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 eleventh of the posts, which will conclude Monday and will be run alphabetically between now and then, continuing with Wayne.
Wayne County: Mayoral race highlights county seat town’s ballot
Fairfield mayor Mickey Borah
In Fairfield, every four years since 2001, someone has challenged Mayor Mickey Borah’s office, and every four years, he wins by a landslide. That’s likely because the people of Fairfield believe Borah’s doing something right, and in the last couple of years, he’s not only shown this to be the case, but he’s been through some personal ordeals that have proven the mettle of his character as well.
This election year, he’s challenged by Chuck Griswold, a well-known and well-liked Fairfield guy who will no doubt give Borah a run for the money…but odds are still on the incumbent mayor to prevail.
There are four ward races in Fairfield as well: in Ward 1, it’s Ralph Barbre versus Tom Tucker; Ward 2, Jim Griffith versus Clifford Reever; Ward 3, Ron Rush against Steve Robinson and Ward 4, Phillip Williams against David Fletcher.
Capable Fairfield city clerk Tina Hutchcraft faces no opponent in this year’s election.
Mixed bag in rest of county
The races in the rest of Wayne County’s municipalities/villages are a mixed bag. No contenders are running against village presidents in Cisne (Roy Atwood), Golden Gate (Robert Chapman), Johnsonville (Robbie Brashear), Sims (Dava Austin) and Wayne City (Scott Clark).
There are no candidates running for village president in the villages of Geff, Keenes or Mt. Erie. In fact, there are no candidates on the ballot at all for Keenes or Mt. Erie, showing again that apathy has taken a firm hold in rural southern Illinois when it comes to public office.
Contested races for trustee will be held in Sims, where five—Stephanie Harris, Michael Elliott, Nicholas Elliott, Donny Robertson and Billie Moyer—are vying for three seats on the village board; and in Wayne City, where six—Robert Jason Anderson, LaDonna McKinney, Benny Garner, Diana Wood, Kimberly Cooper and Timothy B. Piper—are also vying for three.
Township races
Township races for boards of trustees are only being held in Elm River, Indian Prairie, Mt. Erie, Orchard and Zif townships.
In Elm River Township, four will be selected from amongst five: Democrat Wm. Lowell Sparr, and Republicans Rob Neikirk, John Harrington, Austin Lambrich and Frankie Molt.
In Indian Prairie Township, seven seek four spots: Democrats Chris Karr, Edward Dale Smith and Paul Tannahill and Republicans Justin E. Smith, Randy Hilliard, Lawrence Pennington and Jeff Barnard are on the ballot.
In Mt. Erie Township, four will be selected amongst five: Democrats Randy Hedrick, Clayton Massie, David Meadows and Dennis Taylor, and Republican Jerald Hubble.
In Orchard Township, four will be selected from amongst six: Democrats Inez O. Copelin and William D. Copelin, and Republicans Richard Greenwalt, Donald Sharp, Jerry Donoho and John I. Skelton.
in Zif Township, four will be selected from six: Democrats Lee Garrett Hosselton, Larry Leon Hosselton and Claren Lee Hosselton and Republicans Warren Scott Hosselton, James T. Sullens and Ethan K. Keyser.
Other township offices
Barnhill Twp has a race for township highway commissioner: Jerry Webb, Republican, vs. Shular R. Smother, Independent.
Big Mound Twp has a race for township highway commissioner: Dem Jack Monroe, and Rep John K. Jones, Jr.
Indian Prairie Twp has a three-way highway commissioner race: Dem Mark A. Talbert, Rep Lyle Lee Allen, and Independent Leon Hatcher.
In Jasper Twp, it’s also a three-way for township highway commissioner: Ray Webb, Democrat; Brent Opell, Republican; and Matt Kinney, Independent.
Lamard Twp has a somewhat amusing three-way race for highway commissioner: Richard G. Hoskins, Republican; convicted arsonist Roy Finley, Independent; and Craig Donoho, Independent.
In Mt. Erie Twp, Chris C. Massie, Democrat, and Steven E. Bass, Republican, vy for township highway commissioner.
In Orchard Twp, Jessie Kidder Jr., Democrat, and Kevin Greenwalt, Republican, seek the township Highway commissioner office.
And in Zif Twp, the office of township highway commissioner is bein sought by Loren Lee Kauble, Democrat, and Randall L. Gill, Republican.
School districts
Several school board races will be found on Wayne County ballots.
On the east-central and some northeastern portions of the county (east of the Little Wabash), candidates for the Edwards County Community Unit School District 1 are Lawrence Speir, Jr, Rita James, Dale Woods and Richard (Rick) Wolfe in Twp 2S Range 10E, and Jayare Buerster Jr. in Twp 1S Range 10E; three positions will be filled.
On the southeast side of the county, Grayville Community Unit School Dist. 1 has three positions available amongst Robert Armstrong, John Stockton, Stephanie Hatcher, Charles Turner and Chad Alldredge in the incorporated area and Vanessa Fullop and David Kleinschmidt in unincorporated (of which only the Wayne districts are for this ballot).
Northeastern sections of Wayne fall under East Richland Community Unit School Dist. 1, where Alex Cline, Micah Grimes and Pete Seals vy for two unexpired two-year terms on that school board.
In the Geff Community School Dist. 14, three will be selected amongst Shannon Lambert, Kimberly Belangee and Keith A. White in the incorporated areas of Geff, and Ken Taylor in the unincorporated area.
Sara White, yelling.
Jasper Community Consolidated School Dist. 17 has four 4-year positions open in the unincorporated area and they’ll be selecting from Florence L. Simpson, Connie Mitchell, Todd Robertson, Christopher Otey, Kimberly R. Liston, Sara B. White (the reviled ISP cop Rick White’s wife) and Anita Pond.
The northwest portion of Wayne lies in part in the Flora Community Unit School Dist. 35, which is where four of five will be selected: Rob Tillery, Curtis Leib, Rick Porter, Courtnet Hatcher and Justin Cook.
Wayne City Community Unit School District 100 has six running for four spots: Bruce L. Johnson, Benjamin J. Gardner, Denise M. Barbee, Murisa L. Anderson, Andrea Lewis and Karen D. Haile.
Fairfield Public School Dist. 112 has four positions open for a four-year term; vying for those will be Dan Coomer, Amos C. Eckleberry, Joe DiMaggio, Shane A. Neuman, Heidi A. Hodges, Kimberly Sue King and Andrew Miller.
Xenia Fire Protection District issue on Wayne ballot, too
The Wayne County ballot features the same five names—Shane Kanitz, Randy Hockman, Burl DeWayne Wesner, Joyce M. O’Donnell and William P. Moorman—on those in the far northwestern corner of the county for Xenia Fire Protection District as Clay has on theirs in that district.