CITY BEAT: FINDING A BALANCE IN MAYOR, CITY COUNCIL AND CITY MANAGER RESPONSIBILITIES

     THE MOST difficult aspect, in my opinion, of the council/manager form of government, is striking a balance between the mayor, city council and city manager — where everyone stays within the boundaries of their elected, or appointed, offices.
     When that “balance” gets somewhat “out of balance” it is not the best of atmospheres for the mayor, council, manager or staff members.
     It certainly is not conducive to management devoting their efforts to the job they were hired to do.

     THE Decatur City Council represents the citizens of Decatur, but it is a legislative body that must work within the confines of its legal description in helping the citizens it represents.
     The mayor and council have authority over one person — the city manager — which means they have no authority to order any other city employee to do anything.
     When each third of the mayor/council/manager public body is working in unison of purpose, great things for the citizens of Decatur can be achieved.

     FINDING A ‘BALANCE’ in the mayor/council/manager leadership is the subject of my “Viewpoint” column on page 3 of today’s paper and online editions of the Decatur Tribune.  The column is based on the years I served as mayor and attempting to balance the three parts of city government.

     • WHEN I STARTED my publishing business in the Standard Office Building in downtown Decatur in 1964, the James Millikin Bank Building stood tall and proud across the street from where I had my offices.
     The building, which is the subject of this week’s “Scrapbook” on pages 4 and 5 of the print and online editions, was on the northeast corner of Main and Water streets and the Standard Office Building was on the southeast corner.
     I was always impressed by the beauty of the building and was in the structure many times because I had my first business account with the Millikin Bank.

     After my business purchased the year-old Decatur Tribune, I was often in that building to pick up the bank’s advertising for the newspaper.
By the time the bank had purchased the Standard Office Building and moved into the remodeled structure, my business was located in the 100 block of East Prairie.
     The Standard Office Building was renamed the Millikin Court Building and contained not only the new location for the bank, but leased offices for other businesses on the upper floors.
     I often visited the bank in its new spacious quarters on the first floor to sell advertising for the newspaper — and to borrow money to keep the Tribune afloat.
     When Richland Community College was founded, its first location was in the former Millikin Bank Building. The very small campus was the space immediately north of the building where a few storefronts had been demolished to provide a small space for students to gather.
As a newspaper editor, I spoke on several occasions to some of the RCC classes in that former bank building.
What I remember the most about that experience was how hot those classes were because there was no air conditioning in the building.
Obviously, RCC has come a long way since its early days in the old Millikin Bank Building.

     • WHEN the old Millikin Bank Building had outlived its usefulness it was demolished in 1980 to make way for a parking lot for First National Bank (now Busey Bank) and I was there to shoot some photos and remember all of the times I had been in that building when I was a young businessman getting started.
     The demolition of the old Millikin Bank Building was the beginning of a lot of structures downtown being demolished and replaced by parking lots.
     I often think of those structures and the memories they generate when I’m walking downtown.

     • TOUCHING BASE — It was good to sit down with Congress-woman Nikki Budzinski (IL 13) in my office at the newspaper Monday afternoon.
     We hadn’t talked for awhile so it was nice to catch up and hear about what’s happening in her efforts to improve service at the USPS and to keep the mail moving at a more efficient pace.

     The USPS impacts so many, including those who depend on it for medications and mail — like this newspaper. (Check out the article about the Congresswoman’s efforts to improve service of the USPS elsewhere on this site and on page 27 of this week’s Tribune.)
     There is no doubt that she believes meeting her constituents in person is fundamental in her service to the district.
     The Congresswoman and I have different views on some issues facing our nation, but I consider her willingness to meet with me, and others in her district, as an indication that she wants to know the people she represents and how they feel on the issues.
     Unfortunately, because of the violent climate in politics these days, a police presence was just outside our building while we talked, and an officer recommended that we lock the newspaper office’s front door while she was at the Tribune because of threats made against her.
I’ve been a newspaper editor since the 1960s and there has never been an occasion where this newspaper had to lock down because I was interviewing a member of Congress.
     However, I felt it was the right move to make and appreciate the help of the Decatur Police Department.
     Thanks to Nikki for having the courage to be in one of the communities she represents despite the threats and the division in the nation.
She knows I appreciate her efforts in helping Decatur’s economy grow.
     I’m sure we will talk again soon.
     Members of Congress who are willing to get out and meet their constituents, or talk to the news media including this newspaper editor, are rare these days.
     Now, many depend on social media or news releases to get their message out — where no tough questions can be asked.

     • POST ON POST’S — My “Scrapbook” article on Post’s Jewelers in last week’s edition attracted a lot of attention.
Longtime friend Dennis Rodgers sent me the following email: “Paul, I found the feature on Post’s quite interesting. Of course I remember the store from my first memories of downtown Decatur.
     “What I also remember was the display advertising they did on the sides of barns in the countryside around Decatur. As I recall, the sides were painted black with white wording, which I seem to recall was simply, ‘H. Post & Sons, Jewelers, Decatur.’ “Also, growing up in the 400 block of West Main, I was well aware of the Post family home at 511 West Main. It had been converted to apartments, and Lillian Post, sister of the brothers who operated the store, lived on the first floor. Francis R. Wiley, an attorney and his wife, Celia, another sister, lived nest door at 521. Their son Frank R. Wiley, who first worked at the store but later sold insurance, also lived there with his family.
“Fun traveling down Memory Lane.”
     Tom Hanks also shared some memories and photos from Post’s which I will use at a later date.

     • I JOIN Brian Byers on WSOY’s Byers & Co. every Thursday morning at 7:00 for the “City Hall Insider”.

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