Former Secretary of Transportation and U.S. Rep. Ray LaHood.

PEORIA HEIGHTS — Former Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood will explore voting when he speaks on Tuesday, Oct. 4, at St. Thomas the Apostle Church, 904 E. Lake Ave. His presentation begins at 7 p.m. in the lower level of the church. The public is invited.

His talk will be based not on the words of any candidates, but Pope Francis: “The responsibility of informing people about voting is to state what we believe as Catholics, not who to vote for.”

A 1963 graduate of Spalding Institute in Peoria, LaHood was district administrative assistant for Congressman Tom Railsback from 1977 to 1982, and chief of staff to U.S. House minority leader Bob Michel from 1983 to 1994. He succeeded Michel in 1995, serving Illinois’ 18th District until 2009.

While he was a Republican, LaHood was selected by President Barack Obama to lead the U.S. Department of Transportation and gained a reputation as a bipartisan leader. He stepped down in 2013 and currently is senior policy adviser in the Washington, D.C., and Chicago offices of DLA Piper, a global law firm.

LaHood is author of the book, “Seeking Bipartisanship: My Life in Politics,” coauthored with Frank H. Mackaman of The Dirksen Congressional Center and published by Cambria Press.