August Kellerman Ready to be Mayor
</element><element id="paragraph-1" type="body"><![CDATA[Since the April 5 municipal election, Mayor-Elect August Kellerman can't walk down the street without people honking and giving him the thumbs-up and he's happy about it.
"It's a victory for the average person on the street," Kellerman said. "I'm an average person. I'm no better than anyone else."
He has been the Commissioner of Accounts and Finance for the past four years and defeated incumbent Mayor Joe Holder 773 to 285.
Kellerman said he wants to see more action in local politics. Instead of just talking about the fact that there is nothing for young people to do in Pinckneyville, he envisions a small community center like those in Coulterville and Elkville where teens can play games and senior citizens can meet. To that end, he has gotten a $10,000 pledge so far and is looking for more.
He hopes that accomplishing one or two things will snowball into getting a lot done.
"I want to succeed, but I might not," he said. "If I don't, it won't be because I didn't try."
His philosophy is pretty simple: surround yourself with good people; they make you look good. He cites long-time City Clerk Fran Thomas as the perfect example.
"Fran is the best," he said. "She makes you look good."
Come May 9, there will be some small changes in city government. There will no longer be a police officer on duty during the City Council meetings.
"I want it to be more friendly," Kellerman explained. Also, Stotlar Drug Store was robbed during a City Council meeting. The mayor-elect said he would rather have officers patrolling the town.
"We can always call if there's a problem," he added.
Over the past four years, Kellerman has clashed with Mayor Joe Holder on some issues. For example, he objected to firing anyone in his department when an underbilling mistake was uncovered.
Kellerman went to bat for his staff and says he'll do it again.
He works as a mason and has been a member of the union for 43 years and considers himself a Democrat, but has never voted a straight ticket.
As he matured, politics got more and more interesting.
"I used to just listen to sports, now I listen to talk shows on the radio," he said. "I love to talk about politics, but people get mad sometimes. I don't do that."
It went against his natural inclinations, but Kellerman successfully navigated the often murky waters of local politics during the campaign. Instead of quietly donating his time and professional expertise to help churches and schools in Pinckneyville, he sought some publicity and got his picture taken a lot.
That might have helped a bit, but more likely it was the time he spent talking to anyone who would listen and listening to them in return.
His message is a simple one: "I'm honest."
He proved that by taking no money from anyone for his campaign. His track record backed that up-- he's never used his city-issued credit card.
Kellerman won the top seat in the city and kept his principles intact.
Now that the election is over, "I can be me again," he said.