Published on December 17 2018 6:16 am
Last Updated on December 17 2018 6:17 am
“A campaign of positive energy, ideas, and reform” is being unveiled officially this week by Scott Ealy, longtime Effingham attorney and community volunteer. Ealy filed his petitions of candidacy for the office of Mayor of Effingham on Friday afternoon.
“I’ve been speaking with people, and, most importantly, I’ve been listening,” said Ealy, 58, a private attorney who also frequently receives and accepts court appointment in legal matters.
On Monday, Ealy announced several tentative goals for the Office of Mayor, a comprehensive plan which he says is subject to future improvement and revision based on citizen input.
Scott Ealy and his wife, Susan, reside in Effingham. She is a registered dietitian at HSHS St. Anthony’s Memorial Hospital. They attend St. Anthony Catholic Church. They volunteer together as Wish Granters for the Make-A-Wish organization and also devote time on behalf of Blessings In A Backpack. They are frequently seen jogging together during local and regional 5K charity running events.
Scott Ealy also serves as host and master of ceremonies on behalf of area Relay For Life activities.
Ealy is a graduate of Sacred Heart Grade School and Effingham High School. He earned as Associate in Applied Science Degree from Lake Land College and his Bachelor’s degree from University of Illinois – Springfield. He achieved his Juris Doctorate degree in Law from Mississippi College School of Law in Jackson in 1993, at which time he immediately returned to the Effingham area.
Ealy is a former adjunct professor of State & Local Government at Lake Land College.
In state government, Ealy served as a division manager for Illinois Information Service (Central Management Services) in the administration of then Governor James R. Thompson. Ealy served previously as an aide to Jim Edgar, then Illinois’ Secretary of State. Upon attaining his law degree, Ealy served the Secretary of State’s office as a legal representative in the office of Administrative Hearings.
Ealy currently serves as legal counsel for Summit Township.
He served in earlier days as incorporating attorney for Effingham County Habitat for Humanity. Other past involvements include service as a board member and volunteer for the Effingham County Humane Society and Ballard Nature Center in Altamont.
Ealy served as an appointed board member and, later, chairman of the Effingham County Mental Health Board for many years. Under Ealy’s guidance, mental health funding in the county was shared among local private service providers for the first time, rather than being distributed solely to one agency.
From 2013-2015, Ealy served as First Assistant State’s Attorney of Effingham County. He assisted in prosecuting the “Willow Long” case, among other matters. Ealy also was among the initial volunteer searchers for the then missing child, whose body was discovered many hours later following an exhaustive community search in rural Effingham County.
Under State’s Attorney Bryan M. Kibler, Ealy organized the county’s first Heroin / Opioids Task Force, which resulted in the community’s first formal public discussion on the issue. Ealy submitted a plan of local proactivity, which included the later-implemented use of lifesaving Narcan by first responders in the area. Ealy has had a lifelong involvement in the battle against substance abuse and addiction. This year alone, he has funded and conducted a private radio campaign in the Effingham area to encourage drug-free lifestyles.
Ealy once testified before the Illinois House Judiciary Committee in support of a legislative plan to promote drug-free accountability and advocacy by Illinois teens.
As a radio news reporter for many years, Ealy has produced broadcast work aired throughout the state via sources including Illinois Information Service, Illinois Public Radio, and, previously, the Illinois Farm Bureau Radio Network. In 1992 while in law school, Ealy provided nationwide coverage of Mississippi Supreme Court oral arguments in the resurrected civil rights era murder case of People v. de la Beckwith for the CBS Radio Network.
Ealy retains a number of contacts throughout government and media in the State of Illinois, which he believes can help to better serve the community.
“Over the years, I have worked with people from all walks of life in almost every imaginable circumstance – from ‘every day’ matters to hurricane relief,” Ealy said. “When people have needed help or a voice, I’ve been there. I would be very privileged to be able to continue my life’s work in a new role, that of Mayor for the City of Effingham.”