Karl Coleman for County Board 2022
Karl Coleman is a Democrat candidate for County Board District 1 in the 2022 General Election and will be on the ballot in Macon County, Illinois.
- Party: Democrat
- District 1
Campaign Platform
Written by Reed Sutman on Aug 05, 2022
Karl Coleman's three biggest priorities are revitalizing the Macon County business economy, passing environmentally friendly policies and ensuring access to clean air and water, and improving county processes. He wishes to represent young, black, and minority voters. He'd like to ban no-knock warrants and legalize cannabis dispensaries.
Listen to Karl's interview on Youtube, from which most of this article is written.
Karl was elected to the County Board in 2020 in District 1 and is running for re-election in the newly mapped district 1. He is the Chair of the Macon County Democratic party. He says the County Board is responsible for governing the unincorporated areas of Macon County (outside of incorporated cities like Decatur and Mount Zion) and passing ordinances related to county processes, the state's attorney office, the sheriff's office, and property taxes.
Political Platform & Priorities
In his political experience, he says he is often one of the only black people in the room, as well as one of the only people under the age of 35 and wants to represent these demographics. He believes values of Macon County residents are not currently being represented by County Board policies in regard to ensuring public health and safety and making science-based decisions. He'd like to legalize cannabis dispensaries in the county and take advantage of $2-$4 million in cannabis related tax income.
He's witnessed a decline in gainful employment in Macon County outside of the service industry and the "three major corporate employers" in the City of Decatur. He's concerned citizens don't have enough opportunities and are not getting the necessary skills and information to act on what opportunities are available. He wants to bring more employers in from growth related industries, bridge the gap between employers and potential employees. His interest is in "forward thinking" industries, such as building solar panels, constructing electric vehicles, and industries working to transition away from non-renewable energy sources.
Karl Coleman says "Macon County [should] be the heart and the home of the Green Renewable Revolution going forward." He says we have the most fertile farming soil in the nation and need to protect it. He says we need a hollistic approach to mitigating pollution. He's concerned about the population declining in Macon County and talks of the time when Macon County was the "blue collar labor hub" in the state.
Karl hopes to revive the effort to build a County operated recycling and composting facility, an effort from 2018, which was largely supported by Democrats and opposed by Republicans. The effort was scrapped after Macon County Republicans gained a majority on the County Board, says Karl. The facility proposal offered disposal services for large items, paint, and various other items that are hard for residents to dispose of sustainably.
Karl says we need more structure and formality in county processes. A move toward this was a new email system implemented toward the end of 2021, giving each board member a county managed email address. Prior to this, each County Board member had to maintain their own email address for county business. The Board also hired a County Administrator this year, which will help the county more effectively provide services, says Karl.
Karl is also concerned about the "brain drain" of college students graduating and moving out of the area for better jobs & to chase their dreams. Encouraging graduates to stay and re-invest in the community is a part of his interest in improving our local economy.
Karl believes the three biggest concerns of voters on the political left are: voter protections, the right to choose abortion, and the climate. He says "the right to vote is being attacked in this nation." He says the new county district map is illegal and violates the 1965 Voting Rights Act. He is also concerned that the Dobbs v Jackson (pdf) decision leaves other constitutional rights, which were previously protected by Supreme Court precidents, vulnerable to being overturned. He mentions that Europe is facing record heat waves and wildfires. He mentions that Central Illinois is seeing more extreme weather events with hotter hot days, colder cold days, and wetter wet days.
Karl believes the two biggest concerns of voters on the political right are voter integrity/voter fraud and business development. He was unable to think of a third priority during our interview and I have not followed up with him for a third answer. He believes the political right and political left may disagree about what industries should bring business development and good employment opportunities, but thinks it is a bipartisan issue to create good jobs and train folks for those opportunities.
Karl says there has not been much appetite for county legislation that's inline with his concerns due the Republican majority on the County Board (13 Republican members, compared to 8 Democrats), so it seems like the Dems are playing defense against "detrimental" policy initiatives brought forth from the Republican Caucus. He wants to bring an ordinance banning no-knock warrants to prevent a tragedy like the killing of Breonna Taylor.
Karl hopes to overturn the ban on cannabis dispensaries in Macon County.
Karl says "I just don't feel as if the decisions at the county level are being made to the benefit of all citizens" and that decisions are being made to serve "a select few." He suggests the board does not have as much authority as some people think. However, he is concerned that the processes within the County's authority are not equitable or considerate of the local population at large.
Political Ambitions & Experience
Karl was elected to the Macon County board in 2020, serves as a precinct committeeperson for the Democratic party, and is Vice President of the Decatur Public Library Board of Trustees. The Board of Trustees is an appointed position. He currently serves as chair of the Macon County Democratic Party and the secretary of the Southside Improvement Association.
