Letter To The Editor: An Endorsement For David Goins As Alton Mayor

Letter To The Editor:

I am placing my support behind David Goins for Alton mayor. Please vote early at Scott Bibb Center, or at your polling place on Tuesday April 6th.

Alton has so much going for it, a diamond in the rough waiting to be polished by someone who is humble enough to listen and wise enough to learn to work together. Yet we see Alton's abandoned homes, empty storefronts, our friends and family moving away, people struggling to pay bills, and Walker's costly mismanagement, while the region all around us has enjoyed unprecedented growth and prosperity. After 8 years of Walker, are we any better off?

It's time Alton says “enough!” Vote David Goins for mayor on April 6th.

A public servant for years, pastor David Goins is an honest family man who wants to revive the city he loves. He has run a civil campaign focused on the issues. Walker has once again run a deceptive campaign.

In 2017, Walker said “no privatization, period” (of the sewer system), and claimed that I wanted to double our sewer rates. Shortly after getting re-elected, he more than doubled the sewer rates and pushed through privatization. Now the water company's profits will be added to your sewer rates, and the city still has a huge unmet pension liability.

Walker said “crime was down” even though crime reversed course and started rising as soon as he took office. Walker said there were more businesses than ever, even though the city's own reports showed that the number of businesses declined.

Walker has had 8 years, yet Alton is worse off by virtually all key measures. Even looking at Alton's pre-COVID numbers from 2019: Alton's population losses have accelerated; our unemployment rate is among the 1/3 worst cities in Illinois, already significantly higher than our neighbors and getting worse; our household income has fallen behind our neighbors and we're now 10% poorer than Mississippi, the poorest state. Our poverty rate grew 2% while it fell significantly in our county, state and nationwide.

Over one-fourth of Altonians now live in poverty. Our violent crime rate now equals East St. Louis and is higher than Chicago; murders and rapes have quadrupled since 2013. Alton had zero murders in 2013 when Walker took office mid-year, but we've had at least 19 murders since then. Our city has struggled with millions of dollars in budget deficits, despite Walker claiming a “balanced budget every year.” Audits on the city website prove that's another lie. More details on these stats and more, including sources, are on my free blog ScottDixonForAlton.wordpress.com.

We cannot afford four more years of Walker managing decline. Alton needs a leader with a plan, a vision for the future, and a dedication to the common good. Walker once again accuses his opponent of having no plans, despite elaborate plans laid out on GoinsForMayor.com. Walker's campaign website still has zero plans.

Scott Dixon

Alton, Illinois

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