Foster opens congressional office

Chris Padgett/.Congressman Bill Foster (center) talks with Rick Mejia (right) on Saturday afternoon as Frank Aguilar (left) listens. Foster met with constituents and community leaders at the Dixon Congressional District Office to talk about issues in a relaxed atmosphere.

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DIXON - When U.S. Rep. Bill Foster strode into his newly opened congressional office in downtown Dixon on Saturday, his welcome was not exactly overwhelming. With little more than a borrowed plant near the doorway and nails that once supported a picture of his predecessor, Dennis Hastert, still sticking out from the walls, the inner office looked pretty barren. Before long, however, the crowd that began with a mere two constituents grew to roughly 30 people who helped fill in any empty space. Visitors posed a mix of questions to the freshman congressman, from job outsourcing and the war in Iraq to gasoline prices and the real estate market. Foster, a Democrat from Geneva, said he relishes opportunities to discuss those kinds of issues with constituents. "One of the dangers of being an elected official is traveling within a little bubble of people that are telling you exactly what you want to hear," Foster said. "The best defense against that is to talk to as many people and the whole cross section of people in your district, and I have been working very hard on that." Mary McCaffrey of Dixon said she thinks Foster's previous work experience will make him particularly valuable. "I was very impressed with his background prior to the election and the fact that he won," McCaffrey said. "I think he's a big plus." Lee County Public Defender Bob Thompson, who was meeting his second congressman in two days - U.S. Rep. Donald Manzullo spoke Friday night at Sauk Valley Community College's commencement, where Thompson is chairman of the board of trustees - agreed that Foster's unconventional resume makes him an unusually accessible politician. "He's a scientist, and you don't have that too often in Congress, especially in a candidate trying to take the seat of a Republican who held the office for more than two decades," Thompson said, referring to the seat of former 14th District representative and House Speaker Hastert, who resigned last year. Foster won the congressional seat in March after beating out Republican Jim Oberweis, whom he will face again in the general election in November. Reach Chase Castle at 815-625-3600, 815-284-2222 or 800-798-4085, ext. 521. At a glance What: U.S. Rep. Bill Foster's new office Where: 119 W. First St., Dixon Hours: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays Phone: 815-288-0680