Phillip Henning, Republican candidate for St. Clair County Board District 19
Name: Phillip “Phil” W Henning
Political party (if applicable): Republican
Age as of June 28, 2022: 70
Campaign website or social media page: FB- Phillip “Phil” W Henning for County Board District 19
Office seeking: St. Clair County Board, District 19
Are you an incumbent? No
Have you run for elected office before? (Please list previous offices sought): Yes, village of Smithton trustee and County Board of Review
Occupation: Retired Air Force Lt. Colonel and director of global physical security, Brink’s Incorporated
Education: Master of Science, criminal justice Michigan State University and graduate, Kentucky School of Law Enforcement, Executive Police Leadership Course, Villanova University- Project Management Neatartice
Please list highlights of your civic involvement: I have been a Village Trustee for Smithton for 3 years. I spearheaded the building of a 9/11 Memorial at our Memorial Park, and with our Village Engineer, won a $25,000 grant for a new park equipment building and a shared grant for 22 new picnic tables. I’ve been an elected Precinct Committeeman for almost 8 years and I’ve poll-watched in Cahokia Heights, East St Louis, Smithton and Belleville. I also ran for County Board of Review in 2017 and garnered 43,000 votes. I have been active in the Republican Central Committee since 2010 and campaigned for Congressman Mike Bost and Paul Schimpf.
Who are your top three campaign contributors? Self-financed
Why are you running? 1. To reduce crime in St. Clair County by bolstering funding for the Sheriff’s Department’s road deputy program. 2. To bring more balance to County Government along with six new Republican candidates and 8 incumbents. 3. To encourage support to our state representatives and senators to increase the Senior Exemption from $6,000 to $10,000 for seniors in homes valued less than $60,000 EAV (this will not benefit me).
What is the top issue in your race, and how would you address it? I’ve spoken to folks in Marissa, Smithton and rural areas of the 19th District and the key issue they focus on for our county is public safety followed by more economic opportunities in the 19th.
Why should people vote for you? I’ve proven my value as a military officer starting as an enlisted airmen and retiring as a Lt. Colonel; commanding two Air Force security forces units, one protecting the largest air mobility wing and the other protecting the then largest ICBM missile field in Montana. My focus has been to serve the residents of Smithton as a Trustee as we added two new police officers, upgraded our police vehicle fleet and provided more resources to our street department while keeping taxes in check. I have the endorsement of Ed Cockrell, District 7 (soon to be District 20).
This story was originally published May 27, 2022 at 3:44 PM.