2018/10/01 - Mayor's Column: Upcoming Local Elections
“An Open Door to O’Fallon”
A Weekly Note from Mayor Herb Roach
O’Fallon has always been fortunate to have many good individuals interested in serving the community, either as elected officials, or as volunteers on various city-wide committees or organizations.
When someone mentions “elections” most people immediately think about the upcoming elections in November, which includes big races involving our federal and state representatives. However, there will also be elections April 2, 2019 that will have a great impact on O’Fallon. Next April, the City of O’Fallon will have eight positions on the City Council (out of fourteen) up for election.
Petitions are now available for those that are interested in serving on the City Council and are willing to dedicate their time and skills to help lead the direction of our wonderful city.
In April 2019, there will be one four-year seat available in each of O’Fallon’s Wards, except for Ward 5, which will have two available seats, one four-year seat and one two-year seat due to a mid-term resignation.
As of Friday, September 28, 2018, petitions have been taken out for the following seats on the City Council:
- Ward 1: one petition picked up; one seat available
- Ward 2: two petitions picked up; one seat available
- Ward 3: three petitions picked up; one seat available
- Ward 4: three petitions picked up; one seat available
- Ward 5: one petition picked up; two seats available
- Ward 6: one petition picked up; one seat available
- Ward 7: one petition picked up; one seat available
Individuals wanting to run for City Council must be registered voters, at least eighteen years of age, and have lived in the ward they are running in for at least one year at the time of the election. Petitions are available now at City Hall. Candidates must turn them in December 10-17, 2018 in order to be placed on the ballot.
If you are interested in what ward you live in, please go http://ofallon.maps.arcgis.com/home/webmap/viewer.html?webmap=3bf535e5c0444be3be3a959346fd56af.
I also want to remind everyone that the next City-wide Town Hall Meeting will be held at City Hall on Wednesday, October 17th, beginning at 6:30 p.m. We will go over a number of items, including the results of the recently completed National Citizen’s Survey.
On a separate note, The O’Fallon Police Department has adopted a new program entitled, “LOCK IT or LOSE IT”. The intent of the program is to promote awareness in hopes of eliminating thefts from automobiles occurring in the City of O’Fallon. The O’Fallon Police Department has currently investigated several thefts from vehicles, in which many of the vehicles were unlocked. Items taken in these quickly committed crimes range from spare change to wallets, personal/business documents, electronics, and firearms
In most, if not all instances, this type of crime can be prevented by simply locking car doors, assuring all the windows are completely shut, removing all valuable items, keeping change and charging cords out of sight, and never leave keys inside the vehicle.
Getting in the mindset of locking doors to your home, garages, and vehicles is the first step of minimizing the chance of becoming a crime victim.
O’Fallon Police Officers will begin deploying “LOCK IT or LOSE IT” yard signs randomly in residential and business areas throughout the City of O’Fallon. This program supports the mission of the O’Fallon Police Department’s dedication to the community by proactively solving problems and protecting life and property through education and prevention.
As residents of O’Fallon, you should always be able to reach out to your elected officials and ask questions about what is happening in O’Fallon. Having open communications is important to me and something I care very deeply about. Thank you for reading, and please remember, my door is always open!