Home » News » Local

Thursday, January 10, 2008 12:31 AM CST

Chamber of Commerce, ChangeDecatur dueling through Web sites

DECATUR - A vote for the commissioner form of government would be a step backward for the community, the chairman of the Greater Decatur Chamber of Commerce Board said Wednesday.

The Chamber board backs retaining the current council-manager form of government, and the Chamber has launched a Web site toward that end at www.vote-yes-decatur. com.

Members of ChangeDecatur hoped to allow voters to decide Feb. 5 whether to replace the city manager and council form of government with a strong mayor and aldermanic system.

But a state appellate court tossed off the ballot a question asking whether to enact a strong mayor and aldermanic system.

That means a successful vote not to retain the city manager will cause the city to revert to a commissioner form of government, which was abandoned in the late 1950s.

"Imagine how Decatur would be viewed if we were to revert back to a commission plan, a form of government that was deemed ineffective and obsolete by voters 50 years ago," said Jeff Hendricks, Chamber board chairman. "Would you relocate your business to such a backward-minded town? Would you keep your business in such a town?"

Steve Daniels, a founding member of ChangeDecatur, said Decatur was "growing by leaps and bounds" when it had a commissioner form of government.

Under a commissioner form of government, commissioners are elected to head a city department or function. The system is used in some neighboring communities, including Shelbyville and Mattoon.

Some ChangeDecatur members advocate voting for a commissioner form of government, saying it could be a first step toward enacting a strong mayor and aldermanic system.

ChangeDecatur also has appealed to the Illinois Supreme Court to get both questions on the ballot.

"The commissioner form of government is a more accountable form of government as an interim step on the path to change," Daniels said. "ChangeDecatur's supporters are universally in favor of starting change by voting no the status quo."

ChangeDecatur has launched its own Web site at www.change decatur.com.

Hendricks said changing the form of city government twice would be a costly and confusing process.

"Would we revert to a commission form as part of a two-step process toward a strong mayor plan, it would cause our city to be in an inefficient state of chaos for many, many years," Hendricks said.

Mike Frazier can be reached at mfrazier@herald-review.com or 421-7985.

 

Previous Page Subscribe Email Alerts

 

» share:   del.icio.us   digg  newsvine   facebook