Seven candidates are running to claim one of the three open seats on the Carbondale City Council in the upcoming April 1 election.
If elected, Brian Stanfield, Nathan Colombo, Dawn Roberts and Jason Endicott would be fresh faces on the council, while Lee Fronabarger and incumbents LaCaje Hill and Ginger Rye-Sanders should be familiar to Carbondale residents.
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The challengers, Stanfield, Colombo, Roberts, Fronabarger and Endicott, will all be listed on the ballot, while incumbents Hill and Rye-Sanders are running as write-ins after being removed.
Their removal came after former Councilman Navreet Kang filed a grievance with the city claiming that the candidates had committed procedural violations when filing their candidacy paperwork.
According to Illinois state law, their paperwork was not properly bound, nor did they provide a receipt proving that they had submitted a statement of economic interest within the past year at the time that they had filed.
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Fronabarger has served on the council before, having been a member from 2011 to 2017 before running again in 2023.
Early voting has already begun, and Carbondale residents can vote early at the Jackson County Clerk’s Office in Murphysboro on weekdays until March 31 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and on Saturday, March 29 from 8 a.m. to noon.
Carbondale residents can also vote early at the Carbondale City Hall until March 28 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
If you are voting early, you can do so at any of the designated early voting locations during the specified times and dates listed above and do not need to cast your ballot at your regularly assigned precinct for early voting.
If voting on April 1, you must do so at your assigned precinct location.
For more info on voter registration visit jacksoncounty-il.gov.
For polling places and district maps visit elections.il.gov.
Brian Stanfield
Stanfield is an SIU alumnus from Iowa who fell in love with Carbondale during his time as a graduate student in the late ‘90s. He is currently a philosophy professor at John A. Logan College with a five-star rating on Rate My Professor.
At John A. Logan, Stanfield teaches courses like Philosophy 111: Ethics and Moral Problems, where he deals with concepts that he will bring with him as he approaches city politics, he said.
“I came to Carbondale in 1998 for graduate school in philosophy, and I’m just one of those people who never left,” said Stanfield. “I think that running for City Council makes sense. I’ve been here for so long, and I’ve known a lot of people and seen a lot of changes. I keep telling my students that if they want to make a difference in the world, they should go to their local elections, vote locally and get involved. So I think maybe it’s time that I practice what I preach. I’m at a point in my life where I’m stable enough to do something like that and I’m giving it a shot.”
In practicing what he preaches, Stanfield has made an effort to get more involved where he can, and has found that there is no shortage of involvement opportunities in Carbondale.
“As I’ve been going to all the different community organizations and candidate forums, I’m discovering that there are so many ways to get involved in town, and that City Council is just one among many ways to make a change here,” said Stanfield. “I’m so happy with the idea of running for City Council, but I’m also interested in all kinds of other ways that people can make an impact in town. I am becoming more and more fascinated everyday learning about all the different things that are going on around town and all the different community organizations. If I don’t get elected, I don’t have to give up; I can still do other things.”
Many of those opportunities can be found through the university, and Stanfield emphasized the importance of the relationship between SIU and the city.
“The community of Carbondale depends on the university, and the university depends on Carbondale, but there have always been some problems working together in the most effective ways,” said Stanfield. “The university has retracted and the town has retracted with it. I think the university and the town have reached a point where they’ve kind of stabilized, and now, more than ever, I think that the City Council can really change the direction of where we’re going and what our priorities are as a city.”
When it comes to that relationship, Stanfield said that the involvement of SIU students and faculty is important.
“I think this is a great time to get involved in what’s going on in the city. When I came for graduate school, I didn’t really pay much attention to what was going on. Now that I’ve been here long enough, I realize that there are a lot of ways that students can get involved in town. They don’t have to just complain and say, ‘Oh, well, the city doesn’t like students.’ There are a lot of ways to get involved. This election is a great opportunity for that kind of involvement.
