Election day is fast approaching and I have been doing some thinking on how and for whom I should vote.

As a Republican, I am most interested in who should represent my district in Washington, and I am pleased to see that we actually have a choice on the Republican ballot this year.

In an effort to better get to know the two candidates, the incumbent Elton Gallegly and his challenger Michael Tenenbaum, I attended the Candidates Forum at CLU a few weeks ago (May 6).

Tenenbaum was there, and I found him to be a very intelligent, focused and courageous candidate. It takes a lot of selfconfidence to challenge an entrenched incumbent such as Gallegly, and he's sure got the brains to back himself up.

He had a lot of great ideas on how to stop the hemorrhaging of government spending by putting an end to pork and earmarks. He was also very articulate on issues of immigration.

What did Gallegly have to say? Well, he couldn't attend, which may be understandable.

But what I found strange was that he was allowed to send a friend, the District Attorney Greg Totten, to speak on his behalf.

Totten went on for much longer than any of the candidates with a glowing review of Gallegly, stating that Gallegly is "not a showhorse." How ridiculous.

Isn't it always easier to have someone brag about you on your behalf than to come and stand up for your own ideas and record? And three weeks have past since then, so why hasn't Gallegly answered Tenenbaum's invitation to debate?

This week Congress is in recess, so Gallegly is surely in the district.

I would hope he would find a way to overcome his fear of public speaking and make the time to offer this valuable public service to his constituents. Derek S. Ross Oak Park