Shorewood, IL - State Senator A.J.Wilhelmi visited Troy Middle School in Shorewood to speak to the 8th Grade class. Wilhelmi was invited by teachers to talk to the students about the Illinois State Constitution.Wilhelmi was also asked to talk about his role in the Senate Impeachment Trial of former Governor Rod Blagojevich and other aspects of being a state legislator.

“By talking about Impeachment, we were able to illustrate how our Constitution was put into use during that very unique, and necessary process,” Wilhelmi said after the event. “Our Constitution worked as intended. We were also able to discuss the additional steps we’ve taken to allow voters to act through the Recall Amendment.”

“Impeachment worked, but we need to give future voters the ability to act and remove corrupt politicians,” Wilhelmi told the students. “There is a Constitutional Amendment on the ballot that will allow for recall; I’ll be voting for it.”

Students were also able to ask Sen. Wilhelmi what motivated him to enter public service and what he enjoys most about being State Senator.

“I was always taught the importance of community service, but it was in junior high that I realized I wanted to end up in public service,” Wilhelmi said after the event. “That was a nice moment to share with the students. As far as what I enjoy most, I talked about how, just a few years ago, I was able to work with Tom Cross to secure additional funding for After School programs right here at Troy Middle School. Doing my part to make sure that our area continues to grow and thrive is what I enjoy most about this job.”

The topics discussed during the question and answer portion of the assembly ranged from President Obama’s job performance to a typical day for a State Senator. When asked if he thought being a State Senator was difficult, Sen Wilhlemi responded, “Nothing worthwhile in life comes easy. My Dad taught me that you have to roll up your sleeves and work hard for the things you want. I wouldn’t want it any other way.”