“There are younger candidates right now, and I think that’s exciting because it’s going to infuse some new blood into city politics. I think that should excite students. There are going to be some changes coming in terms of what we’re doing with rental properties and things around town, and I think that’s going to affect students.”
Stanfield acknowledges that many of the issues in Carbondale intersect. He highlighted that housing and homelessness are two that could be solved together by utilizing the expertise available and the research being done by SIU students and faculty while giving them a reason to stay in Carbondale and contribute to the community.
“Owning a home is becoming less and less of a given for people, yet Carbondale has so many properties that are sitting vacant,” said Stanfield. “I think there are ways we can incentivize homeownership through grants for first-time homebuyers, converting rental properties to single-family homes, and what’s called curb appeal grants for exterior improvements on homes.
“It took me a long time before I could get a house, and things had to kind of work out just right. That’s a shame because I wanted to stay, and it was hard for me. I had to work hard at it, and I’d like to give that kind of opportunity for SIU students to stay in town. What we’ve got in the university is a brain trust of new ideas and energy that can help this community grow. It’s a resource that, in many ways, remains untapped, and I would like the city to utilize our local expertise more and encourage these students to stay.”
Stanfield found a home in Carbondale and wants to provide an opportunity for others to do the same.
“I was an SIU student,” said Stanfield. “I loved what I found. I found my home when I moved here. It’s the first place where I’ve lived that actually felt like home – like a place I wanted to be. I want to encourage students who are here to really consider staying.”
Stanfield has no campaign website and no campaign Facebook account.
Nathan Colombo
Colombo is a Carbondale native and dons alumni status as a Terrier, Vol and a Saluki.
This is not Columbo’s first attempt at being an elected official; he notably ran for Carbondale mayor in 2019, narrowly losing to former Mayor Mike Henry after nearly running for an Illinois congressional seat the year before.
No stranger to the campaign trail, Colombo is incredibly active both in the Carbondale community and on social media. His values are built from his passion for public service and his commitment to his community.
“We need quality candidates in every election,” said Colombo. “This year is no different. This is one of the many reasons I’m running. When I first ran, the inspiration was to begin building something. With so many projects nearing launch, I’m ready to turn my inspiration to ensuring what we’ve built works well. I’m dedicated to public service through elected office.”
While running for office is something that Colombo is familiar with, running for city council wasn’t necessarily always in his plans.
“It’s not that I explicitly planned for this opportunity, but that I’ve never stopped seeking out this opportunity. Win or lose, Carbondale can always expect me to show up and get involved.”
Colombo told the Daily Egyptian that there are two sayings that he carries with him during his activity around town:
“In Carbondale, I didn’t have to go to the world, the world came to me,” and “Carbondale changes people who go on to change the world.”
“This place means everything to me,” said Colombo. “My alumni status and continuing connections to these educational institutions means I’ll be able to help others unearth the kinds of opportunities that I’ve been able to pursue here.”
Colombo said that one of the things that matter the most to him is giving people a reason to return to Carbondale.
“Whether that’s for a weekend of iconic entertainment activity or to relocate their life to a place they love with people they love for a life they can actually afford to enjoy, a future Councilperson Colombo is at the forefront of promoting all of the activity and opportunity in town that may too often go unnoticed,” said Colombo.
The Carbondale City Council has had its fair share of reality TV moments in the past year, but the heightened press coverage and the aspect of drama is familiar to Colombo.
“I enter into the realm of local politics with a significant amount of experience navigating life as a somewhat public figure,” said Colombo. “I’m prepared and capable of navigating all of the excitement that comes with being an elected official in this town. My place in this is at the forefront of setting municipal standards with bravery that the rest of the country can follow.”
On the relationship between his alma mater and the city, Colombo claims to be well-suited for strengthening that vital bond.
“I’m in the perfect position,” said Colombo. “Working with SIU on different projects as a third party, I’m able to engage with the system immediately upon election without having to operate from within the institution. I’ve put in a lifetime of work to get to the starting line, and the timing is right for me to join our city council and start running the race.”
