SALINE CO.—Races in only a couple of municipalities in Saline County are pretty much a guarantee that the voter turnout countywide is going to be grim, despite the crowded field within the city of Harrisburg for city commissioners.
Some village races, school board interest and at least one public question, however, might turn up the turnout in the end.
Harrisburg’s big board: Commissioners
While it’s usually a crowded field for the four open spots on Harrisburg’s council of city commissioners, this year is remarkably so.
The ballot positioning doesn’t tell the tale, as some of the better candidates are further down the line, but in order of appearance, Harrisburg must choose four of 12 for the council…and this selection could conceivably change the face of the city since the 2011 election and the massive abruptions experienced since that time: Natalie Miller, Ron Fearheiley, John McPeek, Ryan Lambert, Linda Mitacek, Richard D. Harper, Steven Larry Reed, Beth Simpson Montfort, Charlie Will, Mike Weirauch, Michael L. Smith and Wayne Horstmann are all seeking a council slot.
For whatever reason, former mayor Eric Gregg, who is now a state teat man having won the favor of former governor Pat Quinn when Gregg covered over for Quinn’s faux pas post-2012 Leap Day Tornado (Quinn neglected to follow steps to obtain federal disaster money for those in the tornado’s path in Harrisburg), has been stumping for Miller on his radio show at the local station, WEBQ.
This, Disclosure is hearing, is against protocol for state employees (Gregg is an appointed member of the Illinois Prisoner Review Board) to do.
This doesn’t diminish Miller’s effectiveness in any way; most sources in Harrisburg note that she would be a good addition to the council.
However, Gregg, as usual, appears to believe he is above statutes and well below common sense, so his weekly stumping for Miller has grated on listeners’ nerves and has actually done more harm than good for the candidate.
Incumbents Fearheiley, McPeek and Horstmann have their work cut out for them by the very popular candidates Will, Lambert and in particular, Harper.
Richard Harper is the CPA, and formerly a city treasurer like Will was, who was highly critical of Eric Gregg shortly after Gregg’s 2011 election…so critical, in fact, that Gregg got rid of him early on, as in about three months.
Being turned out by Gregg soon came to be a badge of honor, however, when about a year later, Gregg also gave Will the boot.
Both men were on to something with Gregg, which ‘something’ finally came out in the 2011-2012 audit results that were released in early 2013, at about the time Gregg took the appointment (and, he’ll say, protection) of the state job.
The losses in the water department and disaster assistance fund have never been fully explained.
However, if both Will and Harper get on to the council, there could possibly be some transparency coming to Harrisburg the likes of which none have seen for a while.
Were that council to be rounded out by McPeek and Horstmann as the incumbents, with Dale Fowler in as mayor, Harrisburg could see the kind of turnaround that they’ve been dreaming of for some time now but which a poor combination of council members (Fearheiley and Bart Schiff, who isn’t running this go, are entirely too self-consumed to be concerned about constituents) has made it not quite within reach.
Of course, there are others with intense self-interests (read: business interests) and with their hands still in the Harrisburg cookie jar who wouldn’t want such a turnaround to occur, and they’ll likely be fighting tooth and nail to ensure Fearheiley stays on the council, as well as seat someone like former commissioner Mitacek to the council (there’s a reason why she was booted in 2011).
Voter turnout will be the key here. City residents are urged to get out the vote on April 7 and make a difference.
One other city in Saline…
In the city of Eldorado, it’s the same ol same ol that barely deserves a mention, but it’s going to happen anyway: Rocky James, who hates Disclosure and did everything he could to ensure it’s not sold in his town, is the only candidate for mayor of that struggling burg.
His lapdogs in the form of police commissioner Bob Briddick, as well as Jeff Minor, Tim McGrath and Robert B. Price, are all running for the four seats on city council…which proves that a stranglehold on common sense will remain in place in that town until enough people get enough of a belly full and run for office, a little at a time, to oust the powers-that-be.
Villages
In the outlying villages of Saline, Carrier Mills is stuck with Tracy Felty as a village trustee, as he and Bill Jensik are the only two running for the position, and a third open one will have to be appointed.
In the village of Galatia, Kenneth Clark, Darlene Higgins and Stephen Sloan will be filling the three open trustee positions there.
In the village of Muddy, no one is challenging John Maxwell Molinarolo for the office of village president (mayor); and Mary L. Potter, Matt Molinarolo and John Vincent Molinarolo will be rounding out the three seats up for election on the board of trustees there.
