Don Paxton, a Barrington Hills friend of 8th congressional district John Dawson, has written the following letter to the editor, which was sent to me by the Dawson campaign.

I find it interesting on many levels and hope you will, too.

Paxton goes into some detail about a court case brought by the largest investor in a company Dawson ran. It was a situation in which big money was trying to get lessor money to capitulate in order to save legal fees. I can relate to such a situation.

Paxton headlines his letter

John Dawson Is Tough
John Dawson is the best candidate to represent the Illinois 8th district in the U.S. Congress. Those who know John have no doubt about his integrity, wisdom, energy and commitment.

But some who do not know John have questioned whether he is tough enough to represent us effectively in Washington.  The fact is that John’s calm demeanor and easy smile coexist comfortably with his steely resolve and innate resilience.  Those of us who have known John for years bear witness to his unmatched tenacity and clear-eyed determination.

As a case in point, five years ago John was running a business which he had successfully started up and spun out of a large multi-national company, his former employer.

However, after 9 months of a three year contract, his largest investor wanted to take the company in a different direction from what was agreed upon in the sale.

John and the investor disagreed, and as a result, the investor chose to remove John from the company.

Fair enough.

But the investor first attempted to deny John his fair share of the equity and other compensation, then tried to force an unfair settlement by tying John up in litigation – even going so far as to accuse him, with no justification whatsoever, of fraud.   John was clearly in the right but was forced into a legal battle in the New York courts to prove his case.

The match was uneven from the beginning:  an honest small businessman against a deep-pockets adversary.

After  months of legal maneuvering and mounting legal bills, John’s closest advisors, including his own lawyers, told John that he should give up and accept an out-of-court settlement because this David versus Goliath battle would simply be too expensive to fight to conclusion – regardless of the legitimacy of John’s claim.

But John, undaunted, confident and, as it turned out, realistic in his ability to prevail, would not concede.

John ultimately triumphed in court, winning on all counts and more important, vindicated of any and all allegations of wrongdoing.

And throughout it all, John maintained the calm demeanor and quiet confidence for which he is known.  This is just one situation in John’s life among many where he has triumphed against what appeared to be unwinnable odds John Dawson’s unshakeable determination will serve us well in Congress.

The “nice guy” attributes that may cause some to underestimate John’s inherent toughness are actually among his strengths, enabling him to prevail in difficult negotiations, build consensus, and ultimately succeed at formidable tasks, like winning this election and fixing the economy.

Dan Paxton, President
Heads Up Specialties
Barrington Hills, Illinois

The photo came from a YouTube posting of the jointly sponsored Patriots United-McHenry County Young Republicans 8th District candidates’ night at McHenry County College in November. You can see answers to each question asked here.