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I am running for mayor because I think I can do the job well. A good mayor should be able to listen well, with patience. A good mayor should be able to reframe problems as opportunities. A good mayor should be able to help people work together. A good mayor should get the job done without needing to take credit. A good mayor should encourage everyone to participate in city government. And a good mayor should have a real Working Plan for Carbondale to make it happen. There is no school for mayors or degree in city government. The qualifications I have are from a variety of sources. I have been on the city council for three years and learned that people want to participate in governing our city. Just one phone call letting someone know about an upcoming issue often brings out a group of people with helpful ideas. I am a lawyer by training, and I have learned that how a question is presented can influence how the problem is resolved. But I believe I have learned more from being a wife and mother than I have learned in any formal educational setting. My husband and I have found that working together can be a challenge, but the rewards of the partnership are greater than our individual achievement. And of course we have had the parents’ crash course in listening, patience, and conflict resolution. We are still learning. I would like to learn about you and learn from you. One of the reasons I have started my campaign early is to be able to spend a good part of my summer listening. I want to know what you think about Carbondale, what works, what doesn’t work, and how we can do better. Send me an e-mail at sheila@sheilasimon.com or give me a call. My home phone number is (618) 549-4152, and it’s in the phone book. It’s our government, let’s make it work. |
Hello – and welcome to my campaign website. My name is Sheila Simon and I am running for mayor of
Carbondale, Illinois. I hope this website will help you make decisions about voting in the local
elections in the spring of 2007. There are a lot of wonderful