People are protesting the objections three Carbondale city council candidates are facing
CARBONDALE, IL (KBSI) – Three Carbondale city council members are facing objections that could prevent their placement on April’s ballot.
People in Carbondale gathered at city hall Tuesday evening before the city council meeting that was scheduled at 6:00 p.m., to protest the objections.
Carbondale city council members LaCaje Hill, Ginger Rye-Sanders, and newcomer Ryan Reed each face objections alleging they did not provide an economic interest statement and did not securely bind their petitions with something like a paperclip or staple.
Protest organizers say the objections are a targeted attack on the black city council members.
Carbondale city public relations officer Eva Fisher says a private citizen filed the objections.
“In terms of the city — moving forward, there will be public hearings on the matters at hand that are being objected to currently,” Fisher said.
Fisher said the hearings will be open to the public. Those dates are still to be determined.
Protester Macklen Makhloghi said the three council members are fierce advocates for the people of Carbondale and for issues that matter to him.
“They are social justice advocates in this area — in my city — and any effort to remove them from a ballot, I take as a personal affront,” Makloghi said. “Even if the technicality is sound and legal. It feels to be a deliberate way to remove progressive voices from city council, and I won’t stand for that as a citizen.”
Protester Christina Garnette said, as a transwoman she is concerned about how the community could be affected by the council members not being on the ballot.
“We have a wonderful safe zone here right now,” Garnette said, “and we want to keep it a safe zone. We want to make sure that people are always going to be safe if they come to Carbondale and we want to make sure that the city council is going to keep it that way as well.”
Carbondale city council meetings are live streamed for anyone to be able to watch.
