This was the scene at the Union Hall in McLeansboro in April of 2014, when a huge number of people showed up in opposition of the rezoning proposition that may have been what prompted several races in and around McLeansboro and possibly throughout Hamilton County.
HAMILTON CO. – In Hamilton County, the ballot situation is much like that in Edwards: Every municipality and village will be electing representatives, just like townships and other public boards.
This differs from some locales, such as Harrisburg in neighboring Saline County, which is off by two years from the local municipalities that are experiencing the elections, a fact that makes things a lot easier for county clerks in ballot prep.
McLeansboro
This, however, is the first year for elections in McLeansboro since the failed attempt three years ago to re-zone areas both within and outside the city limits, which attempt cause a huge backlash and forced the council at the time to withdraw the proposal as something that might work in a place the size of St. Louis…but which is ridiculous in a place the size of McLeansboro
That attempt is likely what has prompted the ballot contests nearly across the board in the city.
The big race is for mayor, wherein long-time mayor Dick Deitz is being challenged by Rodney Hart this year. Deitz has been unbeatable in contests past; however, many are hoping that memories of the voting populace aren’t short, and that the attempt three years ago to impose zoning restrictions on people who aren’t taxpayers in McLeansboro might translate to votes for Hart from those within McLeansboro who are.
The real problem back in 2014, however, with the re-zoning proposal came from the city clerk, Fred Vallowe, who, citizens discovered, was the one pushing for the idea. And no one is running against him for clerk, so he’ll retain his seat.
Sharon Ingram as city treasurer is unchallenged.
There’s a huge field for alderman in Ward 1, however. One person is to be selected from five: Billy Glenn, Tom Maulding, Rodney Campbell, Stevan R. Lapington and Robert Scott. Voters are urged to consider who has the city’s interests in mind, or whether a candidate is running simply because the powers-that-be want to ensure there’s presence on the board that will abide by suggestions such as the re-zoning effort that caused so much disruption.
In Ward 2, James P. Mason is running unopposed.
There is a contest in Ward 3: Dale Biggerstaff and Richard Lasswell.
Belle Prairie
In the village of Belle Prairie, there are no contested offices, but at least there are people willing to fill them.
Jerry D. McGill will be village president; Sara Grubb, village clerk. Kenneth Grubb will take the office of treasurer, and Charles G. Reyling, village trustee in the only open seat on that board.
Broughton
While the office of mayor is unchallenged, and David R. Essary will be seated in the village of Broughton, there is a contest of sorts for village clerk.
Carolyn Pruitt is on the ballot, but a write-in space has been made available, which, depending on how many Broughton voters turn out and use the option, might lean the contest away from the listed candidate.
There’s a similar situation for the office of village trustee, wherein there are four available seats, but only two on the ballot – Lisa Essary and Tina Barker – but also a write-in spot, which will make things interesting in Broughton on election night.
Dahlgren
In the village of Dahlgren, Steve Wilkerson will be mayor; Sueann Wilkerson will be village clerk; and two are seeking two of the three available positions for village trustee: Brandon Reyling and Steve Drenner. There is no write-in space available, so the third will have to be appointed.
There are no candidates on the ballot for a single office of library trustee for the Dahlgren Library District; that position will have to be appointed.
Macedonia
In the village of Macedonia, Hobert Campbell Jr. will be seated as mayor as he’s alone on the ballot.
The offices of clerk and treasurer are not elected offices, so there is no ballot spot for those. There are three seats for 4-year terms on the village board, however, so Aaron Miller, Jimmie Ray Harrelson and Kevin Vaughn will be seated as trustees.
Ralph Billington is on the ballot for a single 2-year unexpired term as trustee.
Townships
There are very few contests for Hamilton County township offices, but there are at least candidates to fill most offices.
In Beaver Creek Township, Jason R. Woodrow will be supervisor, Sean York will be clerk, and Vuel York will be highway commissioner. On the board of trustees, four seats will be filled by four candidates: Steve Braden, Jake Welch, Nathan Birkner and Luke Thomas.
In Crook Township, Sharon Wilson will be supervisor, and Peggy Vaupel will be
clerk.
However there is a race for highway commissioner: Wilburn E. Wheeler faces Kyle Poore for that position.
Trustees will be Bernard Mitchell, Alan Thompson, Randy Barnett and Brad Miller.
In Crouch Township, Jackie Rubenacker will be supervisor, Kenneth Grubb will be clerk, and Alan Wellen will be highway commissioner. On the board of trustees, it’s four for four, with Richard Hatfield, Ronnie Webb, Dwayne L. Smith and James M. Allen will be seated.
Dahlgren Township has one race, and that’s for highway commissioner: Ronald Winternheimer and James C. Shelton both seek that office. Otherwise, John S. Ewald will be supervisor, and Aaron M. Perryman will be clerk. Four will be selected for trustee on the board, and those will be John. W. Rapp, Mark S. Miller, Rodney L. Trotter and David B. Gage.
Highway commissioner is also a popular office in Flannigan Township: Richard Flannigan and Loyd Darnell are both seeking that office there. For township supervisor, Mark McDaniel is alone on the ballot, as is Trey McDaniel for clerk. Flint B. Taylor, Frank Roper, Brian Magsig and Winston Maxwell will all be seated as trustees.
