
Dawn Crimson for Clerk
Makanda Township: COMMUNITY FORWARD
In recent years, I’ve been thinking a lot about how to live the senior phase of my life. I reject the storylines “out there” in the news and online that keep triggering outrage. My faith in the potential goodness in all humans has led me to value face-to-face friendships and relationships above all. Humanity evolved for living together in small bands of nearby people. I keep remembering how amazing my neighbors were after the super derecho wind storm of May 8, 2009. Trapped in our neighborhood, with no electricity for a week, the instant cooperation and mutual aid were truly joyful. We all shared what we had – frozen food to cook and eat before it was ruined, skill with chainsaws, access to heavy equipment – and the children swarmed together like happy bees for days, roaming the yards and balancing on fallen trees. Ever since that week, I’ve wished there was such a thing as the “Derecho Party” instead of polarized politics.
In this spirit, I’ve taken an interest in local organized groups, from the septic system management board in Union Hill, to the Union Hill homeowner’s association, to operating a small business here for five years, and now to Makanda Township operations. I truly enjoy meeting nearby residents and learning how we share an appreciation for this township and want it to remain an intriguing, mellow and comfortable place to live out whole phases of our lives. We all have at least some small gift to offer as we cooperate to make an enjoyable community.
My gifts as a volunteer invariably take me to “back office” support. Organizations have a mission to do certain work in the world, but they need note takers, document makers, bookkeepers, and dedicated information-sharers to ground that work. I truly enjoy cooperating with a team where everyone brings energy and accomplishments to Get Stuff Done.
For the role of Makanda Township Clerk, I am committed to:
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Engaging in research and training from State and professional organizations (such as TOI - Township Officials of Illinois) so that the requirements of the role are crystal clear
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Participation as Clerk in all township meetings
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Working in partnership to support the Township Supervisor
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Timely preparation and publication of township agenda materials, minutes, decisions, announcements and reports
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Free-flowing publication of records, including linking the digitized historical township records from IRAD - Illinois Regional Archives Depository into the township website at MakandaTownship.org
Ideas not expressly required of Township Clerks that interest me nonetheless:
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I have a lot of experience editing and maintaining websites. THIS website (MakandaDems.com) is my latest example! I have the skills to greatly enhance the offerings at MakandaTownship.org.
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I can bring my financial management experience from non-profits to suggest refinements in Makanda Township financial reporting and long range planning.
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I can obtain the assistance needed to improve the audio/visual mechanisms at hybrid Board meetings, so that local and remote participants can all be heard and recorded.
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In all my management experience, I have been eager to bring younger adults into the circle -- to benefit from their fresh ideas and their perspective on their peers, but also to help them learn leadership by accepting responsibilities.
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Explore setting up a service through MakandaTownship.org allowing residents to sign up for notification emails or texts based on the urgency of the notification: time-sensitive/urgent, or notices of posting of routine documents, etc.
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I graduated college as a History major, which started my appreciation for public documents. I would love to offer a neighborly-news page (ad-free on the Township website), soliciting all kinds of interesting brief updates from our residents. I got this idea from reading the social pages of newspapers from a hundred years ago. Examples include:
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Pointers to emergency and monthly updates from the Fire Department or Highway Department
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Announcements of public events and gatherings in the township
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Broadcasting the Township Board decisions that are newsworthy
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Highlighting businesses that operate in Makanda Township
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Kudos for graduations, awards, and certifications earned by our residents
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Greetings to new neighbors and farewells to those moving along
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Even tidbits about who has traveled where and to visit whom
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I humbly request that you put on your do-list to check your voter registration, make a plan to vote (by mail/dropbox, early in person, or in person on April 1), and cast your vote for Dawn Crimson as Makanda Township Clerk, along with your votes for the other candidates on our slate. I’m already enjoying the teamwork of this slate!