And They're Off

First filings for mayor and city council today. Reason for doing it now? First filers get first placement on the ballot so since these folks filed at the same time, a lottery determines placement:

At 8:00 a.m. this morning, three (3) candidates filed their nominating petitions for Mayor of Carbondale and four (4) candidates filed their nominating petitions for Carbondale City Council Member.

Alphabetically, the candidates who have filed their nominating petitions for Mayor are:

Joel Fritzler, 123 South Violet Lane

Sam Goldman, 504 Lexington Court

George Maroney, 37 Pinewood Drive

Since these candidates all filed at the same time, a lottery for ballot placement will be held on Tuesday, November 23, at 3:30 p.m. in the City Clerk's Office. Only these three candidates will be involved in the lottery to determine the order in which these names will appear on the ballot. Candidates who subsequently file for Mayor will appear on the ballot in the order in which their nominating petitions are received.

Alphabetically, the four candidates who filed their nominating petitions for City Council Member are:

Jane Adams, 606 West Elm Street

Lee M. Fronabarger, 1140 Morningside Drive

John Holt, 406 South Oakland Avenue

Donald Monty, 418 South Giant City Road

Since these Council candidates all filed at the same time, these candidates will also be included in a lottery for ballot placement on November 23rd. Candidates who subsequently file for City Council will appear on the ballot in the order in which their petitions are received.

If five (5) or more candidates file for Mayor, a primary election will be held on Tuesday, February 22, 2011. The primary election will narrow the field to four (4) candidates for Mayor, with the four candidates appearing on the April 5th General Election ballot. Ballot placement for the General Election is determined by the number of votes received in the primary election, with the highest vote-getter placed first on the ballot, the second highest vote-getter placed second on the ballot, etc..

If thirteen (13) or more candidates file for City Council member, a primary election will also be held for Council Member to narrow the field to twelve (12) candidates. Again, ballot placement for the candidates advancing to the General Election will be determined by the number of votes received in the primary.

The period for filing nominating petitions for Mayor and/or City Council extends through 5:00 p.m. on Monday, November 22nd. Nomination packets remain available for pick up in the City Clerk's Office, Room 165 of Carbondale City Hall, 200 South Illinois Avenue.