[Peace] Preventing Urbana Citizens from having a Voice!

[Jan & Durl Kruse]

MAYOR PRUSSING ATTEMPTS TO CIRCUMVENT THE PEOPLE AGAIN!!!

On May 23rd a petition containing 28 township resident signatures was  
filed with Phyllis Clark, the Urbana City & Township Clerk, calling  
for a Special Township meeting to discuss and vote to place the  
following two non-binding advisory referendum on the November 4th  
ballot:

1.   ”Shall the Urbana City Council place a binding referendum on the  
ballot asking voters if they want to change the voting method used in  
municipal primary and general elections to Instant Runoff Voting?”

Ø     Instant Runoff Voting allows voters to rank order candidates as  
to their preference, 1st choice, 2nd choice, etc.

Ø     Once the vote is counted, if no candidate has received at least  
50% of the vote an electronic runoff is initiated.

Ø     The candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated and the  
second choice votes on those ballots are then counted.

Ø     This process continues until one of the candidates receives at  
least 50% of the votes cast.

2. “Shall Cunningham Township and the City of Urbana post all  
contracts and itemized expenses on their websites so that taxpayers  
can see how their money is being spent?”


On Friday June 6, as required by the township code, Urbana Citizens  
for IRV was notified by Phyllis Clark that she had scheduled the  
Special Township meeting for 6:00 pm on Monday, June 30th at Urbana  
City Hall.  This Special Meeting was to be conducted much like past  
Annual Town Meetings where the residents of the Township/City conduct  
the meeting and make decisions free of the control of elected  
officials.  This was to be a grassroots participatory democratic  
effort to place advisory referendum on the ballot.  Arrangements were  
also made to have this meeting broadcast live on UPTV Cable Channel 6  
so that the public could watch.

“OBSTRUCTIONIST ACTION TAKEN BY THE MAYOR TO “SHORT-CIRCUIT JUNE 30  
MEETING”


Surprisingly on Friday, June 13th N-G Reporter Mike Monson informed  
me that around 5:00 pm he received an email from Mayor Prussing’s  
office announcing a new additional Special Township Meeting.  This  
was to be held this upcoming Monday, June 16 at 7:00 pm.  The sole  
purpose of this special meeting was for the “Township Board” to  
discuss and vote to place the following three advisory referenda on  
the November 4th ballot.  Clearly the Mayor was attempting to have  
HER OWN Township meeting before June 30th.  (You can read Mike  
Monson’s story on page 3 of Saturday’s N-G).

1. Do you support restrictions on the use of cell phones by drivers  
and bicyclists using public streets and by pedestrians crossing  
streets who become so engrossed in their phone conversation that they  
are a danger to themselves and others?

2. Shall the method of election of officers in Cunningham Township be  
maintained as currently established so that the candidate with the  
greatest number of votes is elected?
3. Shall Cunningham Township continue to provide financial  
information and assessment information that meets or exceeds all  
legal requirements for full disclosure and add new methods by request  
of individuals so long as it will not add undue expense?


Upon calling several city council/township board members Friday night  
and Saturday, I learned they had not yet received their informational  
board packets.  Some had not yet read the wording of the three  
referenda being proposed by the Mayor, did not know why the mayor was  
pressing this issue so quickly and secretively, and were not aware of  
the potential conflict the Mayor’s “Newly called Township Meeting”  
was creating with the already scheduled June 30th Special Township  
meeting.  One council member stated in an email from the mayor, she  
clearly implied that her action was to “short-circuit” the June 30th  
meeting. Since only three advisory referenda can legally be placed on  
a ballot, her three would now take precedent over the two being  
discussed at the June 30th meeting, thus making the outcome of the  
June 30th meeting MOOT.  Obviously the Mayor simply does not want  
citizens to put advisory referendum on the ballot she can’t control!

IF YOU ARE STUNNED AND TROUBLED BY THE MAYOR’S ACTION, PLEASE  
CONSIDER CALLING OR EMAILING HER BEFORE MONDAY’S EVENING MEETING TO  
EXPRESS YOUR CONCERN.  INFORMING YOUR WARD REPRESENTATIVE OF YOUR  
CONCERN WOULD ACTUALLY BE MORE HELPFUL BECAUSE THE MAYOR NEEDS THEIR  
SUPPORT TO MOVE FORWARD WITH THIS OUTRAGEOUS PLAN.  THEY TOO NEED TO  
HEAR FROM THEIR CONSTITUENTS.  FINALLY ATTEND MONDAY NIGHT’S MEETING  
AT 7:00 PM TO WITNESS THE PROCEEDINGS AND/OR MAKE A PUBLIC COMMENT.

Phone numbers and emails of the mayor and city council can be easily  
found at the city’s website:  www.city.urbana.il.us

Thank you for caring about grassroots democracy!
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