Hannibal resident Gary D. Thompson Jr. is making a run for Hannibal Town Council.
Thompson has enjoyed a 20-year career as a chef in restaurants in Oswego and for the past year has been pivotal in bringing a full-service restaurant back to the Hannibal area.
With his talented cooking skills and managing techniques he has helped create a place where residents can go out to dinner without having to travel to neighboring cities.
Thompson’s Friday Night Fish Fry brings in 200 people every Friday night.
“I have become a local celebrity since becoming the chef of my hometown, but it takes a lot of hard work and passion for the food I cook for people to remember your name,” Thompson said. “I have the same passion for the town and the residents of it, which made my decision to run an easy one. My goal if elected is to bring life back into Hannibal, give people a reason to stay within the community and give people a reason to come in. The reality is, it will be harder to hold the line on our taxes if there is no revenue being created. The restaurant inn Hannibal is creating revenue in the form of sales tax and it created 15 jobs that Hannibal didn’t have before that.”
Thompson can relate to the residents as he and his family face the same struggles as most the residents of Hannibal.
“Like any family in the area trying to stay afloat is an everyday task. It’s hard to save when everything keeps going up. It’s come to the point where most residents live paycheck to paycheck. That’s a problem in my eyes. There is too many hands out there wanting their percentage more every year. It has to stop,” he said.
Thompson resides in Hannibal with his wife, Cate, and daughters, Madison, Adrienne and Caroline.
“Weather you vote for me or someone else, I encourage everyone to get out and vote. We have a voice and the ability to change what we don’t like. November 4 is our opportunity,” he said.
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