email: The Steve

I want to congratulate Mr. Hulslander on his re-election victory. I want to thank everyone who was so supportive of my running for this office. Best wishes for Elmwood, our people and businesses in the coming years. I am grateful for the opportunity to be a participant in this election. Everyone who took time to vote strengthens our democratic process of self-government. Again congratulations to Mayor Hulslander.

Tuesday, April 9th 5:15 PM

VOTE April 9th Tuesday 6 AM to 7 PM at Elmwood UMC west of Casey's

Tuesday, April 9th 5:15 AM

Good morning Elmwood,
I am up before the polls open, I certainly didn't intend to be. My clock has gone to daylight saving time. I have been mentally adding an hour since the official date. It got me to church at Smithshire for Sunday morning on time, yesterday I thought I had snoozed to a rather leisurely hour. Finally this morning I got up with the thought I should get going on this final election day post. I have my teeth brushed, face shaved, and drinking a cup of coffee carried over from yesterday. I thought why is it so dark? I looked at the clocks in the kitchen, then realized it was an hour earlier than I thought. It also occurred to me, it took until the the third morning to notice this time shift. This will be the last Steve for Mayor post, I will either be the mayor-elect or I will not. If you do give me this opportunity I will continue a daily reflection.

I will do this to allow people to keep up with events, hear more of my fascinating hillbilly upbringing tales, whatever I feel is appropriate for the day. I do want to win, because I know as mayor I can help Elmwood achieve things no else can. I also know I've made every effort to encourage people to vote, tell them who I am, and how I will try to make Elmwood's future better. At this point it is not in my hands.

Now that I am aware I have cheated myself out of an hour of sleep, I am beginning to feel tired. I better get that fresh pot of coffee going. The picture at Gold's Gym does represent an accomplishment. I weighed 214 this morning, I was weighing 254 last June. I had given 40 pounds as something of abstract goal when I joined. I will not call it a full 40, until I weigh below 210 four mornings in a row. I have been disciplined about my arbitrary benchmarks. I didn't expect to have made this lifestyle change, so I am somewhat like a ball player who superstitiously wears the same cap all season. Do not mess with what is working, find ways to improve what is not. I will take this approach, if you elect me today.

I have sought to unify myself as I had come to this place in my life. My sons were out of college, I had sold my business, my time was my own. We often assume many roles, one for work, one for being a parent, one for church, one for the Internet, possibly many for the Internet with the screen names, but I wanted to as move as one. In a faith sense it is the difference between talking faith and just simply living it. I have been revealing who I am in all these posts of explanation. I hope now, as mayor of Elmwood, it will be doing, not talking. Take time to vote. I want to thank people for all the courtesy I have been shown, as I hiked around town.

Tomorrow morning I will not get up an hour early, I might get up late. I could just sleep until noon, like a teenager. Someone has scheduled a meeting for 6:30 AM, maybe I should convince myself the clock is an hour behind for just one more day. It looks like a great day, now that it is light enough to see it.

Monday, April 8th 8:15 PM

VOTE April 9th Tuesday 6 AM to 7 PM at Elmwood UMC west of Casey's

You may have seen this guy wandering the streets of Elmwood the last 8 days. I have covered the whole city. I want everyone to vote. I do hope you will vote for me. We can accomplish great things with effective use of modern tools, for less money, and keeping everyone in dialog. Thank you for this opportunity -- Good Night

Monday, April 8th 6:15 AM

Good morning Elmwood,
Showers rumbled through this morning, so expect farmers to start complaining about rain in another week. They will not complain too loudly after last summer. I have just a few houses left to complete the shoe leather campaign. Getting to every house is amazingly hard. You wind back and forth, can't always remember where you have been. Elmwood doesn't have many apartments, but I have not gotten a flyer to those citizens.

Tomorrow (April 9th) is the election the polls open at 6 AM and close at 7 PM. It is a long day for the election judges. Thank them for being there, when you vote. After Tuesday, I do not want to hear, I really thought you would win. I supported you; I just didn't make it to vote. This will likely be a close affair, so your vote will count. I have made a real effort to reach out, hopefully, you will make a real effort to come out.

What is my motivation in pursuing this office? I have always found meaning in helping others. I know my skills will make a difference for Elmwood. I know no better role for my abilities. If my talents are to be put into action, then mayor of Elmwood is a good fit. I feel many voices have not been heard, and our community choir for singing Elmwood's praises is unbalanced, not on pitch, a little behind the beat. Not in a good jazz way, either. I am all about change, which can be a little frightening. I know if we openly discuss and rationally plan in cooperation and inclusion, we will bring about good changes.

