Mayor candidates discuss campaign donors

Mar. 11—DANVILLE — Both Danville mayor candidates say there's a lot more to campaigning than many people realize.

Mayor Rickey Williams Jr. is running for re-election in the April 4 consolidated election. Vermilion Housing Authority Executive Director Jackie Vinson is his opponent.

Williams said it's different campaigning for re-election than in first running.

Previously he had to focus on what he would do. It's a combination now of reminding people of what the city's accomplished in the last four years and how the city will use that to propel the city into the future.

"It's a lot different because I have a record to run on," Williams said.

He's going door-to-door talking to voters and doing the speaking circuit talking to neighborhood groups and other organizations and church groups.

He didn't have a website last time but does now at rickeywill.com.

He's also doing a mailer this time around.

Williams has more than 400 political signs throughout the community.

Williams said he's appreciative of his campaign donors.

Among those are five Wilmot family members, who are the casino developers from the state of New York, giving $2,500 each.

"I'm really proud to have their support," Williams said.

"During the last century, there are a couple of big families that made huge investments in Danville that helped shape us what we are today. You think of the Mervises, you think of the Hegelers. Without their contribution Danville wouldn't be where it is today. Now we have a new family that's making the largest investment that Danville has seen in decades and I'm really proud to have their support," Williams said.

"These are people who do business all around the country and the fact that they want to continue to work with me when I stuck it to them in terms of getting the best host community agreement possible says to me that they respect me," Williams added.

In response to people who ask what is the Wilmot family getting in return, Williams said he hopes those people ask what Vinson's campaign donors would be getting in return.

"What are her supporters getting out of it? Because her supporters are the ones who tried to change the form of government unsuccessfully," Williams said. "And they think that they own and rule people. Well guess what, as long as Mayor Williams is in this seat people can't be bought or sold and we will work for everyone, not the special interest of a few."

"I've not given the casino anything," Williams said. "In fact, I've made them pay everything. There were things they requested that we did not give them."

He said that's why he's proud of the campaign donations because the city isn't helping them with the casino development. The cost is on them and the city has stuck with that. There's also nothing more to give them, he said.

Jimmy Wilmot, president of Danville Development, stated through an email that, "I can only speak for myself on political donations. Personally, I have come to like and respect Mayor Williams after working with him for over three years."

Williams said he's proud too of receiving a lot of smaller local donations that aren't reported yet through the Illinois State Board of Elections.

Vinson said campaigning is definitely a new experience for her. The greatest part is having the ability to speak with a diverse group of people around the community including business owners, neighborhood association leadership and faith leaders.

She said she's hearing about concerns and different aspects of the community.

"It's a lot more than you can imagine," Vinson said of the campaigning process.

Billboards have been a part of Vinson's advertising, which include images of herself with community leaders, her mother and her husband.

Vinson said she has five billboards. As she was strategically thinking about how to have people learn more about her, she thought about social media, having a website and the potential of using billboards as part of her advertising. The billboards are along major thoroughfares and cover entrances to the city.

Vinson also says she has about 550 yard signs throughout the city.

Vinson said of her campaign donors, she's proud to say the majority of donations has come from residents or business owners in Vermilion County.

One of her $2,500 donors is S.E. Clark and Associates of Peoria which was involved with providing administrative oversight at the housing authority in the interim as it searched for a new director in taking the housing authority in a new direction.

In 2016, housing authority interim director Steve Clark said Vinson, Danville Area Transportation Study director and city of Danville planner at that time, stood out among the final three candidates officials interviewed for executive director.

"We like Jackie," he said at that time. "The thing with Jackie is she just exceeded all of our expectations in how she would fit in."

Clark said Vinson is a "very knowledgeable lady with great enthusiasm. I think she's a well-rounded person."

Vinson started working for the city of Danville in 2012 as a community development planner and became DATS director in 2013. She started as housing authority executive director in 2016.

Vinson said she was surprised at the campaign donation from Clark, who obviously had a relationship with the city in the past.

She said people across the state are watching this election and it's encouraging that people have an interest in Danville.

Vinson's website is vinson4mayor.com.

She also is doing door-to-door campaigning.

She said as they near the finish line, with only a few weeks left to the election, a big part of her campaigning will be knocking on doors and talking to residents about her vision for Danville's future.