Moline Democrat files for Boland’s 71st District seat
MOLINE – Democrat Dennis Ahern filed petitions Thursday to run for the 71st Legislative District seat being vacated by state Rep. Mike Boland, he said in a news release.
Boland, an East Moline Democrat, has decided to make a run for lieutenant governor in the Feb. 2 primary.
Ahern, 42, of Moline, challenged Boland in 2004.
Among other things, he is a proponent of opening the mostly fallow Thomson Correctional Center, and is interested in tax reform and the high-speed rail initiative through the Quad Cities, he said.
Ahern graduated in 1990 from Clarke College in Dubuque, Iowa, with a degree in political science and history. His father was interested in and active in politics.
“I have been aware of this position since I was 9 years old, and I would be humbled and honored to have the opportunity to serve our community in Springfield,” Ahern said in the release.
He is a longtime precinct committeeman in Rock Island County and was a delegate to the 2008 Democratic National Convention.
The 71st District includes portions of Carroll, Henry, Rock Island and Whiteside counties.
