Federal Housing Secy. Steve Preston acknowledges there
have been some people urging him to consider a 2010 bid for governor, but
trying to resolve a national
housing crisis and rescue the Republican Party in Illinois may be a bit
too much multitasking."I haven't ruled anything out, but I am really
very, very heavily focused on the job at hand in Washington," Preston told
the Tribune's editorial board on Thursday. "I'd be doing a disservice to the
people I serve and the people who put me in the job if I were spending much
time doing anything else."
A quick bio: Preston formerly ran Small Business Administration under
President Bush, graduated from Northwestern University and the University of
Chicago (MBA), and is a former top executive vice president at ServiceMaster
who lived in Hinsdale when the company was headquartered in Downers Grove.
He grew up in Janesville, Wis. and now lives in Virginia with his family.
Named to the Bush Cabinet as Housing and Urban Development secretary in
June after two years at the SBA, Preston said he was "flattered by the
speculation" about a possible run for governor. "I've had a couple of people
tugging on my sleeves," he said, declining to name them.
Despite his presence in the presidential Cabinet, Preston is not well
known in the state and some Republican leaders privately questioned a
potential candidacy. Others said he could be the political outsider that the
state GOP badly needs.
State Sen. Dan Rutherford (R-Chenoa) said he is among several business
leaders who have encouraged Preston to take a look at the race. Rutherford,
who lost a 2006 bid for Illinois secretary of state and is again looking at
a statewide bid, is a vice president at ServiceMaster, where he got to know
Preston.