More information about Colombo’s campaign can be found on his Facebook page.
Lee Fronabarger
Fronabarger is a challenger candidate who previously served six years on the City Council from 2011 to 2017, then served another four years from 2019-2023, as well as four years on Carbondale’s City Planning Commission.
His primary concern is the economic health of Carbondale, and seeks to help foster growth, promote local business and create jobs.
“That is what makes a community healthy,” Fronabarger said. “People move to the community because of jobs. Our No.1 goal has to be to bring in more business, find new tenants for some of these empty stores, encourage people coming to town to shop and increase sales tax revenues to keep the budget balanced.”
In his time as a council member, Fronabarger played a part in the renovation and beautification of the Strip and the expansion of the new multimodal station linking Carbondale to the Amtrak and Greyhound networks, which has been in progress since spring 2023. He also worked for 12 years on the committee responsible for bringing the Super Splash Park to Carbondale, fulfilling one of his original goals following the 2017 election to establish an aquatics center.
Beyond his time as a council member, Fronabarger has served as Jackson County’s representative to the Southernmost Illinois Tourism Bureau. He recently commissioned SIU photojournalism students for updated photos on the tourism bureau website. Fronabarger formerly worked as the Admin and Records Supervisor for SIU, retiring in 2015.
Fronabarger has spent this election campaigning door-to-door, buying advertising space in local newspapers, and occasionally sending out mailers.
Fronabarger has no campaign website nor a campaign Facebook account, but runs a blog.
Jason Endicott
Endicott is a lifelong resident of Carbondale. He grew up attending Unity Point school, went to Carbondale Community High School and then John A. Logan College.
After graduation, Endicott worked in distribution at the Anheuser-Busch Budweiser distribution center in Carbondale for 22 years.
Endicott had always been passionate about the place in which he grew up, but it wasn’t until 2021 after he awoke from a 70-day-coma until he considered running for office.
Endicott had been subject to a gas can explosion which resulted in 75% of his body having third-degree burns. Doctors said he only had a 10% chance of survival, and after overcoming those odds, Endicott decided that he wanted to give back to the community that took care of him when he couldn’t take care of himself.
“I want to do right by my community,” said Endicott. “I want to give back to the community that gave – and still gives – so much to me. When I was in a coma for 70 days, my community took care of me, and I just feel that it’s a necessity that I give back.
“If elected, for four years I will work my butt off for this community. I’ve been good at every job I’ve ever had – if I’m not good at this one I promise I won’t reapply. But if I am good at it, maybe someday down the road I’ll vie for a different position.”
An emphasis for Endicott’s campaign has been on the importance of early education and youth programming.
“Kids are the future. Early education is important. When it comes to afters-school programs, we focus a lot on sports, but we need to emphasize academics and art first.”
Places in Carbondale like the Dentmon Center and the Boys and Girls Club of Southern Illinois are institutions that Endicott wants to see uplifted.
“We need more city-funded after-school programs,” said Endicott. “We need places for kids to have fun and feel safe. They need to be able to do their digital hobbies like producing music and making videos so that they aren’t getting into trouble and hurting themselves – or others – and those things need to be supported and funded by their city.”
Higher education is also something that Endicott wants to see evolve.
“Safety for SIU students is important,” said Endicott. “Our college students also need opportunities and places to go where they can have a good time and feel safe.”
“SIU is Carbondale,” said Endicott. “If SIU thrives, Carbondale thrives. If Carbondale thrives, SIU thrives. One can’t make it without the other, and the city must remember that. We need to coexist.”
Endicott identified housing and industry as two intersecting issues that could be ascertained to strengthen the relationship between the city and the college.
“The Southern Illinois industrial park has to happen,” said Endicott. “We need industry here so that we have jobs here. One-thousand or more jobs could combat our housing issue. The housing dilemma we face is due to supply and demand – we have too many apartments and not enough residents. We could rezone the southwest portion of Carbondale through urban development strategies and bring more families into the Arbor District. There are plenty of apartments for college students to stay in, but we need to give them a reason to stay.
