A decision is imminent for Aaron O. Ammon's replacement on the Urbana City Council, representing Ward 3. The applicants made statements at the most recent Urbana City Council meeting (video available here). The News-Gazette covered the meeting in Tuesday's paper:
Finalists make their case to fill Ammons' seat on Urbana councilFull article with excerpts of their statements here. Full video of the statements here on the Urbana City Government website. The News-Gazette also had some Q & A with the applicants in today's paper on gun violence, historic preservation, housing development, and their top issue:
The search for Champaign County Clerk Aaron Ammons' replacement on the Urbana City Council is over, and Mayor Diane Marlin will decide Monday who will take his place and represent the city's majority-black Ward 3.
Marlin announced Monday that at next week's council meeting, she will choose among five residents to fill the council's vacant seat: Elderess Melinda Carr, the Rev. Courtney Caruthers, Josh Acree, Shirese Hursey or Stacie Burnett.
Following his Nov. 6 election to the county clerk position, Ammons began holding community meetings to find residents interested in replacing him on the council. On Monday, he said he has had multiple conversations with the applicants — except Acree — and urged Marlin to pick a woman, saying he believes "there should be another female voice on the council."
What's your No. 1 issue?
Carr: Making the city work for the people. The city can't function without the people.
Acree: Urbana really needs to focus on the budget and bringing in more tax revenue from different sources, whether that be housing or business development. We need to work with the existing business community to make sure we do it smart, and give them what they need to succeed while also not throwing citizens under the bus.
Burnett: I would like to see more minority-owned businesses and an increase in minority home ownership on the north end. It would help stabilize some of the issues in Ward 3.
Caruthers: To raise the quality of life in the third ward by giving our young people a safe place to recreate, getting proper developers to come to this area and bring business, encourage people to seek higher quality education and better after-school care to help parents out.
Hursey: I would really like for there to be a full-service grocery store in the north end. When I was growing up, we had two — one in Champaign and one in Urbana, both IGA grocery stores that closed down. There hasn't been a grocery store in the north end since I was probably in junior high school.
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