Abraham Lincoln wanted to make a difference in his life. Even as a poor unregarded young man, he pondered on how to be a significant man in history. Lincoln did not plant an oak tree, he built no great building, he gave no large sum of money to have a stadium named for him. Lincoln was a successful lawyer providing for his family, but he was not a philanthropist. In his time nothing was accomplished that important men do to be recognized and remembered. Lincoln proposed and tried many things, many failed, were ignored, but he kept trying to change things for the better. He persevered to keep a Union at great cost. If the Union fell the world would have been left without hope. Secession is not possible once a bond of unity has been forged. Have you watched a church congregation split? A new group forms, but how often does the new group, also split?

Lincoln did none of the things important men do to be remembered, but today forests, buildings, great public works, financial funds, bobing-head dolls, even a vampire movie bear Lincoln's name and likeness. Our nation was able to proclaim the principles of the four freedoms, defend democracy for a world at war, lead humanity to a higher plane, because one man kept persevering to change things for the better.

I know that we in Elmwood have all the resources to change things for the better, if we forge our efforts in unity. If we persevere to keep trying, adjusting, and trying again to build a Better Elmwood. How will our generation be remembered? Should we seek a tree, building, or stadium?

No, if we use our opportunities, generations yet unborn will graduate from Elmwood schools. Future lives nurtured in a vibrant and healthy community. A community they will always love. An environment preparing them to carry principles into the world and make it a better place.

Is it foolish to believe in an unforeseen future that will nurture, love, and inspire their spirits? Do we not want to prepare future generations to advance humanity each with their own talents? Do you think it doesn't happen in little insignificant places like Elmwood? Lincoln came through Elmwood, Reagan grew up not too far away, Clinton was from a small Arkansas town. Lorado Taft gave back a great work of art to Elmwood. Go look in their damp eyes this morning. Life is about faith in the unseen future, planting seeds for harvests to be gathered by unborn hands. It is also listening to a citizen about a pothole, while trying to manage everyday life in the most efficient way possible.

Time to quit stalling and brave the rain -- Monday rains are great for office workers. As a farmer I always hoped for a big rain on a late Saturday afternoon, especially when I was a young single farmer.

April 8, 2013 1:00 PM

I have finished the shoe leather campaign, fortunately not in leather soled shoes. I did miss some places. Starting last Monday I mostly, with Erik, Alex, and Nancy on some stops, we have made it to nearly every house in Elmwood. I have handed or taped flyers every day for eight days. So please go vote tomorrow, if you still have questions I can answer, please get in touch. http://www.elmwoodil.org/ElmwoodTales/MayoralCampaign.html

April 7th, 8:00 PM

Weekly Post asked for other comments, they didn't print this but I'd like to share it.

Elmwood has great resources if we pull together and unify our efforts. The use of the Internet and other modern tools of communication are essential. Everyone has a role to play in Elmwood’s future. Everyone’s experience has value, their knowledge must be part of the process. I often worked on Saturdays for Farmers State Bank a decade ago. I tried to keep computers up to date and not interfere with productive hours. I had the privilege of listening to Mr. Lott, Mr. McFall, and occasionally Mr. McKinty on many of those Saturdays. I learned much about Elmwood and their vision and efforts to make it a great town. I want to honor their vision for Elmwood in using the office of mayor to be a full time ambassador for Elmwood for the next four years. I would very much appreciate your support.

April 7th, 6:00 AM

Good morning Elmwood -- the rest of the story
Our family became members of the United Methodist Church, giving the boys many volunteer opportunities. They always seemed to volunteer, maybe that was they got volunteered.

As Erik and Alex participated in scholastic bowl, plays, band, football. We became supporting Elmwood parents at concession stands, track meets, pasta night, I somehow ended up with small roles in two high school plays. Coming to Elmwood was a good move for Erik and Alex.

I joined church choir and community chorus, I rented an office at 112 East Main in 2000, worked as a consultant for Farmers State Bank, became owner of Elmnet in 2003. I moved Elmnet to that location. I have helped at Strawberry and Fall Festival and other community projects, which Erik and Alex somehow amazingly volunteered to help with as well. I started trying to improve Elmwood's web image as I became a part of the downtown, on the FSB web site and then on the Elmnet site. In 2009 I agreed to sell Elmnet, stay in place as president of Elmnet until 2010. I started elmwooil.org at this time and the A Better Elmwood Facebook group. Nancy and I have both been members of the Elmwood Community Foundation.

