Dear Friend,

As your State Senator, many people ask who I am and where I'm from. For some of you, the biography below may be sufficient. However, to truly understand where I come from, I would like to tell you about two of my mentors: my mom and my grandma. For me, I learned more around the family kitchen table than I ever did at law school.

My Grandma Rachel Adler lost her husband unexpectedly at the age of 35. In an era when women were told to stay home, she took over the family business, Adler Roofing, which my grandpa started in 1926, and raised her three children. My mom was one of them. Grandma Rachel taught us important life lessons around her kitchen table: don't ever lose hope; don't ever lose your faith in God; there's no substitute for hard work; treat people with kindness and respect; and remember to give back to your community. Those are the words I have lived by from an early age.

So it was natural for my mom to have that same dedication and commitment to her family and to our community, and to teach her children by example. The youngest of six kids, I watched my mom from the high chair at our family kitchen table as she rolled up her sleeves to help others. My mom did so much to help people in our community. As a founding board member of Operation Friendship, my mom worked with men and women who were released from state mental institutions and sent back to their communities.  She worked with the mentally ill, the homeless, and many families who struggled to put food on their tables. She also worked hard in our parish, St. Paul the Apostle in Joliet, where she and my dad are still parishioners. She fought for social justice and for the vulnerable during the turbulent times of the 60s and 70s, and she volunteered with Hospice and Crop Walk in the 80s. In the 90s, my mom volunteered at the soup kitchen in Joliet once a month. More recently, she delivered Meals on Wheels to seniors.  She herself is now well into her senior years, but she continues to have that same spirit of giving that I witnessed as a young boy.  Yes, my mom is one of my heroes and the person who taught me that if we look for the good in people, we will certainly find it.

This is who I am. These are my roots, right here in Joliet and Will County. This is where I went to school. This is where I go to church. I am the son of a dentist who showed me how to be a dedicated father and family man, and who showed me first-hand the value of hard work. I am proud to be a Democrat. I am the husband to an outstanding woman, Michelle, who lives by the motto that our family and our faith come first. I am the father of three beautiful girls, Maycen, Laine and Marin, who mean the world to me and show me every day why it’s so important that we do right by our children, just as my parents and grandparents did right by our generation.

I am humbled that you, the voters of the 43rd District, elected me in 2006. You have entrusted me with a great honor and a tremendous responsibility, one that I strive to respect and fulfill every day. As my grandma taught me over and over, we need to believe in ourselves and in one another, believe in God's plan, and do right by our fellow Americans.

As your elected State Senator, I pledge to continue to work hard and to listen to your concerns. And I will fight for you every day. It is an honor to represent you in the Illinois State Senate.

God bless,

AJ Wilhelmi

Biography

PROUD TO BE A DEMOCRAT

AJ Wilhelmi was born and raised in Joliet, Illinois, by his parents, Mary Beth and Art Wilhelmi. AJ has 3 sisters and 2 brothers, one of whom is Steve Wilhelmi, current County Board member from District 9. AJ is a fifth-generation Joliet native whose ancestors came to Joliet in the mid-19th Century.

• Graduate of Joliet Catholic High School & St. Paul the Apostle Elementary School
• 1990 Graduate of Loyola University Chicago, Cum Laude, Bachelor of Arts Degree, a major in English and minors in philosophy and political science
• Received his JD from Chicago-Kent College of Law in 1993
• Sworn in to the Illinois State Bar as an attorney on November 3, 1993
• On November 4, 1993, AJ began his law practice with the McKeown Law Firm, and developed a real estate and business law practice
• In 2008, joined Murer Consultants, Inc., a legal-based healthcare consulting firm with a national clientele of hospitals, health systems and physician practice
• In 2009, the partners opened a law firm, Murer, Brick & Wilhelmi, LLC, with a focus on real estate, business law, corporate law, and strategic planning and solutions for medium-sized companies

Leader in the Senate

AJ has served in the Illinois Senate for over five years. Respected on both sides of the aisle, AJ has earned top positions, including Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee and Vice-Chairman of the Agriculture & Conservation Committee. AJ also serves on the Transportation, Gaming and Criminal Law Committees.