CITY BEAT: PROPERTY TAXES, LACK OF CANDIDATES, UPCOMING ELECTION AND MORE

 

     YOU SHOULD KNOW — Today’s print and online editions of the Decatur Tribune is a little thicker than usual — 40 pages — and is printed in two sections.
     The 16-page second section contains the annual list of properties in Macon County that are delinquent in 2023 property taxes.
The list is a necessary legal document as part of the collection process and is provided to this newspaper by the Macon County Treasurer’s office.
     This is not a news story but a required legal publication that needs to be printed in the newspaper as part of the process.
The reason that I am writing this disclaimer is that some people believe I can eliminate any name or property on the list because someone asks me to do so.
     Any change in the delinquent tax list published in this edition would have to be authorized by the Macon County Treasurer’s office.
Since the time we receive the list is only a short period before publication (to give everyone as much time as possible to pay), there is almost no time to make any changes before we go to press on it.
     I hope this clears up any misconception that I can eliminate any name, or property, because someone asks me to do so.
     I don’t have that authority.

     • NOMINATION petitions for three available seats on the Decatur City Council may be filed in the office of the City Clerk, located on the third floor of the Decatur Civic Center, 1 Gary K. Anderson Plaza, during regular business hours from Monday, October 21, 2024, at 8:00 a.m. through Monday, October 28, 2024, at 5:00 p.m.
     The 2025 Consolidated Primary Election, if necessary, will be held on February 25, 2025. The 2025 Consolidated Election will be held on April 1, 2025. (Yes, April 1st — April Fools Day!)
     I’m familiar with the oddity of an election being held on April Fools Day. I was elected to my first term as mayor on April Fools Day! (I did receive a number of good-natured congratulatory cards following that election.)
     By the way, the city clerk cannot provide any legal advice with regard to the election process.
     City Council Members Ed Culp and David Horn have already announced they will be running for re-election.
The third seat up for election is that of Councilman Chuck Kuhle who is not running for re-election.
     I really haven’t heard much talk about possible challengers for council this time around.
Unlike in the past, no one has contacted this editor about plans to run for council — which is a little eerie, considering filing necessary documents with the city clerk is next week!

     • THE LACK of interest in running for public office is at an all-time low — at least that I can remember from all the decades that I’ve covered the city council, and the two times I was elected to serve as mayor.
     I remember, when I ran for first term as mayor, I declared my candidacy in May — about six months before I had to file the nominating petitions in October.
     Even when I declared my candidacy, three other citizens had already declared their intention to run for the office.
There were five candidates for mayor that time around — although one had to drop out before the race got serious due to some problems that came up in his campaign. Because of the number of candidates, I had to campaign to make it through the primary (the two winners moved on to face each other in the Consolidated Election.)
We had public candidate debates (one debate drew a crowd in the civic center theatre) and we often had joint appearances on television and radio.
     Platforms were presented and my opponent(s) and I had to make it through the tough questions asked by members of the media.
Campaigning for public office was exciting and challenging and it was an experience I will never forget.

     • WHAT CHANGED? I think the nastiness experienced by a lot of officeholders, and would-be officeholders, has sent a message to many qualified people to steer clear of running for public office — even at the local level.
     They feel they can serve the community in other ways working in the private sector.
     They don’t want to subject their families, their reputation, or anything else to the nastiness we see too much of these days.
     Thanks to Ed Culp and David Horn, and other local officeholders, for being willing to run for election and re-election in a desire to serve the public.
     Hopefully, by the time you read this column, others will step forward to run for that empty seat on council. (Incumbents Culp and Horn should win two of the three seats up for election.)

     • BARREN BALLOT — The Specimen Ballot for the Nov. 5 General Election is printed on page 11 of this edition, and frankly, there is almost no choice for voters because so many of the races impacting Macon County are uncontested.
All five county board races are uncontested. Races for Macon County State’s Attorney, Circuit Clerk, Recorder Of Deeds and Auditor are also uncontested.
     The only Macon County Office up for election that has two candidates running is for the Office of Coro-ner, where Re-publican Michael Burkham and Democrat Tiffany Hall are seeking victory. (Burkham even had to win a primary election to face Hall.)
It is not healthy for our county to have such few choices available for citizens to show up and cast their ballots.
     It doesn’t mean that I think those who are running unopposed are doing, or will do, a lousy job, because I believe they are doing, and will do, solid jobs and are performing well in office.
     It is an indication of what I mentioned earlier in this column — a lack of interest in our citizenry in running for public office.

     • STATEWIDE — The lack of interest in running for local public office is not unique to our county.
I exchange newspapers with other editors and publishers across the state and several of them are writing the very same message about low interest in running for office in their county that I’ve written about.
     One example is a front page article in the Oct. 5th edition of the Mason County Democrat newspaper in Havana, Illinois.
The headline reads: “For Such A Big Election It’s A Short Ballot”.
     After listing the various offices up for election, the article reads: “All of the local candidates for State’s Attorney, Circuit Clerk, Coroner, County Board District 1 and County Board District 2 and the Board of Review are unopposed.”
Sound familiar?
     Other communities are experiencing what Macon and Mason counties are experiencing with a lack of choices in county races.

     • EARLY VOTE — I will early vote and I have one choice in all of the county offices and that’s the person I want for coroner.
I have the presidential race at the top of the ballot and those two races constitute my entire voting decision process in the Nov. 5th Election.
     I live in the Fifthteenth Congress-ional District where Republican Mary Miller is running unopposed.
     I also live in the 107th Illinois Representative District where Brad Holbrook of Shelbyville is unopposed.
     Of course, there are three “advisory questions” on the ballot. In case you’ve forgotten, “advisory” doesn’t mean “binding”.
     Retention of four circuit court judges is on the ballot but I doubt if very many voters actually know what kind of job any of the judges are doing to deserve retention. It’s almost automatic that voters will chose to retain.
     I know one of the judges and, as far as I know, he should keep his job, but I don’t know anything about the other judges and I suspect most people reading today’s column don’t know either.
     So, I have two meaningful votes to cast: (1) for President of the United States and (2) for county coroner.
     I may have to rest my right hand from all of that voting exertion!
     I started voting in the Nixon-Kennedy match-up in 1960 and have voted in every election since then.
     I’ve never seen fewer choices on any ballot in my life. That doesn’t mean the unopposed candidates shouldn’t be in that office. It means something far deeper such as a change in citizens’ desire for running and serving in public office. That’s sad and not good for our county… or nation.

     • I JOIN Brian Byers on WSOY’s Byers & Co., every Thursday morning at 7:00.
something we’ve been doing each week for the past 22 years. I always enjoy our conversations.

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