La Grange delegate hopeful ringing doorbells for Gingrich

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Updated: February 13, 2012 8:33AM

A trip to sunny Tampa, Fla., for the Republican National Convention kept Mike Dropka motivated to ring doorbells and talk with neighbors in La Grange during frosty December days as a supporter for presidential hopeful Newt Gingrich.

Dropka, 27, a communications specialist, filed Friday to appear on the March 20 primary ballot as a delegate supporting Gingrich. With five fellow delegate candidates committed to Gingrich, Dropka gathered more than 1,500 signatures for the slate to represent the 3rd Congressional District, which includes parts of La Grange, Western Springs and Indian Head Park.

“It was 20 degrees most days that I was out, so that trip to Tampa gave me a little hope at the end of the tunnel,” Dropka said and laughed.

The delegate hopeful concedes Tampa may be a bit toasty in late August for the convention, but that wasn’t his primary motivation for running to be a delegate.

“The reason I filed is because I’m a very proud supporter of Newt and had the opportunity to see him speak a number of times,” Dropka said. “I was so enamored with what he had to say.

“Quite frankly, I’m sick and tired of having candidates up there for the Republican Party only to be torn down by the Democrats and the media as not being smart enough.”

Running for delegate isn’t Dropka’s first foray into politics. He was elected to the Komarek Elementary District 94 School Board in North Riverside in 2009, but resigned in April because he moved to La Grange.

“I contacted the Gingrich campaign and went through a screening process for them to be on the ballot for delegate,” Dropka said. “I happened to be just what they were looking for, more of a grass roots effort from the bottom up instead of the top down, not somebody in the news, but more of a local person with ties to the community.”

Dropka said he’s impressed with Gingrich’s experience, knowledge and ideas.

“He’s the best person to get this country back on track with his ideas about the economy, and he’d make an excellent president, “ Dropka said.

The delegate hopeful said he’s concerned about his candidate’s fourth-place finish in the Iowa caucus with 13 percent of the vote, as well as Gingrich’s slide in the polls.

“Yeah, I watch the polls all the time, and I’m pretty concerned about New Hampshire,” he said of Tuesday’s primary, before the polls opened. “He had a rough showing in Iowa, but I’m pretty confident that the more he speaks and reaches out to people, they will see he is the best candidate and really our only chance to face Obama in the general election.”

Dropka acknowledges Gingrich may not yet be the favorite candidate of the Republican Party establishment.

“That’s why we have elections, so the people of the Republican Party in general have the right to pick our candidate and not just the establishment,” he said. “I hope everybody will think for themselves, rather than being glued in to the polls.”

Dropka, who previously was a communications assistant to former Illinois Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias, works as a legislative aide to state Rep. Darlene Senger, R-96th, Naperville. He also serves as the correspondent secretary for the Lyons Township Republican organization.

Dropka is joined on the ballot by fellow Gingrich supporter, Don Sloan of Westchester, a Proviso Township trustee for 14 years and former village employee for 30 years. Sloan filed as a delegate in the 4th Congressional District, which includes parts of Westchester.

La Grange attorney Ian Brenson has filed as a delegate for Mitt Romney in the 3rd District.