Nancy left PARC after a couple years for her current employer Mosaic. She had been the director of the Macomb program for them. She was at Warren Achievement in Monmouth when we moved to Elmwood. Nancy has a home office and frequent travel, being close to the Peoria Airport is a real plus. I have been the stay in Elmwood parent when she began to travel and it was time to stop the farm software venture. The boys often said their friends wondered what they had to eat with their Mom gone so much. They said it was much better because I fried chicken with mashed potatoes with gravy, ham and cheesy potatoes, etc.while Nancy was always trying the more healthy meals.

Over the years people in Elmwood seem to recognize me. Maybe from working uptown, community chorus, singing in the church band at festivals, helping at school, in the park, on committees, etc. Maybe it is the hair which has gone from gray to a snowy white. I do sometimes put off haircuts when busy, but have never achieved a Gandalf or Dumbledore look (my wife directs me in this). Elmwood has become home for our family. I just met a new family with young children, yesterday. I could assure them bringing their family to Elmwood and becoming a part of the Elmwood schools was the right move. A whole new generation of volunteers may be coming on. Off to Smithshire and then Burlington, today -- have a great Sunday

April 6th, 3:00 PM

have finished Wards 1 and 3, just a few left in Ward 2. Unfortunately hunger and tiredness overcame the needed two hours to finish. I was trying to not knock and ring doorbells today. Who needs some maroon bugging you on a Saturday morning. Sometimes, I couldn't keep my cap on without reversing it. I still have low level bro-ness, no matter how I wear my cap. Shoe leather campaign is almost complete.

April 5th, 11:00 PM

Good morning Elmwood (early edition)
Once again I will be heading out to reach every house in town. I handed out 150 today. I may need to reach that many tomorrow. I must say walking and seeing Elmwood first hand is a great experience; I want to finish before the rain comes in tomorrow.

Continuing on (bio-profile), I got married I was a farmer. Yes. those little boys were cute. Who knew how ugly they would grow up to be.

Backtracking a bit, much like walking Elmwood trying to get to every house.

My Grandpa Glen (refer back to earlier post) was Ellison Township Supervisor form 1932 to 1968 when he died. My father then became the supervisor. They were both on the Warren County Board. In 1980 the new assessment law came into effect. This brought in the current farmland assessment system of productivity indices. It also required each assessment district represent minimum populations and total assessed values. The southwest corner of Warren County, three townships, became the new multi-township assessment district. None of the three current assessors wanted to have three townships. I ran and was elected in 1980. I served three terms. I later served on the Warren County Board of Review. I took the required classes and am designated CIAO (certified Illinois assessing officer) and still must take a couple of exam classes every term. Once we moved to Elmwood I became the contracted Rosefield Township assessor, I have also served Timber Township as their assessor and Elmwood Township the past four years. Once you get into this it is hard to get away. Mostly, no one wants to do the job. I have been familiar with local government for a long time, actually all my life.

Farm to Tech Bio

OK that was pretty boring, I do have amusing assessment stories; they will wait for another time. At about the same time I first became the Swan. Point Pleasant, and Ellison Multi-Township Assessor, long title, I went to a micro-computer class Apple, Commodore, and Radio Shack. I had a little computer experience in college, some Fortran. This class taught you Basic. It all seemed like the card punch stuff, rather than the terminals doing all the statistical computation I had used in later classes. I did the programming exercises, but didn't dive into a 64k PC for the farm. In 1985 I bought an Apple Macintosh a Fat Mac, incidentally.

I bought the Microsoft Business Pack, later Microsoft introduced Excel for the Mac, (I got a $50 rebate coupon from Microsoft to buy Excel v1.5), later Microsoft introduced Windows 3.0 and Excel 3.0 for Windows. I had gone to SIU-Edwardsville for a 2 day class on Excel macros. I seemed to be on my own at that point. So with the manual and a book or two, I became a macro programmer of Excel. Later Microsoft introduced Visual Basic as the macro language and I learned to use it.

Farm accounting software was being sold for $3000 to $5000 dollars. I could produce better cash flows and market value based balance sheets on Excel. It occurred to me if I could write a program behind Excel to make entry easy and produce these financial documents farmers would want to use it. That assumption may have contained a fallacy, farmers like tractors, farm wives do the record keeping, not always true but often. Another fallacy, it is great to do everything yourself. You may believe you can outwork a small company. All this led to customers in 28 states one program in Africa, and countless hours and energy expended by myself and others. I did create the first agricultural software program in Windows. There is no question about that, but when your motivation in life is to help people, maybe you should have someone else doing the business side.

