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| Alexi Giannoulias is sworn in as State Treasurer by Justice Themis Karnezis as his mother, Anna, and brothers, Demetrios and George, look on. |
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| State Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias delivers his inaugural address in Springfield. |
Treasurer Giannoulias sworn into office
First Official act seeks to
end pay-to-play politics
January 8, 2007
Springfield -- Alexi Giannoulias was sworn in as the Illinois State Treasurer on Monday, the first Democrat to hold the office in 12 years.
Accompanied by his family, Giannoulias took the oath of office on a Bible borrowed from Saint Andrew's Greek Orthodox Church in Chicago where he has worshiped since he was a child.
Giannoulias thanked the people of Illinois for their trust and confidence and remembered his father who passed away in June, mid-way through the campaign.
"I can feel him with me here today,
giving me strength," Giannoulias said.
"It is with that strength that I will serve the people
of our state."
In his inaugural address, Giannoulias announced that his first order of business as Treasurer will be to enact the toughest ethics plan in state government. He plans to sign an executive order Tuesday that prohibits his campaign fund from accepting money from banks, his office employees and vendors who do business with the Treasurer’s Office.
"There will be no pay-to-play politics in the Treasurer's Office," he said in his inaugural address. "I will serve as an independent, accountable, trustworthy, and principled leader."
As the state’s banker, Giannoulias will use his financial expertise to employ new investment strategies to increase state revenue and introduce innovative programs that invest in communities throughout Illinois.
“As I always said during my campaign, I’m not running to be something. I am running to do something. That is my promise,” he said.
Giannoulias will:
- Increase access to low-interest loans to create good-paying jobs and spur economic growth.
- Generate more revenue for the state through creative investment strategies.
- Strengthen the state’s Bright Start College Savings program so Illinois families can earn more money toward college tuition.
- Make home-grown, ethanol-based fuels more available to Illinois motorists.
- Making it easier to obtain unclaimed property by auctioning off unclaimed property online.
- Enable families of military personnel facing economic hardship to receive financial assistance.
- Find new ways to recruit new businesses and retain existing ones.
- Fight against unlawful predatory lending practices.
"As the state’s banker, I will be a consumer advocate for the people of Illinois," Giannoulias said. Giannoulias was elected in November with 54 percent of the vote on a platform of reform aimed at bringing independent and progressive leadership to state government.
He won key areas including Chicago, suburban Cook County and Lake and Will counties, including some pivotal downstate counties.
Since the election, Giannoulias has been meeting with his transition subcommittees to craft new policies and determine ways to improve the Treasurer’s Office.
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