Rex Duncan will seek re-election in April 2015

Du Quoin Mayor Rex Duncan announced today that he will run for election in the April 2015 municipal elections. Citing a long record of service and accomplishments that include mayor, finance commissioner, water commissioner, city clerk/budget director, and volunteer board member, as well as numerous professional achievements that have benefited the city, Duncan said he is confident in both his qualifications and the support of the people of Du Quoin.

Duncan retires June 27 from SIU, where he works as Director of Community Development in the Office of Economic and Regional Development. His eleven-year stint at SIU includes time as Executive Director of the 20-county Connect SI initiative, as well as working on grant contracts and budgets in the Office of Research, Development, and Administration.

Prior to SIU, Duncan worked for three years as the Du Quoin City Clerk and Budget Director under Mayor John Rednour. It was during that time that he and others from communities in three counties launched Southern Illinois Coal Belt Champion Community, Inc. Known today as Champion Community Investments, the non-profit has pumped millions of dollars into small businesses in the form of low-interest loans. That includes hundreds of thousands lent to Du Quoin and Perry County businesses.

From 1986 to 2000 he worked at Rend Lake College, primarily in job placement, internship programs, and human resource development. He also worked for eight years in sales and sales management positions for the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company and Purcell Tire Company.

He holds a master's degree in education from SIU, with specialization in workforce education and development, and a bachelor's degree in business from Eastern Illinois University. He is a 1972 graduate of Du Quoin High School.

Duncan said he's looking forward to retirement and being able to focus his full attention on Du Quoin. Regionalism, though, is necessary in today's world, he said. "Our local economy is driven by commerce from other communities. If Du Quoin is going to grow, the region needs to grow as well," he said. "Regional challenges like unemployment and poverty require regional solutions."

Mayor Duncan thinks the city is heading in a positive direction. "We have new businesses that are open or will be shortly," he said. He cites the new Du Quoin Bottom Dollar Cost Plus grocery store, the expansion of Chip Banks Chevrolet, stores in the Southtowne Shopping Center, the new Fenton Custom Collision Shop, the new Belt-Tech plant at the Industrial Park, and the new St. Nick Restaurant and Brew Pub as examples.

While he celebrates the nearly completed improvements in the downtown business district, which are being achieved at minimal local cost, Duncan recognizes other challenges. The deterioration of some of the downtown buildings is presenting current and potentially long-term problems for the city. Duncan said two priorities stand out in his mind. "First, we have to make sure that the buildings with immediate problems are secured. Next, we have to develop some programs that both provide resources to encourage building preservation as well as more robust enforcement procedures for those who ignore required maintenance."

As commissioner and mayor, Duncan has shown a disdain for politics as usual. He rewrote and has worked to convince the rest of this and prior councils to pass a tough hiring policy that would require a council member to resign should a direct relative be hired. While some commissioners feel the policy is too tough, Duncan sees the issue as one of leadership. "Consideration of qualifications and training is the best way to ensure the most efficient use of scarce public funds in hiring and employment," he said. "Our citizens have a right to have a city council that recognizes the need to avoid conflicts of interest and nepotism."

What's next? On June 30 he will occupy the Mayor's Office at City Hall. "I'm looking forward to being able to focus my full attention on Du Quoin," he said. "We've been moving on a lot of constructive projects and grants. I can't wait to be there as current projects wrap up and new ones come on line."

Duncan said the new Sales Tax Business Direct and Tax Increment Financing Districts are working very well, citing growth and development in the affected areas. He's also looking forward to efforts to rebrand Du Quoin, including a review and modernization of current marketing efforts. Keeping the city on solid financial footing is always a high priority.

He's also anticipating the opportunity to again work directly with city employees. "I worked with them every day for three years and intermittently ever since. Du Quoin is blessed to have such a dedicated, productive, service-minded group of employees. The success of Du Quoin is the sum of the efforts of its employees and the citizen-volunteers who serve on our boards and commissions. I'm grateful to them all."

Mayor Duncan and his wife Linda have been married for 35 years, a fact that he says he's the most proud of. She holds a bachelor's degree in business, has worked in administrative positions at corporate offices, Streamline and Captain Mines, and Old Ben Coal Company. She has worked the last 22 years as an instructional aide for the Du Quoin School District.

Rex and Linda have two daughters, both graduates of Du Quoin High School. Older daughter Kristin completed her bachelor's degree, worked at Disney World for seven years, and now is a successful real estate agent in the Orlando area. Younger daughter Robin completed her bachelor's degree in nursing and is now a helicopter flight nurse with Air Evac Lifeteam in Jacksonville, Illinois. Mayor Duncan is the son of Dawson and Irma Dean Duncan, both of Du Quoin.

Commenting on his candidacy, Duncan says he's had numerous people who have approached him asking him to run and to be a part of his campaign. He'll be reaching out to them soon. He knows it won't be easy, but observes "I will proudly run on my experience, my accomplishments, and my vision for the future of Du Quoin."