Sam Yingling (D-Grayslake) was officially sworn in as the new state representative of the 62^nd District early today. 

The former Avon Township supervisor won the November election against incumbent Sandy Cole (R-Grayslake).

A press release from State Rep. John Bradley released today quotes:

“Two years ago, I made the decision to run for this office because, like a lot of people in my district, I grew frustrated watching our state government fail to protect taxpayer dollars,” Yingling said.

“I decided it wasn’t enough to just be angry, I had an obligation to try and do something about the status quo. I took a message directly to my new constituents that we could do better. The challenges we face are steep. We need to curb spending, address the state’s mounting debt, and pay our bills on time. It won’t be easy but I am confident that people are ready for real reform and I look forward to working hard on their behalf.”

As Avon Township Supervisor Yingling worked to reduce the size of government, lower the township tax levy and gave back some of his own salary increase.

According to the release, his top priorities moving forward include pushing for meaningful tax relief, make Illinois more business friendly and help employers grow so they can create more local jobs. Yingling also pledged to have a full-time constituent service office open to the public to ensure his constituents have access to state and local services.