In the village of Raleigh, there’s actually a contest: five vie for three seats on the village board, those being Vince Talkington, Paul Bishop, Justin Maloney, Ollie Brown and Aaron Whitlock.
In the village of Stonefort, there is a race for village president (mayor): Ron Howard and George Jackson are on the ticket for that office. As well, there are three four-year terms on the village board of trustees, James Milburn, Sue Field and Floyd Craig; and two for two unexpired two-year terms on the Stonefort village board of trustees, to be filled by Bill Presley and Monty Dunn.
Park, library districts
Carrier Mills Township has a park district commissioner position up this election, and no candidate; a write-in line is on the ballot for that position.
Harrisburg Township Park District has two park commissioner positions to elect, and they will be filled by the two on the ballot, Richard R. Rumsey and Michael W. Williams.
Carrier Mills-Stonefort Public Library District has an election for two library trustee positions; they will be filled by ballot contenders Louise Killman and Karen Shaw.
Eldorado Memorial Public Library District has two library trustee positions to elect; these will be filled by Sheila Baird and Mike Vessell.
Galatia Public Library District has two trustee positions to fill, but only one candidate: Linda Mays.
And Harrisburg Public Library District has two trustee positions to be elected; Joseph F. Ewing and Gary W. Jones are the two on the ballot for those offices.
Schools
Several school boards are up for elected positions, all but one within Saline County.
The overlap is that of Gallatin County Community Unit School District (CUSD) 7, where there are four positions and three only on the ballot: Wesley J. Henson, Steve Galt and Olivia Bradley; two write-in slots appear on the Saline (as well as Gallatin and White) ballot.
At Carrier Mills-Stonefort CUSD 2, there are four 4-year terms to be elected, with six seeking the positions: William Clay Nolen, Zach Rister and Michael Shayne Parks in Township 9S Range 5E; John Whiting and Sherryl Case in Township 10S Range 4E; and Ryan Beck in Township 10S Range 5E.
At Eldorado CUSD 4, two will be elected from Eldorado Township 8S Range 7E for full 4-year terms: Stacy L. James, Stanley Walters, Trudy Etienne, John D. Cooley and Jason Kasiar compete; and Preston Justice will be selected from the remaining congressional townships, according to the ballot.
At Galatia CUSD, Robert (BJ) Ping will be selected for an unexpired two-year term.
For full 4-year terms at Galatia, Aaron Allen, Bryan McCabe and Joy Richey are on the full slate to be selected.
At Harrisburg CUSD 3, Billy G. Smith will be selected to serve an unexpired 2-year term as he’s the only one on the ballot in that section; and Jeffrey A. Drake and Ryan Lambert sit on the ballot for Harrisburg Township 9S Range 6E, while Chris Penrod is the candidate to be elected from the remaining congressional townships.
Ballot questions for Harrisburg
Perhaps the biggest deal on Saline County’s ballot is the Harrisburg Community Unit School District 3 public question:
“Shall Harrisburg Community Unit School District Number 3, Saline County, Illinois, be authorized to issue $15,000,000 general obligation alternate bonds of said School District to demolish, reconstruct, renovate, alter, repair and equip a portion of the Harrisburg High School Buildings and renovate, alter, repair and equip other portions of such buildings, and improve the sites thereof, as provided for by the resolution adopted by the Board of Education of said School District on the 18th day of November, 2014, said bonds being payable from collections distributed to the District from those taxes imposed by the County of Saline, Illinois, pursuant to the County School Facility Occupation Tax Law of the State of Illinois, as amended, unless said revenue source is insufficient to pay said bonds, in which case ad valorem property taxes upon all taxable property in said School District without limitation as to rate or amount are authorized to be extended for such purpose,” yes or no.
Most will likely vote no, at which time the school board, being given the go-ahead last November, will probably issue a levy to the max that they can.
As almost an afterthought, another ballot question appears for the City of Harrisburg voters:
“Shall the city of Harrisburg have the authority to arrange the supply of electricity for its residents and small commercial retail customers who have not opted out of such a program?”
This is the electricity aggregate program the likes of which Eric Gregg was doing well into his service as a state-appointed flunkie. It’s too bad there isn’t a codicil vote to the ballot that states “as long as Gregg nor any of his family members or associates are behind it”; the vote might be higher in favor of it.