A Look at the Candidates for Effingham City Council

The four City Commissioner seats on the Effingham City Council will be filled in Tuesday's election.

The four incumbents...Merv Gillenwater, Larry Micenheimer and Libby Moeller...are all seeking re-election. There are two other candidates...former Council member Don Althoff as well as Dustin Brown.

Incumbent Mayor Mike Schutzbach is unopposed for re-election.

Here is information on the Commissioner candidates:

MERV GILLENWATER--

Background and qualifications: US Army veteran, Business degree at Eastern Illinois University, work at Coles County Sheriff's Department, Investigator for Illinois State Police Division of Criminal Investigation, instructor at Lake Land College Kluthe Center, 12 years as Effingham City Commissioner, one term as Effingham mayor. 

Gillenwater said, "I feel with my background in management, in education, and in prior service on the City Council, I have the skills necessary to continue to be a city commissioner. I believe I have proven over my time serving on the City Council that I have the best interest of the citizens of Effingham at heart, and I promise I will continue to work hard for whatever is in their best interest."

As far as the key issues heading into the new Council term, Gillenwater said they are employment, lack of employees to fill jobs, and adequate housing for the employees.

DON ALTHOFF--

Why are you running for a seat on the Effingham City Council? 'My main goal is to ensure that the people of Effingham have representation who will listen.  I think it is important to listen to all the sides of any issue and then evaluate the options to find a solution that will work best for all of us.  I am a lifelong resident of Effingham, my wife and I raised our kids here because Effingham is a great place.  I want to serve on the City Council to pay it forward and make things even better for the next generation."

What do you feel are your qualifications for office? "I have previously served on the Effingham County Board and Effingham City Council. I have successfully owned and operated several businesses. I also served as a Volunteer Fire Fighter for 35 years. I was in a group that initiated interest in resurrecting the Heart Theatre. I was a co-founder of the CTEC (Construction Trade Education Curriculum) which has been very successful in placing students in construction jobs."

What are two significant issues you feel will face the next City Council? 

What do you feel are your qualifications for office? "My participation the past 20 years with so many organizations and initiatives illustrate my passion for Effingham-passion is an important qualification. I enjoyed my time on the Plan Commission and Zoning Board of Appeals, it allowed me to dip my toe in the water before diving in on City Council four years ago. I have learned more about municipal policies and procedures, funding sources, safety issues, forecasting, and so many other pieces regarding city government the past four years serving on the council. I have learned a lot from Mike, Larry, Hank, and Merv-most of it has been useful! This current council really gelled, and we have always been civil and cordial even when we don’t agree. Being stymied by COVID was frustrating- we were not able to accomplish as much as we wanted as a council. I believe my experience with the city coupled with being a full-time working woman that is juggling a busy family with kids lining up to leave the nest is a unique and important perspective and qualification no one else on the ballot has."

What are two significant issues you feel will face the next City Council, and how would you like to address those issues? "Housing- we continue to discuss and work on hashing out short range, mid-range and long range solutions collaboratively with stakeholders and individuals interested in participating in this vital conversation. I hear and understand when area residents tell me affordable housing means something different to everyone. Our economic development team has made great strides recently-it’s a marathon not a sprint. Solutions need to be thoughtful and well executed not slapped together to check boxes and that takes time.

"Infrastructure-I always thought it was super boring and I’ve come to be completely fascinated by it all. Quality of life for our citizens depends on proper infrastructure-from our streets, to the water treatment plant to the technology our 911 telecommunicators are using and everything in between. Our departments are always working to keep up with the rapid pace of technology and how new technology can maintain and improve infrastructure while remaining economically sound. Progress is very difficult with poor infrastructure. Municipalities can grow and evolve with excellent infrastructure in place."

