Vote no for Oglesby city manager on April 1

Fellow Oglesby residents,

In April, we have a very important decision to make about changing the current form of government that structures our city. I’ve been asked to participate in a two-opinion editorial, using my voice to share the reasons why I believe we should vote NO on this referendum.

A group that had the time to plan this initiative crafted a legal document, circulated it selectively around town in November, and went to court to get it on the ballot Dec. 12, 2024. The Move Oglesby Forward informational Facebook page supporting the “Yes” vote was created only recently, on Feb. 17 — just 16 days ago from the writing of this piece (March 5). There were no publicized discussions about this change before it was added to the ballot. Now, this group is asking for our support to pass the measure.

The Plan Commission was assigned by the concerned commissioners to educate residents only after the referendum had already been court-ordered to appear on the ballot, with no information available for residents to review beforehand. The Plan Commission, which is an important advisory board, was to remain unbiased, simply providing data from both sides to make an informed decision. The information presented was incredibly valuable for me as a citizen, helping me make my decision. Please note that this was not a collaborative effort with the Move Oglesby Forward group, and without the Plan Commission’s events, there would have been limited opportunities for us to fully educate ourselves.

The most important takeaway from these meetings for me was this: If the City Council is not working together, it doesn’t matter what the form of government is — the issues will persist. The problems we face are not going to be solved by simply changing the structure.

But here are some key questions that we should all be asking ourselves before voting:

Who evaluated which of the five government structures is best for Oglesby?
Where is the data/financial analysis supporting this change?
What are the costs to update city codes and implement a city manager?
If the city is seeking grants, why not hire a grant writer at the appropriate salary?
Could we hire a city administrator without changing the form of government?
If we don’t like it, how can we change it back?
Could we invest in training for our City Council instead of hiring a City Manager?
What are the commissioners currently not doing that a city manager could?
Is it a good idea to place significant executive authority in the hands of one person who is not elected?
Why do less than 1% of Illinois cities with a population less than 5,000 use a city manager?

Some of these questions have been addressed in the Plan Commission events, while others remain unanswered. These are the discussions we should be having as a community, and I pose them to encourage a deeper evaluation of the proposal. We need more clarity, and right now, it seems that crucial information is missing.

From all my efforts to understand the issue, I’ve come to two key conclusions:

Oglesby needs to have some hard conversations about what is happening at our City Council. I believe residents are beginning to realize that we must take a more active role in these decisions. I hope this awareness motivates more people to join the various boards and even run for city council positions. Let’s create real conversations and improvements from within. The form of government is only as effective as the people who serve in it.
The methods used to place this referendum on the ballot are concerning. While they were legal, they raise valid questions about the transparency of the process. We cannot rush into a decision without fully understanding the potential consequences. If you share these concerns, I encourage you to vote NO on April 1. Let’s end the “vote now, learn later” mentality!

Brandy Day is a resident and small business owner in Oglesby. She is passionate about community and volunteerism. “Be the change you want to see in the world” is a phrase she tries to embody.