One of the best things that has happened to us in the run-up to this year’s midterm election is that we have gotten to know some great people. Gary Chidester is certainly at the top of that list. Hard-working and scrupulously honest, Gary is a Christian man who lives out his faith through his professional work, his family life, and his volunteer efforts. 

Gary was recently recognized with three awards from the Danville-Boyle County Chamber of Commerce. One was from the Danville school system for mentoring, the second was for both Gary and his wife Patti as community volunteers of the year, and the third was for for helping start the Hope Network — a collaboration of churches coming together to fight addiction in our community. 

Danville/Boyle County is a wonderful place to live. After 18 years in Chicago, we chose Danville to be our “forever home.” After 12 years, our love and affection for this place continues to grow even while recognizing that there are problems that need to be addressed.

There are the inevitable divisions and disagreements between the town and the county. There are issues and conflicts among many of the residents along racial, political and economic dimensions. And there is a lack of good job opportunities, especially for those trying to escape from the trauma of opiate or alcohol addiction.

We believe that one of Gary’s greatest strengths is his talent for listening to people and helping them to arrive at and implement good solutions to shared problems.

A mutual friend who has known Gary longer than we has told us, “My experience with Gary is that he is honest and sincere and goes the extra mile to stand behind his work. I really think that Gary’s best attribute is his lack of ego and the fact that he doesn’t care who gets the credit for achievements of the larger group.”

These attributes will stand Gary in good stead as Boyle County judge-executive.

Jim and Linda Porter

Danville