Kirkwood Raided

Carbondale Police raided the home of Kevin Kirkwood, owner of the Icebox Bar & Grill, in a search for a recording Kirkwood says he made of a conversation he had with former C'dale mayor Brad Cole, regarding Kirkwood's attempts to obtain a liquor license for the restaurant.  Under Illinois law, it is illegal to record a conversation without the knowldege of all parties concerned, so if Kirkwood did record the conversation with Cole, he is looking at a felony charge.  That probably accounts for his backtracking in the June 7th story, where he says it was a mental recording:

I’m saying I did not (record the conversation),” Kirkwood said. “I have a mental recording of every conversation that I have, especially dealing with this liquor license situation.

This bit from the story is also quite interesting, as Kirkwood claims he was originally contacted by the C'dale police seeking the recording as evidence in a corruption investigation of Brad Cole:

Kirkwood said shortly after the article was published, two officers showed up at his barbershop, Illusions, and gave the impression they needed his help. He said Lt. Stan Reno told him an investigation was being conducted on Cole for corruption and they needed his assistance. Kirkwood said he received a phone call a few days later from Reno in which the lieutenant asked for an SD card that contained the recording.
“I told them, ‘I don’t know where it’s at. I can’t find it,’ because in all actuality, there wasn’t a real recording of me and Brad talking,” Kirkwood said.

If this is true, it's the first I've heard of  any investigation of Brad Cole's activities while mayor.

Kevin Clark

Had the opportunity to sit down for a few minutes with council candidate Kevin clark for a few minutes and quiz him his campaign:

Why are you running?

I’ve developed a lot of relationships in the community and feel I have a sense of what people would like to see happen in Carbondale. With my background in both business and community organizing, I have a good blend of both social service and business understanding. I like being involved in the community and feel I would be very good as a city councilman.

Why vote for you?

I would bring a perspective to city council that may not be there currently. I feel like I represent a good portion of the Carbondale community. I have the perspective of a SIUC student, business owner and resident.

How do you see the relationship between SIUC and Carbondale?

Communication between the two is important. At times, it seems like both are working on the same problem without talking to each other about it.

What are the issues you think are most important?

Housing, economic development and communication. Carbondale needs safe, affordable housing. Housing inspections are critical. Landlords should be encouraged to continually reinvest in their properties. Purchasing by the ci ty should be done locally as much as possible and businesses should be encouraged to participate. Finally, we need to improve communication between residents of the community, SIUC and city government. I will attend Undergraduate Student Government and Graduate and Professional Student Council meetings on a monthly basis to listen to what they have to say. I will concentrate on being approachable, working within the strictures of city government. I want to go to where people are, rather than have them come to me.

Anything else?

Individuals need to come out. This (election) is very important. The city council spends your tax money and you should have a say in it.

Kevin Clark's Platform

From the mailer he sent out last week:

Housing
-promote safe neighborhoods
-support housing inspections
-support neighborhood preservation

Economic Development
-promote local business
-cultivate living wage employment
-provide youth development programs

Communication
-serve as a safe-haven where community members can present thoughts and concerns
-reciprocal communication between and among city government, SIUC and the larger Carbondale community
--Active listening, which fosters collaboration and productivity.

Kevin Clark

Good article on candidate Kevin Clark's meet 'n greet last Saturday at Longbranch.

Meet Kevin Clark

The city council candidates are starting to come out and Kevin Clark is quite the busy man. He will also be in the backroom of the backroom of the Longbranch Coffeehouse in downtown Carbondale this Saturday from 4-6 pm. The Longbranch will host this meeting so that Kevin can answer questions and talk about issues that he cares about in Carbondale.