff’s Office.Since September 2008, he has had the great honor and privilege to serve
all of you as your Sheriff.Sheriff
Wilhelmi takes the words “your Sheriff” very seriously.This means that he works FOR YOU, the
citizens of our great county.
Sheriff Wilhelmi has worked
tirelessly towards marking Whiteside County the place where we all can sleep
soundly at night, without fear. He has
worked hand-in-hand with our Patrol Division, Detectives, all local Law
Enforcement agencies to seek justice for those who have become victims of crime
and to punish those who victimize the innocent.
Sheriff Wilhelmi has implemented
and advocated for new programs for education and prevention against crime.He supports D.A.R.E., Neighborhood Watch and
Crime Stoppers.During his time as
Sheriff, he has implemented “Seniors Vs. Crime” to help our seniors from
becoming victims and “Project Safe Halloween” to keep our children safe from
predators.He has also organized a Gang
Awareness program for all of our Junior High and High Schools.
Sheriff Wilhelmi is a community
leader who spends several hours each week with organization such as the
Whiteside County Senior Center, the American Red Cross, Whiteside County
Healthier Communities Partnership and the Whiteside County Honor Flight.
Sheriff Wilhelmi has vast
experience in all areas of the Whiteside County Sheriff’s Office and has been
successful in his duties as Sheriff.He
has been fiscally responsible with his budget and has finished under budget for
2008 and 2009.
Sheriff Wilhelmi has been married
to his wife Debbie since 1983 and they have two grown children, Ashley 23 and
Drew 20.He and his wife reside in
rural Sterling on 12 acres that they “farm for wildlife”.Sheriff Wilhelmi is a lifelong hunter,
fisherman and conservationist.
Rich
Morthland brings with him over 20 years of experience as an educator and
self-employed farmer. His diverse background, joined with his track record of
principled leadership, provides him exactly the type of fresh attitude sorely
needed in the broken political system in Springfield.
Born and raised in Rock Island County, Rich
resides on his family farm established by his ancestors in 1842. Raised in the
local agricultural community as an active member of the Farm Bureau’s Young
Farmers, he remains committed to his agricultural roots, remaining the owner
operator of his family’s farm in Coe Township, where he and his wife, Betsey,
maintain 400 acres of crop ground and a 100 head cow herd.
By profession, Rich has taken on the challenge of
being a professor of Speech Communication for the past decade. He teaches
courses at Black Hawk College, Scott Community College and Ashford University
in Clinton, Iowa.
Despite his rigorous schedule, Rich has always
made it a point to stay active in the community. In addition to serving as the
District One Rock Island County Board representative, Rich is also a member of
numerous civic organizations, including the River Cities Rotary, Black Hawk
College Speakers Bureau, and the Rock Island Republican Organization. Betsey
and Rich are active members of Heritage Church, Rock Island.
Rich and Betsey are also continually seeking out
volunteer opportunities locally as well as internationally. They were key
volunteers for the Red Cross during the Hillsdale flood, and have twice
traveled to the Czech Republic, at their own expense, to serve as English
teachers to Czech youth.
Rich grew up in northern Rock Island County where
he attended Riverdale Schools. He has been married for 30 years to his wife,
Betsey, who is an Assistant Professor of Health Information Management at Black
Hawk College. They have two daughters, Eliza (28, Chicago) and Bethany (25,
Moline). Rich has his BA in Communications from St. Ambrose University, a master’s
degree in a Communication-related field earned in Denver, Colorado, and is
currently pursuing an M.A. in Communication from Spring Arbor University.
Robert "Bobby" Schilling was
born and raised in Rock Island, Illinois. He has been married to Christie for
24 years and together they have 9 children: Terry, Aaron, Levi, Joe, Isabel,
Rachel, Olivia, Sam and Sophia.
Bobby graduated from
Alleman High School and attended Blackhawk College. Afterwards Bobby worked at
Container Corporation of America. During his term there, 1983-1987, he served
as a union steward in the local 191 United Paperworkers International Union.
From 1987 until 1995, he went to work in the insurance and financial services
industry for Prudential Insurance Company. While at Prudential, Bobby served as
Treasurer for the United Food and Commercial Workers Union. Bobby also finished
as number 315 out of over 13,000 agents during his last full year with the
company.
Thirteen years ago,
Bobby and Christie decided to go into business for themselves as Italian
restaurant owners/operators. Saint Giuseppe's Heavenly Pizza in Moline has
proven to be a great success. Shortly after opening, Bobby and Christie decided
to close their restaurant on Sundays, in order to give more time off for their
employees and spend more time with the family. People warned them that this
would doom their business to failure. With faith and persistence, the business
has not only sustained itself, but has grown.
To his credit Bobby
is not just a "Pizza Guy." He has made smart investments and has also
had success in real estate. Financial stability is something that Bobby and
Christie cherish. All the ups and downs of running their own business and
raising a large family have taught Bobby and Christie the importance of being
fiscally responsible. They have learned through the years that spending the way
out of a problem usually just made the hole deeper and the problem worse. Bobby
believes that the government is spending way too much of our money and that it
needs to slow down greatly.
Bobby understands
that in order to achieve economic prosperity in the 17th District, we need to
focus on bringing jobs back home. Too much time is focused on shelling out
tax-payer dollars on wasteful government projects and not enough time is
focused on creating permanent jobs. Illinois tax-payers want a 'leg-up' not a
'hand-out.' Everyone has an opportunity at greatness and no one should tell
them otherwise.
Bobby understands
that the battle for the 17th Congressional District will be a challenge. Bobby
has always loved challenges and has always held that with hard work,
determination, persistence and faith, all things are possible. Bobby loves it
when someone tells him that a goal is not attainable and that it cannot be
done. Time and time again, Bobby has proven them wrong.
