State Sen. Paul Schimpf (R-Waterloo) was sworn in to his seat last Wednesday at the State Capitol in Springfield.
(submitted photo)

State Sen. Paul Schimpf (R-Waterloo) took the oath of office last Wednesday in Springfield with a spirit of readiness and enthusiasm to serve the 58th district.

“It is my honor to have been entrusted with the awesome responsibility of representing 220,000 citizens of the 58th Senate District,” Schimpf, 45, said in a statement. “I will work hard every day for all of my constituents and I promise to always tell the truth.

“I am fully prepared to hit the ground running and look forward to helping make Illinois a better place to live and raise our families.”

Schimpf takes the place of retired State Sen. David Luechtefeld (R-Okawville), who represented the 58th district for 22 years. Luechtefeld endorsed Schimpf as his replacement.

“I can’t imagine having a better example to follow than that of Senator David Luechtefeld,” Schimpf said recently on Facebook.

Schimpf defeated Democratic challenger Sheila Simon of Carbondale this past November for the seat.

In 2014, Schimpf ran unsuccessfully for Illinois Attorney General but gathered some strong support within his party along the way.

The 58th Senate District includes all or parts of Jackson, Jefferson, Perry, Randolph, Monroe, St. Clair, Washington and Union counties.

Schimpf, who grew up in Waterloo and is the son of two teachers, becomes the first state legislator from Monroe County in 97 years, according to cyberdriveillinois.com.

Schimpf’s first day on the senate floor took place last Wednesday and included voting on term limits for senate leadership.

“I’d like to see Illinois go further with terms, but limiting terms for leadership was a good start,” he told the Republic-Times.

The senate joint resolution — of which Schimpf is a co-sponsor — limits both the senate president and minority leader to a maximum of five terms. The senate also voted on administrative positions last week.

Schimpf said he has not yet received his committee assignments, which he hopes will include the agriculture, veterans affairs and higher education committees. He also would like to work on legislation helpful to the coal industry and to making Illinois more competitive.

“Unless we make Illinois the state that job creators want to come to, we’re not going to solve our financial problems,” he said.

Schimpf also hopes to forge new relationships with fellow legislators and discuss issues in an effort to better his district and the state.

Now serving in an “of counsel” capacity at the law firm Stumpf & Gutknecht in Columbia, Schimpf devoted 20 years to the U.S. Marine Corps before retiring as a lieutenant colonel.

He and his wife, Lori, have two sons, Ethan and Garrett.

“I am very excited to start,” he said. “I’m very humbled by the trust the voters have placed in me. I have the honor of representing some great people in southern Illinois, and I’m looking forward to serving them.”