Entrepreneurship is often ballyhooed, but risk is the constant companion. There is a reason that IT has a saying 'the bleeding edge of technology." I went off to farm shows all over the Midwest and South. I heard these statements constantly. My computer expert says Windows is just a fad, he can do everything faster in DOS. Our accountants have never heard of Excel is it a Lotus clone? You can't do an accounting system on a spread sheet, every change causes it to recalculate. Oh yes, the continual Mac abuse. Apple is going bankrupt, Macs can't do business, I don't need pictures telling me how to run a computer, etc.

Doing a business autopsy here would be even more boring. I would say I learned a lot. I have earned insights to help small businesses few possess. I am sure most people would just shake their heads in wonder at why anyone would expend and risk so much of themselves into anything. I do not know how to explain it. Have you ever had an epiphany, maybe several; it makes you view things differently. The next time someone beside you says they had an epiphany this morning, quietly move away.
Onward tomorrow, doing the shoe leather campaign.

April 7th 2013 comment: Steve Davis for Mayor So I am up and going but it is still dark; all the more time to enjoy my morning coffee. I do hope people enjoy these posts. I am trying to give everyone complete insight into who I am and why I would be good at this job. Tonight I will turn to our family's life in Elmwood and what I have involved myself in while becoming a part of this community. Please like and share the posts, you like. It helps more people see it. I will not be in church Sunday, they will have to make their own coffee and click the slides. I hate to allow others to learn how easy it is to do these things, it ruins the mystery. I have spent so much time on walking Elmwood and fitness, I have neglected seeing my mother. The whole family is trundling off to Smithshire for church, it begins at 9 AM like Elmwood, but the drive is almost an hour, not almost nothing.

April 5th, 5:00 PM

Back home for lunch; is it still lunch at 3 PM? I handed out all my printouts. I started with 150. I think I will still need 100 more. Checking weather forecast, now.

I just want to say how great it is to meet people. Many not home during the day. One little boy with chocolate smear from ear to ear, offered me a fudge-clce. I told him it wouldn't fit into my diet.

April 4th,11:00 PM

Will be heading out tomorrow to try and finish walking Elmwood. The shoe leather campaign made good progress today. Tomorrow is supposed to be very nice.

So tonight once again,
Good morning Elmwood (early edition),

I am very proud of my sons, they became better students in college, very disciplined. I would describe my college experience, let's see, ah checkered, is the word. The times while Erik and Alex were in college, may have been more productive. Comparing 60's-70's or the past decade. The music, yes, our music was better.

I did graduate. Good grades in some classes, not in others. I became adapt at statistics used to analyze political data. I took the Political Science speciality of the GRE and scored in the ninetieth percentiles, so I think I was adept for a Western grad. I had no clear idea of pursuing it further. I was living with my grandparents that final year at WIU, and commuting. It helped my grandparents stay in their own home. My parents were encouraging me to return to the farm. I did stay. Good thing I always enjoyed baling hay. I would have had job security whether it rained or not, If I had foreseen how ubiquitous polling was to become.

Being a farmer had many great aspects, meeting intellectually curious women was not one of them. That may surprise you. Smithshire is a great cultural center, otherwise. I often joked I would like to meet someone who would find going to a Chinese restaurant acceptable, possibly a favorite choice. Fortunately for me, Nancy's mother Winifred had moved back to Smithshire. Nancy's father died while she was in college. A few years later Winifred moved from Fort Dodge, IA to Smithshire. This led to Nancy coming to the Smithshire United Methodist Church and meeting me.

A neighbor and friend had a daughter in jr high. She had the wisdom to point out to me I should not blow this potential relationship with Nancy, it would be my last chance. I was almost 30. God gave me my greatest gift and on April 16th Nancy and I will have been married for 30 years. Marriage seems to lead to car seats before I knew what happened our portrait included two more heads. The time we dedicated to our sons is the best spent time we have ever invested. I love sitting around the table with Erik and Alex, they are fascinating company.

I did not pursue some unknown career path. I have continued constantly learning new things. Somehow God has taken the most unlikely of circumstances meeting a fantastic life long love in the Smithshire United Methodist church and helped shape my life into a great place. Looking from the perspective of life's most important things, it has been very good.

Nancy still has great advice, which I often ignore. I will try to use my sunscreen tomorrow. She also has the wisdom to say I shouldn't complain about the article in the Weekly Post. I was very disappointed, and a little controversy may cause more people to read it. I am open to dialog, and nothing is better than an informed discussion. People should be able to read the actual answers, I took time to prepare. I pushed aside everything else and answered their questionnaire promptly. Back to walking in the morning, communicate with me. I broke the fourth wall so I will be open and authentic.

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