I am the State Senator for the 21st Senate District serving DuPage and Cook counties.  I was appointed in November 2010 to complete the term of former State Senator Dan Cronin who resigned following his election to become Chairman of the DuPage County Board.

I was elected mayor of Downers Grove in 2007 and served until May 2011.  I am also a partner at the law firm of Gaido & Fintzen.  My Bachelor of Arts degree is from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and I received my Juris Doctor from DePaul University’s College of Law in 1989. Prior to my election as mayor, I served on the Downers Grove Village Council.  My service to Downers Grove began in 2001, with my appointment to the Village Liquor Commission.

I reside in Downers Grove with my family - wife Kevan and our two children, daughter Clare, age 13, and son Jack, age 11.

In the Senate, I serve as Minority Spokesperson on the Licensed Activities committee and sit on the Judiciary, Appropriations I, Labor, and Financial Institutions committees as well.