Karl plans to run for office again in the future. He says it's about effectuating as much change as possible, and will run for whatever office allows that.
In the past, he has worked on numerous political campaigns including campaigns for Andy Manar, Sue Scherer, local city council and county treasurer campaigns, loosely worked for presidential campaigns, as well as others. He's volunteered for many other organizations, including NAACP and the Good Samaritan Inn.
Questions from Voters
How will you protect voting rights?
- Work with the County Clerk to make sure everyone's vote is counted, everyone's registration is valid, and that individuals' votes are not being wrongfully purged
- Ensuring everyone has free and equitable access to voting, especially after precinct consolidation, by ensuring everyone knows their polling place and can access their ballot
What are your budget goals?
- To make sure our budget reflects our values & where we want to go as a county
- Investing in environmental issues & business development
What are your goals regarding taxes?
- "I think most people would find our property taxes to be rather attainable" - he just bought his first home in the community in the last year and a half & he believes his taxes to be rather reasonable
- He is aware that property taxes in illinois are a point of contention and that many people believe the property taxes are too high
- He woud like to provide financial relief to individuals who need it, but says most taxes are NOT levied by the county
- Karl says there is an influx of funds from covid relief efforts and maybe we should look at using those funds to help people who are behind on property taxes.
- He says a lot of taxing is related to the treasurer's office & he commits to doing what he can to make taxing more fair and equitable
How will you address crime?
- Karl believes we need a hollistic approach and that crime is often (but not always) a "poverty based behavior". He believes improving job opportunities will decrease crimes because people will use legal means of supporting themselves if they are available.
- Work with the Sheriff's department to find means of bridging the divide between the community and law enforcement. This includes "community policing" - getting the sheriff's department out of their cars and spending time amongst community members to engage with folks. Karl says the more you're engaged, the more you care & understand we're all in this together.
From what sources do you get most of your news?
- Spends a lot of time watching BBC
- Uses a lot of internet based sites whether they are major publications or not
- Was an avid consumer of the Black News Channel before it was taken off the air in the past couple of months
- Occasionally watches MSNBC
- Reads a good deal of articles from numerous sources, which he gets from the Apple News App
- Local journalism
- From the political right, he says he looks at The Hill and sometimes Fox News to see how things are being reported.
Read Full Platform
Read Less
Karl Coleman's three biggest priorities are revitalizing the Macon County business economy, passing environmentally friendly policies and ensuring access to clean air and water, and improving county processes. He wishes to represent young, black, and minority voters. He'd like to ban no-knock warrants and legalize cannabis dispensaries.
Listen to Karl's interview on Youtube, from which most of this article is written.
Karl was elected to the County Board in 2020 in District 1 and is running for re-election in the newly mapped district 1. He is the Chair of the Macon County Democratic party. He says the County Board is responsible for governing the unincorporated areas of Macon County (outside of incorporated cities like Decatur and Mount Zion) and passing ordinances related to county processes, the state's attorney office, the sheriff's office, and property taxes.
Political Platform & Priorities
In his political experience, he says he is often one of the only black people in the room, as well as one of the only people under the age of 35 and wants to represent these demographics. He believes values of Macon County residents are not currently being represented by County Board policies in regard to ensuring public health and safety and making science-based decisions. He'd like to legalize cannabis dispensaries in the county and take advantage of $2-$4 million in cannabis related tax income.
He's witnessed a decline in gainful employment in Macon County outside of the service industry and the "three major corporate employers" in the City of Decatur. He's concerned citizens don't have enough opportunities and are not getting the necessary skills and information to act on what opportunities are available. He wants to bring more employers in from growth related industries, bridge the gap between employers and potential employees. His interest is in "forward thinking" industries, such as building solar panels, constructing electric vehicles, and industries working to transition away from non-renewable energy sources.
Karl Coleman says "Macon County [should] be the heart and the home of the Green Renewable Revolution going forward." He says we have the most fertile farming soil in the nation and need to protect it. He says we need a hollistic approach to mitigating pollution. He's concerned about the population declining in Macon County and talks of the time when Macon County was the "blue collar labor hub" in the state.
Karl hopes to revive the effort to build a County operated recycling and composting facility, an effort from 2018, which was largely supported by Democrats and opposed by Republicans. The effort was scrapped after Macon County Republicans gained a majority on the County Board, says Karl. The facility proposal offered disposal services for large items, paint, and various other items that are hard for residents to dispose of sustainably.
