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Manager issue makes election planning tough
Search By Issue Macon County Clerk Steve Bean hopes the courts soon can iron out whether voters will decide in February whether to change the form of Decatur city government.
Macon County Circuit Judge A.G. Webber IV has ruled that two questions will be put on the primary ballot:
* Shall the city of Decatur retain the manager form of municipal government?
* Shall the city of Decatur adopt the strong mayor form of municipal government?
But the Greater Decatur Chamber of Commerce intends to hire a lawyer to appeal Webber's decision.
The Chamber's board of directors disputes the legality of the ballot propositions and says voters could be confused by the wording of the ballot questions.
Bean said he's worried about delays in preparing the ballots.
Bean has talked with Macon County State's Attorney Jack Ahola and is urging the courts to act quickly when an appeal is filed.
To date, no appeal has been filed.
"This is really going to be disruptive to our process," Bean said. "This is a difficult election season, anyway. The first day that people can request absentee ballots is the day after Christmas. We've got to be ready to go in early January. This is not an easy task to do."
Bean said there are "high costs" involved with printing optical scan ballots and recoding the machines. He also wants to ensure that military personnel receive the proper ballots for the primary.
"To take a chance to disenfranchise some military personnel overseas bothers me," Bean said.
The area painters union is endorsing Change Decatur's push to change the form of city government.
Bill Francisco, a member of Painters and Glaziers District Council 58, has been vocal in his criticism of city government at recent city council meetings.
"This is nothing but a big spin doctor session," Francisco said after a recent council discussion of the space needs of Decatur police. "I believe that our voices will be heard, come Election Day."
In the union's endorsement statement, Francisco said the strong mayor form of city government with aldermanic representation would bring more jobs, better pay and better opportunity to Decatur and Central Illinois. He noted Decatur has seen a decline in jobs and population over many years.
Better city government would devote more attention to promoting the community and its workers to employers in Illinois and the Midwest, Francisco said.
Filling precinct committeeman posts continues to be a difficult task for both major parties in Macon County based on the number of people who filed nominating petitions to run for the posts at the Feb. 5 primary election.
The county has 87 precincts. Forty-eight Democrats filed for election, as did 27 Republicans. Those totals have slipped from the 2006 primary election, when 55 Democrats and 28 Republicans filed for election as committeemen. Four Republicans and one Democrat also won election as committeemen in 2006 as write-in candidates.
Both parties traditionally have appointed people to vacant committeeman posts following the primary election, but those appointees do not qualify to vote for each party's county chairman.
GOP Chairman James Gresham and Democratic Chairman James Underwood have not indicated whether they will seek to retain their posts.
Business has returned, now that the city has finished roadwork along West Main Street, said John Phillips, owner of the BP service station, 1096 W. Main St.
And business for tire repairs has increased as motorists navigate new islands staggered along the roadway, Phillips told the Decatur City Council on Monday.
Many of the islands are "pretty well marked up" from tires, Phillips said.
City leaders say they're proud of the $2.7 million project to refurbish the West Main streetscape, and they're eager to extend the work next year along West Main from Oakland to Fairview avenues.
"Job well done," Phillips said. "Just be a little careful with the curbs."
Mike Frazier can be reached at mfrazier@ herald-review.com or 421-7985. Ron Ingram can be reached at ringram@herald-review.com or 421-7973.
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