“It’s going to be tough. We’ll need grants, but with the current administration at the federal level, grants may not be available much longer, so we’re going to have to work to sustain ourselves financially so that we can get people into homes.”
On par with housing and industry, another thing that Endicott would like to work on if elected would be homelessness. He told the DE that while Carbondale warming centers and community shelters are great, there are underlying issues as to why homelessness still exists that he would like to solve.
“If we break down why people are homeless, it’s often because they are addicts,” said Endicott. “Many of them are not going to get into those facilities and will choose to stay on the streets – so maybe we need more substance abuse facilities so that people who can’t get off drugs or alcohol have a safe place to stay. We need to work more to try and actually help these people – not just give them food and shelter for a day.”
Endicott can be found on Facebook and more information about his platform and policies can be found on his website.
Dawn Roberts
Roberts is a Carbondale native whose family roots run deep within the city. A graduate of Carbondale Community High School and SIU, Roberts is now running for office as she simultaneously pursues a PhD in population health.
Roberts has worked in the technology sector for most of her life, but made a pivot to a career more focused on humanitarian science after her time working at the Center for Rural Health and Social Service Development.
Despite what has been a career mostly focussed on IT, community involvement and activism is a Roberts family tradition, so running for City Council for her just makes sense.
“My grandma was one of the first five women that helped start the Carbondale Women’s Center, which is now the Survivor Empowerment Center,” said Roberts. “My mom was a teacher here in anthropology for ages. She and my grandparents and my uncle were all heavily involved in the Civil Rights Movement and were very engaged in Carbondale during that period of time. My mom was a Freedom Rider. She went down to Mississippi. So we’ve got a long history of civic engagement.”
Roberts acknowledges that Carbondale is a unique place, and wants to use innovation to solve problems unique to the city. As an avid motorcyclist, Roberts has spent a lot of time on the road and has seen a lot of different places, but she always comes back to Carbondale.
Roberts has lived in many different cities across the country and says that there are governing strategies that she’s seen elsewhere that she would like to implement in her home.
“Friends of mine are like, what’s this mythical place called Carbondale you’re always talking about? And I’m like, yeah, I mean, it’s real: the forest, the Shawnee, the lakes and just all of it – all that the town has to offer. I mean, it’s changed, but we still have all of those components.
“Living elsewhere, I always had my motorcycle friends and a community like that, but there’s just something unique about Carbondale – I keep coming back here. I hate the weather. I hate the climate. I hate the humidity. I hate all the bugs, the mosquitoes, the ticks, the tornadoes, all the crazy weather we’re having and all the allergies – but I don’t want to leave.
“It’s the people here. When I was growing up here we used to say that Carbondale was the center of the universe.”
Like Buckminster Fuller, the man who deemed Carbondale the center of the universe, Roberts understands that the relationship between SIU and the city is vital to its success.
“Being a Terrier and a Saluki, I sort of have an intimate knowledge of not only those institutions in a way, but also their relationship to the city and the city’s relationship to them,” said Roberts.
“Historically, there’s been tension between the two. Oftentimes, a lot of townies are like ‘oh the university should go do its own thing.’ But the fact is that we are inexorably intertwined. Our fates depend on one another. And now SIH is included in that.
“I think students should care about Carbondale and the makeup of the City Council because they don’t live just on campus – they interact with the city. They go to the restaurants, they go to the movie theaters, they shop, they go to grocery stores. All the decisions made for the city of Carbondale affect them directly. They may see it as if they’re only here for four years, but the reputation of SIU and Carbondale will either enhance or detract from their job prospects in the future.”
Upon the many happenings in Carbondale, Roberts identified housing as being one of the main issues in the city.