Karl says we need more structure and formality in county processes. A move toward this was a new email system implemented toward the end of 2021, giving each board member a county managed email address. Prior to this, each County Board member had to maintain their own email address for county business. The Board also hired a County Administrator this year, which will help the county more effectively provide services, says Karl.
Karl is also concerned about the "brain drain" of college students graduating and moving out of the area for better jobs & to chase their dreams. Encouraging graduates to stay and re-invest in the community is a part of his interest in improving our local economy.
Karl believes the three biggest concerns of voters on the political left are: voter protections, the right to choose abortion, and the climate. He says "the right to vote is being attacked in this nation." He says the new county district map is illegal and violates the 1965 Voting Rights Act. He is also concerned that the Dobbs v Jackson (pdf) decision leaves other constitutional rights, which were previously protected by Supreme Court precidents, vulnerable to being overturned. He mentions that Europe is facing record heat waves and wildfires. He mentions that Central Illinois is seeing more extreme weather events with hotter hot days, colder cold days, and wetter wet days.
Karl believes the two biggest concerns of voters on the political right are voter integrity/voter fraud and business development. He was unable to think of a third priority during our interview and I have not followed up with him for a third answer. He believes the political right and political left may disagree about what industries should bring business development and good employment opportunities, but thinks it is a bipartisan issue to create good jobs and train folks for those opportunities.
Karl says there has not been much appetite for county legislation that's inline with his concerns due the Republican majority on the County Board (13 Republican members, compared to 8 Democrats), so it seems like the Dems are playing defense against "detrimental" policy initiatives brought forth from the Republican Caucus. He wants to bring an ordinance banning no-knock warrants to prevent a tragedy like the killing of Breonna Taylor.
Karl hopes to overturn the ban on cannabis dispensaries in Macon County.
Karl says "I just don't feel as if the decisions at the county level are being made to the benefit of all citizens" and that decisions are being made to serve "a select few." He suggests the board does not have as much authority as some people think. However, he is concerned that the processes within the County's authority are not equitable or considerate of the local population at large.
Political Ambitions & Experience
Karl was elected to the Macon County board in 2020, serves as a precinct committeeperson for the Democratic party, and is Vice President of the Decatur Public Library Board of Trustees. The Board of Trustees is an appointed position. He currently serves as chair of the Macon County Democratic Party and the secretary of the Southside Improvement Association.
Karl plans to run for office again in the future. He says it's about effectuating as much change as possible, and will run for whatever office allows that.
In the past, he has worked on numerous political campaigns including campaigns for Andy Manar, Sue Scherer, local city council and county treasurer campaigns, loosely worked for presidential campaigns, as well as others. He's volunteered for many other organizations, including NAACP and the Good Samaritan Inn.
Questions from Voters
How will you protect voting rights?
- Work with the County Clerk to make sure everyone's vote is counted, everyone's registration is valid, and that individuals' votes are not being wrongfully purged
- Ensuring everyone has free and equitable access to voting, especially after precinct consolidation, by ensuring everyone knows their polling place and can access their ballot
What are your budget goals?
- To make sure our budget reflects our values & where we want to go as a county
- Investing in environmental issues & business development
What are your goals regarding taxes?
- "I think most people would find our property taxes to be rather attainable" - he just bought his first home in the community in the last year and a half & he believes his taxes to be rather reasonable
- He is aware that property taxes in illinois are a point of contention and that many people believe the property taxes are too high
- He woud like to provide financial relief to individuals who need it, but says most taxes are NOT levied by the county
- Karl says there is an influx of funds from covid relief efforts and maybe we should look at using those funds to help people who are behind on property taxes.
- He says a lot of taxing is related to the treasurer's office & he commits to doing what he can to make taxing more fair and equitable
How will you address crime?
- Karl believes we need a hollistic approach and that crime is often (but not always) a "poverty based behavior". He believes improving job opportunities will decrease crimes because people will use legal means of supporting themselves if they are available.
- Work with the Sheriff's department to find means of bridging the divide between the community and law enforcement. This includes "community policing" - getting the sheriff's department out of their cars and spending time amongst community members to engage with folks. Karl says the more you're engaged, the more you care & understand we're all in this together.
From what sources do you get most of your news?
- Spends a lot of time watching BBC
- Uses a lot of internet based sites whether they are major publications or not
- Was an avid consumer of the Black News Channel before it was taken off the air in the past couple of months
- Occasionally watches MSNBC
- Reads a good deal of articles from numerous sources, which he gets from the Apple News App
- Local journalism
- From the political right, he says he looks at The Hill and sometimes Fox News to see how things are being reported.
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Q/A with Karl Coleman
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Vivian Goodman