CITY BEAT: CITY COUNCILMAN CHUCK KUHLE TO RUN FOR RE-ELECTION
Editor Paul Osborne
DECATUR City Councilman Chuck Kuhle has decided to run for a second term in office. Kuhle stated: “I will seek a second term on the Decatur City Council in April 2021. Having over 3 years of experience as a Decatur City Councilman will give the City of Decatur the option of re-electing an experienced councilman for a city undergoing challenging times.
“My voice of reason to past and present issues is needed now on the city council more than ever before. As we all know, our city and our country are going through unprecedented times. My status as a life-time resident will help ensure that our city eventually returns to the way of life which made Decatur our chosen place to live to begin with.”
Three seats are up for election on the city council. Councilman David Horn has announced that he is running for re-election. Councilman Patrick McDaniel is not seeking re-election after ten years on the council.
• CONSOLIDATION? If the financial stress on public budgets continues long into the future, there will probably be a major push to consolidate government entities in order to save money and not duplicate services. While such a move has been met with strong opposition in the past, it may be done out of necessity in the future. Otherwise, keeping all of the government bodies we presently have will result in tax rates that are beyond our imagination — and a real killer of future economic development. School districts have been forced to do it in the past which is the reason some districts are made up of four or five smaller districts today.
• FARMERS’ MARKET — It is so nice to see the Farmer’s Market continue in Central Park — especially this summer. I walked down from my office on Saturday morning and the weather was picture-perfect and, for a little while, things were “normal” downtown again. The big tomatoes basking in the sunlight were irresistable. I bought two pounds of them and walked back to the office thinking I had made one of the great purchases of the summer! This year, it is the simple, little aspects of our lives that we once took for granted that have become special in so many ways. For me, they will never be taken for granted again.
• GIN MILL WORK — C.L. Rhodes Concrete Construction is performing work on the new outdoor patio area at The Gin Mill at 124 East Prairie Ave, as weather permits. This work is causing intermittent lane closures, as needed, on East Prairie Ave from Merchant Street to Water Street and will continue to approximately 5:00 p.m., Thursday, September 24, 2020. Motorists should slow down, use extreme caution and should expect delays through the work zone.
• OPENING UP: The Macon County History Museum will reopen on Sept. 15 for its normal business hours (Tuesday-Saturday, 1-4). If you need any further information you can call Executive Director Nathan Pierce at 217/422-4919 or go to the museum’s website at mchmdecatur.org • CENSUS: The City of Decatur reports that Census 2020 continues and they are entering into a crunch time deadline. The Federal Government has decided to stop taking Census field work at the end of the month on September 30th. There are still several neighborhoods in Decatur and living facilities that have not been counted. “Our staff is working closely with the Census Bureau staff to make sure everyone is counted,” stated the update from the City. “It is imperative that we get everyone counted by the end of September. The Census affects the City’s finances, social services and other organizations.”
• STUDY SESSION: The Decatur City Council will hold a study session on Sept. 14 to find out more about the Decatur Police Department’s new training methods to update and be compliant with 21st Century Policing. That comes as our community has recently been the subject of senseless shootings in our neighborhoods. I think its great the way community leaders are working together to resolve problems related to social injustice.