“Without decent housing, people don’t want to live here,” said Roberts. “You drive through town and don’t want to bring friends here, because it’s embarrassing – all these dilapidated and boarded-up houses. You see on all the Facebook groups people talking about mold and things not working. I’ve heard people say ‘oh my heat went out and the owner didn’t fix it for two weeks and it’s still not working,’ and stuff like that.
“Tenants need to understand their rights. When I lived in Chicago, there was a really strong tenants union, and that was really helpful. I see people posting: ‘I called four times and still nothing’s been done,’ and I’m like, you gotta put it in writing. I would love to see a pamphlet for new tenants being given out when they pay their water bill so they just automatically know that process and those steps. A lot of young students have never rented before so they’re new to it, and they don’t know their rights as a tenant, nor do they know their responsibilities.
“I’ve talked to a lot of landlords that say they’re good landlords, but then tenants break something or trash something, or they bring their dog in when they’re not supposed to and it destroys the floors and things like that. So it’s a balance. Both parties have to understand their rights and responsibilities. I think putting out documentation and information for people would be super helpful and I think that’s something the city could do better – communication with people who live here.”
If elected, Roberts would like to see the council practice ethical conduct and transparency.
According to her website, Roberts would introduce regular public reporting on council activities and decisions to increase transparency and keep residents informed while enforcing a code of ethics to ensure transparency and fairness, which she says would uphold the highest standards of integrity, and assure that city council and staff adhere to those standards, fostering a culture of civility and respect in all city dealings.
She would also want to implement open government initiatives to ensure transparency and foster trust between the City Council and the community and create measurable performance standards to evaluate staff productivity and effectiveness.
Roberts also wants to see actions being done by the council that pertain to Carbondale, and takes issue with the disruptive aspects of protests that prevent the council from doing so, like the protests last year that were held calling for a ceasefire in Gaza.
“The protests that happened at the council bothered me,” said Roberts. “But not just because of the content. I didn’t agree with a lot of what the people said – but it was mostly because of the disruptiveness. There were people that came to the City Council who came to citizens’ comments and wanted the council to do a ceasefire resolution – but it’s not the council’s purview for that. So politically, I didn’t agree with a lot of what people were saying overall, but I was just like, well that’s not what the council does. We need to focus on Carbondale.
“The landlord tenant ordinance got pushed back and that would have been hugely helpful to locals. It was very disruptive. I do believe that we need to respect each other and we need to be able to have real discussions with people we don’t agree with – especially within the City Council. We need to be able to do that out of respect for each other, but also because we need it to be a productive place. This is where decisions for our town happen.”
Roberts’ website emphasizes that her connection to her Jewish heritage and her active involvement with Congregation Beth Jacob are deeply meaningful parts of her life, shaping her commitment to fostering a strong, supportive community.
She believes that in a small community like Carbondale, everyone should be helping one another. Roberts says that this belief drives her dedication to making Carbondale a place where all residents feel valued and heard.
“We need to have a functioning council and I can help be part of that change,” said Roberts.
Roberts can be found on Facebook and more information about her platform and policies can be found on her website.
LaCaje Hill
Hill is an incumbent councilmember running as a write-in candidate and will not be an official choice on the ballot. He has served as a member of the City Council since 2023, and according to him has been active in the Carbondale community for 10 years.
In an email, Hill told the DE, “I am only here to serve and I hope my almost two years on the council have reflected that.”
According to his social media, he is a prominent member of the Victory Dream Center church and has shown support for several social justice and local charity programs such as the Survivor Empowerment Center. He has used his platform on the City Council to call out hate in the Carbondale community, such as on Nov. 5, when he spent his time for comment during a City Council meeting to draw attention to a recent incident where a car deliberately attempted to hit a group of protesters.
“Hate has no home here,” Hill said. “And as long as I remain on this council, it will not be tolerated in any way, shape or form.”
Former Councilperson Navreet Kang previously filed grievances against Hill’s candidacy, citing Illinois election filing law, specifically that Hill had not properly filed a statement of economic interest. Two elections board meetings were held in December, both upholding the grievances against Hill, though the first one was rendered moot due to a failure to notify the public about the meeting, and resulted in Hill being removed from the ballot.
