Prior to Tuesday’s election, Disclosure is bringing you the coverage we’ve given of the majority of our readership area so you’ll be aware of the contested races. This information is appearing in the current print version on stands right now, so if you need a hard copy of it, hurry and get out to pick one up; the new issue is due to hit the stands beginning April 16 and 17, which means we’ll have a full recap of election results in the new issue. In the interim, we’ve opted to go ahead and post the contents of the current issue’s front-page coverage of the ballots by county, to spur interest and ensure that everyone gets out and VOTES. There may not be many contested races, but that doesn’t mean these offices are not important. The school boards, township officials, aldermen/council seats, mayoral races and other items on the ballot, including ballot questions (such as whether a location should remain ‘dry,’ or whether a public safety tax should be imposed) are the bottom-line basics of public service…and they’re being abused daily in Illinois (and everywhere), so it’s important to PAY ATTENTION TO THEM. And the best “attention” you can pay to them is to show that we can do a better voter turnout locally than something in the teens or 20s.
So here is the third of the posts, which will conclude Monday and will be run alphabetically between now and then, continuing with Edwards.
Edwards County: Sour grapes forces races in Albion
Former Albion Mayor Ryan Hallam
The big story on the Edwards County ballot is the situation in Albion, where in February mayor Ryan Hallam and city clerk Gary Mason resigned in a huff over questions arising about operations in the Albion fire department/rural fire protection district, particularly where it involves abiding by the Open Meetings and Freedom of Information Acts…which the department, run by Kent Nale for years, has been under the mistaken impression it doesn’t have to abide by them.
As a result of this, the backlash landed a couple of firefighters/firefighter supporters on the ballot running for alderman.
Om Ward 1, incumbent Kevin Savage is challenged by Rochelle Thomason (the firefighter sympathizer) and Arrol Stewart.
In Ward 2, Robert (Randy) Speir is facing former sheriff Scott Meserole, a sympathizer.
In Ward 3, David Works is being contested by Dana Mosson…who happens to be the person who was toting his kid around in a fire truck to the Edwards County High School prom in 2012, which action prompted all the questioning of proper and responsible use of fire department funds and equipment.
There are no candidates on the ballot for city treasurer and city clerk; those will have to be appointed by the new mayor with the advice and consent of the council.
The new mayor will be Steve McMahel, who was mayor before Hallam came to be in office (1997-2001). Hallam resigned rather than face McMahel, who was said to have been poised to send Hallam a whooping at the ballot box.
Ballot question: Wet or dry?
A ballot question for Albion is “Shall the prohibition of the sale at retail of alcoholic liquor be continued in the city of Albion?” This question confuses most people, worded according to statute, and so it needs to be clarified in this way: If a voter WANTS alcohol sales in Albion, they need to vote NO. If a voter DOESN’T WANT alcohol to be sold in Albion, they need to vote YES.
Villages: Not much interest, unfortunately
There’s a contest for village president in the little burg of Browns; longtime incumbent Harry Duncan is being challenged by the errant Todd Bailey. Conventional wisdom has it that Todd needs to stick to music; but one can never tell with voters these days.
As usual, the village of Bone Gap has no one running for president or trustee; only village clerk: Cheri Sutherland.
And in West Salem, the only contested ballot race is for that of two for library trustee, a coveted position there for some reason. Three seek it: Elmer Ellsworth Lytle, Mary Jane McKinney and Kelsey Adam Schilt.