An SIU law school graduate, announced yesterday he will run for the Democratic nomination to challenge Mike Bost, R-Murphysboro, for the state representative seat in the 115th district.

John S. Rendleman acknowledged his bid for the 1996 election came a bit later than usual for a race of this type. He added that this should not keep him from getting his message out to constituents of the 115th district, which includes Carbondale.

Although I’m getting started late, I don’t think it takes a long time to make your case to the people, he said.

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Rendleman graduated from the SIU School of Law in 1987 and has practiced law in the area since then.

Rendleman, like many other local politicians, said one of his main priorities would be enhancing the region’s stagnant economy.

We need to give our children a reason to stay, Rendleman said. We need to build Southern Illinois to ensure that there are opportunities to earn a good living.

Rendleman said laws passed by the Illinois General Assembly last session involving the safety of worksites are counteractive to making the 115th district an attractive place for industry.

We can’t keep our families in at home if Southern Illinois is an undesirable place to live, he said. I want to reverse this trend and renew our commitment to the worker in our state.

He said addressing the area’s education crisis would also be high on his agenda.

I come from an education family, and I’m astonished at the way the state continues to divide our school tax dollars, Rendleman said. It is not acceptable that suburban schools are equipped with indoor swimming pools while our schools can’t afford new textbooks.

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Rendleman comes from a political family. His father, John S. Rendleman II, served as former SIUC President Delyte Morris’ legal counsel before becoming president of SIUE. The elder Rendleman held the position until his death. His grandfather was a state’s attorney in Union County.

Elsie Speck, a self described community activist from Carbondale, and Karl Maple, a political science professor at John A. Logan College from Elkville, are also seeking the nomination.