Mayor seeks 'bump'; Councilwoman passes

Over in his busy 'biz' blog, local hero Peter the Great wonders, does it matter who wins the Mayor's race, but I don't have to wonder, I know what will happen if local heroine Sheila Simon is elected: playing it safe, going on 'worst case scenarios', and stalling progress.

I base my conclusion on her decision to decline the photo-op opportunity extended to her (and all Americans) by the nation's hottest pundit (a photoshop photo-op?). But Simon, whose father was a Democrate U.S. Senator from Illinois, is choosing to go the route recommended by Democrat U.S. Rep. Rahm Emanuel: stay away from Stephen Colbert.

As she explained by email:

"I think Brad and I would be in the same boat -- and on the edge, if I can mix metaphors! So many of the people and places that are on his show are really ridiculed. I don't think we can guarantee that either candidate or the town would come out ahead."

I pitched the idea to both Mayor Cole and Councilwoman Simon that being on the show would be good for our City, but Sheila doesn't 'get it'.

Everybody's talking about how Oooh, SIU needs more students . . . Oooh, the City needs to get its story out . . . Oooh, spend millions on advertising . . . .Well, what better way to get the word out that Carbondale is "a hip place to be on the square" than by having its two candidates for Mayor appear (via telephone) on America's hippest and smartest new television news program -- one that reaches millions of young and young-at-heart viewers with its trademarked brand of "truthiness."

I sprung the idea on Cole when I saw him at a local business, and to his credit (imo) he played along -- by posing for the quick snapshot you see here. He knew enough about The Colbert Report (Col-bear Rep-OR) to trust that both he and Carbondale would get a "Colbert Bump" by a minute or two with the man American loves to love.

Sheila would have benefited, too, but she passed.

PHOTO CAPTION:
Television News Commentator STEPHEN COLBERT, D.F.A. recently took time out at the end of his Comedy Central show to offer a photo opportunity to the viewing public -- an opportunity seized by Carbondale, Illinois, Mayor BRAD COLE, M.L.S, who thiinks that appearing with the influential pundit could boost his campaign for re-election against his opponent, the daughter of a famous Senator.