Council Elections

 Potential candidates for mayor and city council can start picking up petitions at City Hall. Petitions are due between the 19 and 26 of October with the earlier you get your petition in, the higher you get listed on the ballot.

Notice is hereby given that the Carbondale City Clerk’s Office, located at 200 South Illinois Avenue, Carbondale, Illinois, will accept nominating petitions for one (1) four-year Mayoral term and three (3) four-year City Council member terms for the 2027 Consolidated Election held on April 6, 2027 (or the Primary Election held on February 23, 2027, if necessary). The dates and hours during which petitions will be accepted are as follows:

Monday, October 19.             8:00 am – 12:00 pm, 1:00 pm -5:00 pm

Tuesday, October 20             8:00 am – 12:00 pm, 1:00 pm -5:00 pm

Wednesday, October 21        8:00 am – 12:00 pm, 1:00 pm -5:00 pm

Thursday, October 22            8:00 am – 12:00 pm, 1:00 pm -5:00 pm

Friday, October 23                 8:00 am – 12:00 pm, 1:00 pm -5:00 pm

Monday, October 26              8:00 am – 12:00 pm, 1:00 pm -5:00 pm

Candidate Meet & Question

 From several posts on social media

The League of Women Voters is hosting TWO virtual candidate forums next month for the upcoming election! First, next Friday, October 2nd we will meet with candidates for Illinois State Representative for the 118th District, Chip Markel and Scott Doody. Then on Monday, October 12th we will meet candidates for the First Judicial Circuit Court for Jackson County, Ben Reed and Jamie Snyder. Each forum will help us learn about each candidates' qualifications and the duties of each office.

Registration is required for each Zoom forum! The forums will also be streamed to the Carbondale Public Library’s YouTube channel and Facebook page for later viewing.

118th Illinois House District Candidate Forum

Friday, October 2nd at 6:00PM (on Zoom)

Register here: https://us02web.zoom.us/.../WN_eoYxJZwPS4m-Vhht3tbz1Q...

First Judicial Circuit Court for Jackson County Candidate Forum

Monday, October 12th at 6:00PM (on Zoom)

Register here: https://us02web.zoom.us/.../reg.../WN_hoWQk7-ATQCEju8kE3Ld1Q

The League of Women Voters, a nonpartisan political organization, encourages informed and active participation in government, works to increase understanding of major public policy issues, and influences public policy through education and advocacy. Learn more on the library's website: https://carbondalepubliclibrary.org/series/lwv/

Heritage Motel Sign

  I wish the city would contact the owners of the Heritage Motel and offer a grant or some other co-operation to repair the sign.  The Heritage is the last remaining non-chain motel in Carbondale and its sign is a reminder of an era when local owners competed to have the most eyecatching sign in order to pull in traveling motorists.

Unfortunately, what is happening is that the sign is slowly deteriorating and, instead of stepping in to address the problem, the city will likely wait until the sign is past the point of repair and require the owner to remove it, which will also remove one more bit of Carbondale history.

Diederich Insurance Building

 SIH has pulled down yet another building, this time the Diederich Insurance building, which it appears the company sold when it combined its operations to one location in Marion.  More parking for Memorial Hospital?

Notifications

 If you want to get alerts from the city, here is the link to set up your profile as to what sor of noticies you will receive.

The City of Carbondale uses the CivicPlus Mass Notification System to send emergency and routine alerts and notifications to help you stay informed about what matters most, whether it’s a weather warning, a public safety update, or important community news.

You can choose how you want to receive alerts: by text, email, voice call, or mobile app. It’s fast, reliable, and designed to keep you connected.

Sign up today or modify your existing notification profile to include weather alerts at: https://www.explorecarbondale.com/939/Alerts-Notifications.

Trick or Treating Hours

 Good

Mayor Carolin Harvey has proclaimed Saturday, October 31, from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. as the official "Trick-or-Treat" hours for Carbondale.

Residents wishing to welcome "trick-or-treaters" should illuminate their porch and exterior lights. It is recommended that "trick-or-treaters" wear reflective tape or clothing and that parents check all treats for potentially harmful objects.  

SIUC Parent's Weekend

 SIUC's Parent Weekend was pretty quiet this year. It took place the last weekend, the 11th and 12th and I did not realize it was Parent's weekend until about mid-day on Saturday, so little in town promotion was there. You would think the university would reach out to downtown and make certain there were signange and banners up announcing the event but, aside from a few posts on social media, I saw nothing until, as I said, late on Saturday.  Here is hoping Homecoming gets a lot more promotion.