Local politics seems to have attracted a record number of newcomer volunteers seeking involvement with their government.  The changing tides may be rocking the boat more than usual in the election process, and Urbana is no exception. 

Meghan McDonald, a community organizer who has lived in Urbana for a nearly a decade, is one such newcomer candidate, and she is stepping into the political ring for the first time in her life to run for Urbana City Council in Ward 5.  McDonald hopes to show that outsiders can get involved and have an impact:  “Why not? Why not me? I have the time, the interest, the passion.”

McDonald was inspired to run for Urbana City Council after witnessing the attempts by the existing Council and Mayor to censor, ignore, and dismiss the more difficult and contentious issues of government and police accountability.  She questioned that behavior by pointing out that the Council did seem content to have lengthy and involved discussions about other issues, such as video gaming machines.  McDonald noted, “I want to run for city council to talk about what people in Ward 5 actually care about.”

Unlike many other candidates, McDonald was participating in Urbana government before she considered running for Council.  Throughout the past year, she could often be heard speaking at City Council meetings, sometimes in a thunderous and highly critical voice.  Indeed, anyone listening to Council meetings recently knows that her frustration is shared by many others in the community who would like to see meaningful changes.

McDonald makes open note of the fact that she is young and inexperienced.  This is true of many newcomer candidates, especially compared to many of the sitting politicians who started their political careers only by the blessing of other established politicians.  In Urbana, three of the current City Council members (Shirese Hursey, William Colbrook, and Erik Sacks) have been appointed, not elected, by Mayor Marlin.  All three incumbents are now also running in the upcoming election.  The same type of appointment process has also resulted in Champaign having a Council that was largely founded with Mayoral appointments rather than organic elections.

McDonald says she is learning a lot though, and her political knowledge is rooted in her personal outreach and listening to the concerns of the people in Ward 5.  In what is all too often an insider’s game, the trait that McDonald describes as “inexperience” may very well be exactly what is best for the residents of Urbana, and for an honest and open democratic process.

“I am an artist, an animal-lover, a friend.  I have three chickens, three cats and two dogs. I work multiple part-time jobs to support my family.”

“I know I am not alone in my struggles and I have never been quiet about them, in hopes that others know they are not alone either. My experiences have influenced my politics, my identity, my processes of care. I (currently) know what it is like to be poor, to be let down by our systems, our lack of community resources.”

Police reform is high on McDonald’s to-do list.  She would like to cut the police budget significantly, and allocate those funds to mental health and homelessness.  Currently, Urbana spends about one quarter of its budget on policing.

“I want to run for city council to propose thoughtful, community-focused budget amendments. I want to run for city council to have a closer look at police union contract negotiations.“

“If we use the money to focus on the real systemic issues of why people commit “crime” and acknowledge how putting someone in a jail, prison, a literal cage is not going to solve the issues of gun violence, rape, mental health issues, theft, etc. maybe we actually COULD SOLVE these problems.  Until someone comes out and says it, really puts that thought on the table, we will just stay on the path we are on and watch all the tragedy and trauma continuously increase.”

McDonald wants to remove the stigma from mental-health issues.  In doing so, she doesn’t pretend to be perfect herself, and she openly brings up her previous struggles with alcohol (she is coming up on 1,000 days being alcohol-free). 

“I want to end chronic homelessness. I want to amplify mutual aid and community organizing efforts. These are actually tied into Defunding the Police because the police actually can and do cause and criminalize homelessness, right here in Champaign-Urbana. Mutual aid is the acknowledgement and exchange of care/resources we give to each other as a community because we realize the systems in play have made it difficult, if not impossible, to reach those needs. If we had more money properly allocated, if we didn’t criminalize so many ways of survival, maybe we could support our community more to where I wouldn’t need to crowdsource to buy diapers for my neighbor anymore.”

McDonald’s run for Ward 5 has not been without obstacles.  Her campaign garnered significant attention when the current Cunningham Township Assessor, Wayne Williams, formally objected to her candidate petition.  CheckCU published an article on that objection here:

Township Assessor Seeks to Disqualify Urbana City Council Candidate on Minor Technicalities

Though Williams hired an attorney from Chicago to argue his case, McDonald did her own legal research and represented herself at the hearing.  The result was an impressive defense that yielded a unanimous vote from the Electoral Board to dismiss Williams’s objection:

Electoral Board Unanimously Throws Out Objection to Urbana Ward 5 Candidate

If McDonald brings a similar level of tenacity and diligence to her role as a City Council member as she did to her Electoral Board hearing, she is bound to be a game-changer.

Contrary to her experience with having her own candidacy challenged, McDonald would like to see increased access, and noted that “accessibility” means considering language, disability, and under-represented groups such as LGTBQ.

“I also want to create a more transparent and accessible council because I believe that is seriously lacking in our current council and maybe a younger voice could help amplify that.”

When asked about her greatest concern in running for Council, McDonald immediately spoke about her friends, neighbors, and Ward 5 constituents.  In her eyes, if elected, is is her job to be “a good representative for my friends and neighbors. This is to amplify their voice and I want to make them proud.”

McDonald will contend with candidate Chaundra Bishop in the Ward 5 Democratic Primary, to be held on February 23^rd, 2021.

For updates on Meghan McDonald’s campaign, check out her Facebook Campaign page:

Meghan McDonald for Urbana City Council, Ward 5

-Christopher Hansen, Urbana