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The Chillicothe Tea Party Patriots provided an opportunity for its members and the public to listen March 23 to both the aldermanic candidates for the Chillicothe City Council and the board of trustees for Illinois Valley Central District 321.
Moderated by Jim Wright, the forum allowed the candidates to give an opening statement and then answer any questions.
City Council
Candidates for the Chillicothe City Council opened the forum. Beginning with Ward 1 alderman Denny Gould, who is running uncontested, he told the audience he has been a Chillicothe resident since 1947. He has run for two terms, beating both Betty Truitt and Jeff Anderson.
A land surveyor by trade, he is retired from the Illinois Department of Transportation but now does consulting work.
“(Public works) is my main area of concern and that’s what I enjoy doing,” said Gould, who is the public works committee chairman and also serves as mayor pro tem when Mayor Troy Childers Sr. is out of town.
Alderman Danny Colwell, running uncontested in Ward 2, did not attend the meeting.
In Ward 3, Patricia “Trish” Westerman-Connor and neighbor Michael Hughes are running against each other in a friendly competition for
the seat left open by Rich Underwood, who is not seeking re-election. Both are not strangers to city politics as they each have served as Ward 4 aldermen in the past.
Westerman-Connor has been chairwoman or co-chairman of the city’s Shademaker/Beautification Board for years and is involved in the Chillicothe Optimist Club and in the PTA with her children.
A man of few words in his opening statement, Hughes said he is a Caterpillar retiree.
In Ward 4, incumbent alderman Melvin Witte was appointed by Childers 13 years ago in his first term as mayor. He is being challenged for the second time by Jeff Rushin, who is running as a write-in candidate. Four years ago, the vote was tied at 47 each and the men headed to the Peoria County Courthouse for a lottery to determine the winner. Witte picked the highest dog tag number to win.
Witte has been a volunteer Chillicothe fireman for 47 years and has worked on most every council committee during his tenure, he told the audience. He currently is the chairman of the buildings committee.
Rushin was not in attendance due to being sick, according to organizers.
Judy Gajdik and Wright asked questions about how the candidates feel about being a “complaint-driven” enforcing ordinances, including talk about the downtown parking changes which have upset business owners and property maintenance of residences.
The Chillicothe Tea Party Patriots provided an opportunity for its members and the public to listen March 23 to both the aldermanic candidates for the Chillicothe City Council and the board of trustees for Illinois Valley Central District 321.
Moderated by Jim Wright, the forum allowed the candidates to give an opening statement and then answer any questions.
City Council
Candidates for the Chillicothe City Council opened the forum. Beginning with Ward 1 alderman Denny Gould, who is running uncontested, he told the audience he has been a Chillicothe resident since 1947. He has run for two terms, beating both Betty Truitt and Jeff Anderson.
A land surveyor by trade, he is retired from the Illinois Department of Transportation but now does consulting work.
“(Public works) is my main area of concern and that’s what I enjoy doing,” said Gould, who is the public works committee chairman and also serves as mayor pro tem when Mayor Troy Childers Sr. is out of town.
Alderman Danny Colwell, running uncontested in Ward 2, did not attend the meeting.
In Ward 3, Patricia “Trish” Westerman-Connor and neighbor Michael Hughes are running against each other in a friendly competition for
the seat left open by Rich Underwood, who is not seeking re-election. Both are not strangers to city politics as they each have served as Ward 4 aldermen in the past.
Westerman-Connor has been chairwoman or co-chairman of the city’s Shademaker/Beautification Board for years and is involved in the Chillicothe Optimist Club and in the PTA with her children.
A man of few words in his opening statement, Hughes said he is a Caterpillar retiree.
In Ward 4, incumbent alderman Melvin Witte was appointed by Childers 13 years ago in his first term as mayor. He is being challenged for the second time by Jeff Rushin, who is running as a write-in candidate. Four years ago, the vote was tied at 47 each and the men headed to the Peoria County Courthouse for a lottery to determine the winner. Witte picked the highest dog tag number to win.
Witte has been a volunteer Chillicothe fireman for 47 years and has worked on most every council committee during his tenure, he told the audience. He currently is the chairman of the buildings committee.
Rushin was not in attendance due to being sick, according to organizers.
Judy Gajdik and Wright asked questions about how the candidates feel about being a “complaint-driven” enforcing ordinances, including talk about the downtown parking changes which have upset business owners and property maintenance of residences.
Witte explained on the property maintenance of homes, residents do accomplish some work once city officials start the improvement process, but with the judicial system, it takes time to get things accomplished.
Dave Hirtz asked the candidates what they think is the best thing about Chillicothe and something they want to concentrate on if elected.
Beginning with Gould, who also served for 18- and-one-half years on the school board, all the candidates said the IVC school system was the best thing. Both Gould and Witte said they wanted to work on riverfront development in the future.
Westerman-Connor called herself a “tree hugger,” and wants to work on cleaning up the city.
Hughes said he thinks more should be done for the businesses downtown.
“I think there’s more we can do for them.”
Both Ward 3 candidates said they “love Chillicothe.”
“As far as the changes, I don’t think it’s what I want it’s what the citizens want …” said Hughes.
Childers asked the candidates what they would think if the no-smoking law for taverns is changed.
The candidates leaned toward either being against the change or were not sure how it would affect businesses.
