Springfield’s mayor has nominated a community organizer to fill the vacancy on the city council. Roy Williams, Jr., was selected to take over for State Sen
Langfelder Nominates Roy Williams, Jr To Fill Ward 3 Vacancy wmay.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from wmay.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Five candidates vying for seats in two subdistricts in Springfield School District 186 tackled a host of questions from representative teaching and administrative staffs to getting students back to classes safely in the COVID-19 pandemic to equity in facilities across the district in a forum Thursday evening.
Three of the candidates Erica Austin and Michael Washington in Subdistrict 6 and Buffy Lael-Wolf in Subdistrict 5 are political newcomers. Tiffany Mathis is looking to win her first election in Subdistrict 5 after being appointed to the seat in 2019 while Tom Shafer is making another run in Subdistrict 6 where he lost to Judith Johnson in 2017.
The virtual forum was sponsored by the Faith Coalition for the Common Good and the League of Women Voters of Illinois Springfield Area ahead of the April 6 consolidated election. Thursday marked the first day of early voting in the election.
The Faith Coalition for the Common Good and the League of Women Voters of Illinois Springfield Area will host a virtual forum for Springfield District 186 school board candidates from Subdistricts 5 and 6 at 6 p.m. Thursday.
There are contested races in those subdistricts in the April 6 consolidated election while two other incumbents are running unopposed.
The forum will be moderated by Jim Leach, the news and program director at WMAY-AM.
Each term is for two years. In 2023, all seven seats will be up for election, reflective of the 2020 census.
In Subdistrict 6, three candidates are vying for an open seat due to the retirement of Judith Johnson, who has served on the board for the last 20 years.
One of the key components of the Legislative Black Caucus’ police reform package is the requirement that all Illinois police officers be equipped with body worn cameras by 2025, but local police chiefs are worried about paying for the mandate.
House Bill 3653 was the criminal justice pillar of the Black Caucus’ legislative agenda that passed during the lame duck legislative session on Jan. 13. In addition to requiring body cameras, the bill also ended cash bail, reformed use of force by police and increased training requirements for officers.
“I get where the legislature is coming from. The problem I have is the unfunded mandate,” said Chatham Police Chief Vern Foli.