A member of the Danville City Council says he ‘’vehemently opposes’’ the attempt to change Danville to the City Manager-Aldermanic form of government. Ward 1 Alderman and former Vice Mayor Rickey Williams Jr. is speaking out after members of the group favoring the change spoke out at Tuesday’s city council meeting.
Williams says the proposed change is less democratic, eliminates checks and balances, and would cost substantially more.
The Danville alderman says it would be less democratic because it eliminates the ability to elect the person who will run or manage the city. He says if residents do not like the way things are being run now, they have the opportunity to vote for a new Mayor.
Regarding his claim it eliminates checks and balances…Williams says it would weaken the executive branch and subject the chief decision-maker (the City Manager) to the whim of 8 aldermen. He says that is somewhat akin to the Mayor-Commissioner form of government deemed illegal in 1987.
And speaking about the cost…Williams notes the mayor currently makes $73-thousand dollars a year, plus benefits. He notes under the Manager form of government there would still be a part-time mayor in addition to the City Manager. Williams says the lowest paid City Manager in the state of Illinois makes over $120-thousand dollars a year, and he suspects a City Manager for Danville would be paid even more.
