Two candidates running for mayor of this Southern Illinois community are getting attention — and funding — from Springfield and Chicago.
Officials in both state parties say they're just supporting the candidate they like in the mayoral election, which pits Mayor Brad Cole, a Republican, against Democratic challenger Sheila Simon, a City Council member and daughter of the late Sen. Paul Simon. . .
Simon describes her politics as "progressive'' in the tradition of her father, but with a heavier emphasis on environmentalism. Her campaign is rooted partly in intangibles such as "fostering more public participation'' in government.
She has a strict $50 campaign contribution limit that even those at her Chicago fundraiser were made to adhere to. She rides her bike to work almost year-round. She plays the banjo.
Her supporters say her quirky demeanor doesn't negate what they see as natural political gifts.
Anybody want to let the Post-Dispatch know that riding your bicycle to work isn't "quirky demeanor" but normal?