DUSTIN BROWN--(We received information from Dustin over the weekend) 

Why are you running for a seat on the Effingham City Council? "First and foremost, I am a lifelong resident of this community and Effingham is my home.  As such,  I want to make sure I am doing everything within my ability to make our City the very best place for families and business alike to grow and thrive as we continue to make this community even better." 2) What do you feel are your qualifications for office? "I feel my qualifications come from two major areas.  First, as I mentioned, I am a lifelong resident which allows me understand the unique history and needs of our community.  We must remember our citizens and local businesses as we advance and grow in order to maintain the little nuances that make our town so wonderful to live, work, and play in.  Secondly, I believe as a successful small business owner and my management of another local business, has provided with a host of contacts and relationships with leaders and experts in various avenues of business and development in the area.  These relationships are important in business and in city management.  Being able to have the best and brightest minds to call on for ideas and opinions are key to making the tough decisions our Council needs to make as we move forward." 3) What are two significant issues you feel will face the next City Council, and how would you like to address those issues? "I think as we continue to grow, housing will be a predominant issue affecting citizens just as it is now.  I think we need to look at building and development incentives for affordable housing projects and subdivisions.  This housing issue certainly impacts another significant issue in which employers of all sizes are unable to find employees.   Bringing quality affordable housing to the area to fill job vacancies across every sector of the labor market is critical in continuing to both grow businesses and higher earning wage opportunities."

LARRY MICENHEIMER--

Why are you running for a seat on the City Council? "I gave the decision to run for City Council a lot of thought and prayer. Elected officials can run out of new ideas and lose their enthusiasm and energy. I am convinced that the next four years will be incredibly important in the continued growth and development of Effingham. There's a lot to be accomplished and I'm excited for the next four years"

What do you feel makes you qualified to serve on the Council? "I feel is am uniquely qualified to be a City Council member because of my diverse background of work experiences with the school district, the park district and volunteer activities. I've learned that no one person has all the answers to difficult problems. I've learned to be a good listener, to seek out others opinions, and collaborate with team members to form a plan of action. I've learned to accept collective decisions to be superior to individual opinions."

What will be two key issues for the next Council? "At this time, i feel the critical shortage of housing and the legal status of the Village Square Mall are major issues facing the City of Effingham. The housing shortage can be addressed in several ways. Infrastructure improvements of water, sewer and streets will encourage residential development in available properties. Tax abatements, sales tax relief, and other financial incentives will help prospective homebuyers. The Village Square Mall foreclosure will be resolved with continued legal efforts to force judicial action to force the mall owners to sell the property to an entity who will make the mall a community asset."

HANK STEPHENS--

Why are you running for a seat on the Effingham City Council? "Dating back to 1979, I have been involved with the Effingham City government in some capacity, as City Commissioner (8 years), City Attorney (19 years), and economic development adviser (6 years). When I was elected to the Council in 2019, I really thought I would serve a four year term and that would be it for me. Four years later, I realized how much I have enjoyed being a part of the City that I believe has been one of the most dynamic cities in downstate Illinois, and so I decided to run for another four-year term. We have a lot of great things going on in Effingham, and I would like to contribute what I can to a continuation of the success our community has had over the past forty plus years."

What do you feel are your qualifications for office? "I believe my bachelor’s degree in government from SIU-Carbondale and my law degree from the University of Illinois have served me well in my years with the City. My many years with the City have given me a great working knowledge of how things work in City government as well as a unique perspective on how to continue the success that Effingham has enjoyed. I feel I have demonstrated an ability to get people and organizations working together to achieve common goals."

What are two significant issues you feel will face the next City Council, and how would you address those? "If I had to pick just two areas, the first would be the challenge that we have in providing housing as well as day care options so that we can have the people to fill the workforce needs of our local companies. We have had a great deal of success in attracting good jobs into our community, and now we must insure that we have residential opportunities for the workforce. I believe our recently enacted residential element to our Enterprise Zone will go a long way toward addressing this need. The second area would be to continue to address the long-standing inequity between the property taxes paid by City residents vs. non-City residents. In the past four years, we have had some success in lowering the rate that City residents pay for property taxes, and I would like to continue and accelerate that trend in the coming four years."