As a write-in candidate, voters in support of Hill will need to select the write-in option on the ballot and write his full name in the box beside it.
Hill was contacted by his government email, but was ill and unavailable for further comment.
Hill has no campaign website and no campaign Facebook account.
Ginger Rye-Sanders
Rye-Sanders is an incumbent City Councilmember running as a write-in candidate. She has served as a member of the City Council since 2021.
Her main concern is the health of Carbondale as a community, and she seeks to provide more economic and civic opportunities for residents if re-elected. One example of how she plans to accomplish this is her pledge to expand and support youth programs in the community such as the Eurma C. Hayes Center.
According to Rye-Sanders, she proposed and advocated for reform during her time on the City Council, supporting hiring practices and policies which made city staff more representative of Carbondale’s diverse demographics.
“Things are changing because I have a voice that I use to challenge the system,” Rye-Sanders said. “For anything to be changed, you have to challenge the system, because the system can get real comfortable in doing what it’s been doing for years.”
This philosophy extends beyond her work on the council, as Rye-Sanders played a key role in the formation of the Black Chamber of Commerce of Southern Illinois, a nonprofit whose mission statement is to empower and promote African American businesses. She serves as the president of Women for Change, another nonprofit organization that seeks to improve the quality of life for residents and businesses of Northeast Carbondale and is also involved in programs that focus on crime prevention and community cleanup.
Rye-Sanders feels that these and other organizations in Carbondale should be more closely supported by the city.
“I want the city to be more involved with our organizations to make them feel that they are important, that we do need them, and that for our community to become an entire community, we need to have them fully engaged and involved,” Rye-Sanders said. “I want to look at ways that we can fully fund and publicize incentives for homeownership, for our business community, so they feel like a part of what is going on.”
Rye-Sanders has pledged herself to a number of policies, including establishing an aldermanic city council system in Carbondale, where members run to represent individual sections of a city rather than running for common seats and pushing to renovate and beautify neighborhoods.
One of Rye-Sanders’ campaign pledges involves reinvesting revenue from the city’s hospitality tax to support local businesses, promote tourism and fund long term projects. These projects could include repurposing SIU’s vacant student housing, establishing a community aquatics center and possible sources of future revenue for Carbondale, such as hotels and a horse racing venue.
Former Councilperson Navreet Kang previously filed grievances against Rye-Sanders’ candidacy, citing Illinois election filing law, specifically that Rye-Sanders had not properly filed a statement of economic interest. The elections board held a meeting in December and decided to uphold the grievances against Rye-Sanders, agreeing that the statement of economic interest which she had filed with the county and with the city previously were not sufficient to a receipt of proof that they were filed among other objections, resulting in her being removed from the ballot.
As a write-in candidate, voters in support of Rye-Sanders will need to select the write-in option on the ballot and write her full name in the box beside it.
Rye-Sanders has no campaign website, but can be found on Facebook under the username “Ginger RYE Sanders for Carbondale City Council.”
EDITOR’S NOTE: This story has been updated to correct inaccuracies surrounding former Councilperson Lee Fronabarger.
- A previous version of this article claimed that Fronabarger works at SIU, when he retired in 2015
- A previous version of this article claimed that Fronabarger was an “advocate” for bringing Super Splash Park to Carbondale, when he worked on the committee responsible for the park being built.
- A previous version of this article claimed that Fronabarger lost his seat to Jeff Doherty, when Carbondale City Council operates on common seats. This was replaced with the fact that Fronabarger had run for City Council in 2023
- A previous version of this article suggested that Fronabarger commissioned SIU photography students to take pictures for the Tourism Bureau website, when he commissioned a SIU photojournalism class.
- A previous version of this article claimed that Fronabarger served six years on the city council, when he served 10 years in two nonconsecutive periods.
- This article was updated to say that Fronabarger served four years on Carbondale’s City Planning Commission.
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