In 2009, a sudden interest in "candidate forums" took hold during the last 2 weeks of the mayoral campaign that featured 9 finalists in Galesburg, Illinois. It was like being at the head table at a wedding dinner, except cold sober. It was too little, too late and only 25% of registered voters turned out. This was better than average for Illinois. I was told by most people who signed my ballot petition that politicians can't be trusted. They promised to keep me trustworthy by staying home on election day. (Thank you, for your continued support)

This year, I won't run for office. What is important to me is to put the fun back into the political game, and bring all the candidates before the people as early as possible. This time 9 candidates are vying for 4 seats of 7 on our City Council. They are the best that Galesburg has to offer. If you find a race that's uncontested in your town, consider whether you are up to the task, and find out how to get your name on the ballot.

You don't know what it's like until you try it.

We are still working out the details of our upcoming March 1st event, and need more excitement than our establishment media is able to generate

We hope a little Indymedia exposure will help, and perhaps encourage others to take control of their towns. So here it is:

Galesburg Illinois: 2011 City Council Candidate Forum

The Center In Galesburg
123 1/2 South Cherry Street
Galesburg, Illinois 61401

Press Release:
February 7, 2011

City council candidates will deliberate on issues in election forum

4 local organizations have scheduled a forum for candidates in advance of the dealine for voter registration this year.
The event starts at 6:00pm Tuesday, March 1st in the Galesburg Public Library. Sponsors include:

• The Center In Galesburg


• Knox County Area Project


• The Hispanic Latino Resource Group


• Knox County Area Project

The goal of this event is to improve voter turnout, participation in local government, and the responsiveness of our council members to the needs of the city as a whole.

Although we will be prepared with forms to register new voters, registration is not the major problem. Statistic show that voters have increasingly low expectations of local government, especially in Illinois. The 2009 municipal election drew a turnout of 25% registered voters in Galesburg, and that was about average for the state. Illinois ranks 33rd among the states in voter registration at 70.9% compared to the national average of 71%. Peculiar to Illinois are the reasons given for not voting. Voters registered in Illinois are less likely to think that voting matters. Registration and voting by mail is also less frequent in Illinois than in other states, although Illinois voters are more likely to claim they didn't have time to vote or had a conflicting schedule.

The National Conference on Citizenship provides more detailed statistics on their website, but a comparison of municipal voting is difficult because most cities do not publish their voter turnout statistics to the web. This would be convenient for candidates. The number of signatures aspiring candidates must present on ballot petitions is based on the turnout in the previous election. These are not compiled at the state level, unlike the rest of the information a candidate needs. The piecemeal information we have been able to obtain indicates that Galesburg has slightly above average voter turnout for city elections. In Aurora, the turnout was only 20%, and Urbana had a dismal 12% showing in 2009.

Nationwide, the expectation of local government is decreasing, and so is voter turnout. The League of Women Voters has been advocating the election of city council members at large. This method, used by most cities in Illinois, can result in better government, according to their studies, but doesn't necessarily improve voter turnout.

We hope that bringing the candidates before the public as a deliberative body will promote the view of our city council working together to build a better Galesburg. Our expection of government can only be improved by our participation, so let's work together to break the downward spiral. For further information about the event contact:

David Roknich, The Center in Galesburg: david@knoxgalesburg.org

Rhonda Brady, Knox County Area Project (KCAP): rbrady@knoxKCAP.org
Phone: 309 343-4127 Fax: 309 343-4503