GOP downturn the fault of Adelizzi

Last summer, the new Republican Committeeman of Schaumburg Township had a letter to the editor predicting a Republican renaissance under his leadership and criticizing his predecessor for doing a lousy job. On his Web site, Committeeman Mike Adelizzi writes, "It is a great time to be a Republican," and he boasts of "building a strong and vibrant Republican Party here in Schaumburg Township."

Now that the first primary election under his leadership has occurred, let's see how the local GOP is doing.

On Feb. 5, almost seven in 10 voters in the township took a Democratic ballot. There are now more than 9,200 more registered Democrats than registered Republicans in Schaumburg Township, which has the highest percentage (nearly 70 percent) of registered Democrats of any of the six townships in Northwest Cook County.

Under the previous GOP committeeman, by contrast, there were far more Republican than Democratic voters. In the 2006 primary, for example, 55 percent of the voters were Republican, compared to a paltry 31 percent this year, which is likely the lowest GOP percentage in township history.

With 16,865 registered Democrats compared to 7,630 registered Republicans, Schaumburg Township has changed dramatically into a Democratic township. And it happened on Committeeman Adelizzi's watch.

Kathy Manos

Schaumburg