Carbondale Police Chief Don Strom, surrounded by his family and Democratic supporters including gubernatorial candidate Glenn Poshard, announced Monday he will run for Illinois’ 115th district state representative seat.

In his family-oriented message, Strom said his three priorities are education, economic development and crime. The three are linked, he said.

Twenty years of law enforcement have taught me that quality education and a strong family structure are by far the most potent crime prevention weapons we have, Strom said. We need to invest now in our education so we will have to invest less in our prisons in the future.

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Strom, a 1977 graduate of SIUC in political science and radio and television, said he wants to ensure that the University will receive more state funding.

I want to keep SIU a strong competitor in the education market, he said.

Citing the recent education funding bill that taxes telephone usage, cigarettes and casino revenues, Strom said he thinks Southern Illinois legislators could develop a better long-term plan.

I am appreciative that the legislature found a means to get money for students, Strom said, but I think they settled for something less than we should have.

Strom criticized the education plan for having no property tax relief, containing one of the highest telephone use taxes in the Midwest and a lack of actual long-term funding from the state.

We need a plan to provide permanent funding and an adequate base funding level, he said.

Strom said if elected, he will try to form a bipartisan caucus of Southern Illinois legislators to bring a collective voice to the Illinois legislature.

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There is a power base in Chicago that expresses the views of its constituents as a whole, he said. We need to do that to strengthen Southern Illinois.

Strom said Southern Illinois needs increased infrastructure in the form of a four-lane highway to the St. Louis Metro-east area to bring businesses to local communities.

He also wants to develop state-supported funding to bring more police officers to Southern Illinois towns.

Strom introduced Congressman Glenn Poshard, D-Marion, to the crowd of about 40, who exploded into applause.

Poshard told the crowd he has known Strom for at least 15 years, and that he supported Strom’s candidacy.

If there is anything I can do to get Don Strom elected state representative and Barb Brown state senator from this area, I’m going to do it, Strom said.

Strom said he will remain in his position as police chief until the middle of next summer, when he will take a leave of absence to concentrate on his race against Rep. Mike Bost, R-Murphysboro. If he is not elected, Strom will return as police chief.

It is uncertain who will replace Strom as police chief during his leave absence.

Strom did not attack Bost, instead citing his reasons for running.

I have the talent, the energy, the ideas and the ability to bring people together to solve our problems, he said. With the help of all segments of our communities, I will go to Springfield to make Southern Illinois an even better place.