There’s also a race for township clerk in Knight’s Prairie Township – Bret Webb and Chuck Hart are contending for that. Further, the office of highway commissioner is being sought by two: Tony Steele and Tad Ziehm.
Four will be selected from the field of five in Knight’s Prairie for the board of trustees: Phillip Payne, Sam Myers, Chad Erwin, Matt Schilling and Jim Bowling.
Lewis Winemiller will be seated as supervisor, as he’s the only one in Knight’s Prairie alone on the ballot.
In Mayberry Township, there are no challenges for any of the offices, but there’s at least a full slate with no blanks. Michael S. Simpson will be supervisor; Anna Lee Short, clerk, and Charles R. Healy, highway commissioner. On the board of trustees, Roy Clark, Stewart Phelps, Tyler Sidwell and Donna Brinkley will be seated.
McLeansboro Township is one of the few where there is a blank, for that of township assessor. Otherwise, Clydus Gray will take the supervisor position; Richard H. Woods, clerk; and Bob Drake, highway commissioner. On the board of trustees, these candidates will be seated: Kyle Ingram, Rebecca Sue Cross, Jamie Ellis and Dennis Johnson.
South Crouch Township has no contests: Dennis “Doc” Lynch will be supervisor; Virginia Rubenacker, clerk, and Troy Rubenacker, highway commissioner. The board of trustees will be Dustin Parmley, Brenda Thomas, Darin Webb and Kenneth Waier.
South Flannigan Township has the same situation: Cindy Thompson will be supervisor, Bruce Adkisson will be clerk, Shannon McFarland, highway commissioner. James E. Sullivan, Gary E. Thompson, Bruce D. Christian and Lucas Adkisson will compose the board of trustees.
They’re short a candidate for South Twigg Township board of trustees, but a write-in spot might take care of the matter: James H. Davis Jr., Steven Douglass and Sarah Davis are otherwise on the ballot for that board. Bryan Logan O’Neal will be supervisor; Mary Kaye Davis, clerk; and George H. Logan Jr., highway commissioner.
In Twigg Township, there’s interest in the board of trustees, where six seek four seats: Shane Barker, Rex Hall, Sherry Henderson, James Parker, Cal Muehlenbein, and JR Lee are on the ticket.
There’s also a contest for highway commissioner in Twigg; Jeffery T. Wheeler and Randall D. Price face off for that.
Otherwise, Ron Smith will be supervisor; and Vickie Muehlenbein, clerk, in Twigg.
There are no candidates for any of the multi-township assessor positions.
Library district and
school district overlaps
Other library districts with overlaps in Hamilton will have some candidates on the ballot.
Eldorado Memorial Public Library District, Galatia Public Library District, and Norris City Memorial Public Library District will each have trustees on some of HamCo’s ballots; not all, however.
In school districts, Akin Community Consolidated Grade School District 1 has three 4-year terms available: David Shelton, Jeff Wilkerson and James Mark Genet seek those.
Eldorado Community Unit School District (CUSD) 4 will choose Austin Bradley, David Bartok, Ron Bradley and Keith Oglesby for the board of education there.
Galatia CUSD 1 will select Robert J. Pigg and Elaine Jackson on their overlap in Hamilton.
Hamilton County CUSD 10, however, has a contest: four 4-year terms are being sought by Jeff Lueke, Danny Anselment, Clint W. Ragan, Bob Gray, Chris Howton, Francis E. Benbrook and C. Devan Welch, along with one write-in spot, are all on the ballot.
Norris City-Omaha-Enfield (NCOE) CUSD 3 is an overlap, and four can be voted upon by those Hamilton County residents who find it on their ballots: Bart Henson, Mike Hite, Karen Weiss, Joe Lane and Scott Riggs.
Thompsonville CUSD 174 will be on some HamCo ballots, with Natalie K. Dixon, Michael A. Miller, Krista McFarland Shelby and John Bush up for four 4-year terms.
Wayne City CUSD 100 will be on north Hamilton ballot, and four of six will be chosen: Brandon Thomason, Kirk Barnard, Asley Musgrave, Teresa White, Clinton Lane and Michael Ehrhart are the six.
At Benton Consolidated High School District 103 on the ballots of those in west Hamilton, three will be chosen from four: Robin S. LaBuwi, Mark D. Minor, Ronald E. Slayton and Mark Franklin.
Hamilton is in Illinois Eastern Community College’s taxing District, as well as Rend Lake’s and Southeastern Illinois Community College’s districts, so trustees for those will be on overlapping ballots.
The Regional Board of School Trustees covers Hamilton, with John Metcalf from their county joining Larry E. Peterson, Les Oyler, Fred Blessing, Tim Scates, Patrick Abell and Suzanne Dutton on the ballot.
A diversion here is the Regional Board of School Trustees for points further south and west from HamCo: Franklin, Johnson, Massac and Williamson, where Louis I. Parker, Wesley D. Lehman, David Goss and Shawn Tuthill are on the ballot.
Fire and water
At the end or Dahlgren’s ballot will be trustees to be seated for Dahlgren Fire District, Micheal Hart and Sueann Wilkerson.
And there’s an Akin Water District for those with an Akin ballot, and seven are on for seven slots on that board: James Sullivan, CL Carlile, Gaylen Jackson, Jason Bennett, Derek Johnson, Dennis Summers and Dennis Clark.