Aldermania
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Counts’ fellow Ward 6 write-in candidate, 46-year-old Kent DeLay, has a Facebook page, a MySpace page and a Twitter account, but through his 21st Century persona DeLay is silent on his current candidacy. Instead, his online presence is built only around his failed attempts to run for state representative. When asked if he plans to run again for the more prestigious post, DeLay responds: “You never say never.” He says the alderman position’s low pay and smaller constituency don’t warrant an expensive campaign or social media tactics. Unlike running for a seat in the General Assembly, this time around he can easily reach every voter face-to-face, he says.
No matter what approach they take, as write-in candidates both DeLay and Counts are up against tall odds. Both were kicked off the ballot in December, leaving on the ballot just one man – 37-year-old Cory Jobe, whom Counts calls “the 8,000-pound gorilla.”
“I hate to say that I’m just still running on principle. I am very realistic that I am still relatively unknown,” Counts says. He notes that Jobe is “very well connected, if not too well connected, and has a lot of money behind him.”
Indeed, Jobe has received support from numerous labor organizations as well as the Sangamon County Republican Party. For this, Jobe credits his “well-thought-out plan” and open-door policy. Jobe has also raised about $30,000 in campaign contributions, which he’s used for a website, campaign signs and 5,000 temporary tattoos – a hit at Springfield’s crowded St. Patrick’s Day parade. In addition to his focused campaign, Jobe has earned media attention throughout his three years as president of the MacArthur Boulevard Business Association.
Jobe says his top priority is inner-city rehabilitation. He promises that, if elected, he’ll use half of his aldermanic salary – more than $7,000 annually – to create the “Ward 6 Community Rehabilitation and Revitalization Fund.” The fund, overseen by several Ward 6 leaders, would offer grants to Ward 6 neighborhood and business associations. He also wants to increase fines against neglectful property owners, create a neighborhood advisory council and hold quarterly town hall meetings. “I want Ward 6 to be a leader when it comes to identifying issues and resolving them quickly,” Jobe says.
Jobe would like to break the city up into zones for garbage collection, with either the hauling companies or the city registering residents for collection so the city’s mandatory garbage collection ordinance is easier to enforce. He also supports more inner-city Tax Increment
