Goals

Professionalism Does Not only Refer to Excellence in "What You Do"... but also in "How You Do It". It Involves Integrity!

There Is No Place for Mediocrity and Incompetence in The City Government of Cairo. Especially... There Is No Place for Individuals Who Have "Any Thing Other Than" The Best Intent for Cairo... and The Dedication and Commitment to Serve Their Elected Positions in an Honorable and Professional Manner!

There are Many Past and Present Examples of Professionalism and "The Lack Of" By Various City Officials. Sometimes those Examples are Far From Subtle.

The "Boycott" of The City Counsel Meetings by Many of The City Counsel Members is One of Those Examples.

Professionals Do Not Boycott Their City! There Is Absolutely No Justification For It. NONE! It Constitutes an Abuse of Power and Responsibility. They Should Be Removed from Office by Law or Vote.

Professionals Do Not Withhold Pay... especially when it Means Breaking The Law to do so. There Is Absolutely No Justification For It. NONE! Whether They "Deserve" Not Being Paid is Not The Issue. To "Not Pay Them" for Not Attending Meetings is Breaking The Law... and also Constitutes an Abuse of Power and Responsibility.

Obviously... There Are Immediate Goals that Need to Be Addressed First... Such as The Accumulated "City Business" that Has Not Been Taken Care of From Years of "No Quorum" at City Hall.

So... My First Goal (after Taking Care of Past Business)... is to Work Towards Passing Legislation that Will Require All Members of The City Council to Attend a Reasonable Number of City Counsel Meetings or Be Removed from Their Elected Position. Also... City Counsel Members Should Not Be Paid for Meetings They Do Not Attend. It's an Important Job! And Like Any Job... if You Don't Come to Work... You Don't Get Paid. If You Continue to Miss Work... You Get Fired. Why Should They Be Treated any Different than Any Other Working Citizen??? Indeed, Our Expectations of Them Should Be "Higher" than The Average Citizen!

Also... Relative to Other Cities in The State... The Cairo City Counsel make Considerably More than Their Contemporaries. It would Seem Reasonable that Either Salaries Need to Be Cut... or More Should Be Expected of Them. That Includes The Mayor!

In Consideration  of Our Current Situation and The Many Demanding Tasks ahead of Cairo City Government... I Suggest We Opt for Expecting More Time & Energy Spent In Meeting Their Duties and Obligations... rather than Cutting Salaries. Personally, I will Commit to Working as Mayor in a Full Time Capacity.

Thanks for Your Time and Interest...

As Mayor...

I Will Work to Ensure Integrity and Professionalism in City Government.

Thanks for Your Support & Vote!

Lonnie J. Burris

Candidate for Mayor

The City of Cairo, Illinois