BELLEVILLE — Mayoral candidate Phil Elmore said Monday that an opponent's campaign flier touts an accomplishment that has not been finalized.
Elmore said he received on Monday a mailer from incumbent Mayor Mark Eckert that referenced an ongoing deal with St. Clair County to share a new Police Department records management system.
"You just don't do this until things are final and here he's using it on a political flier," Elmore said.
Eckert said the information was on the flier because the City Council already took an initial vote on the project. Eckert said Elmore is "grasping at straws" with this attack.
The flier states: "Mayor Eckert and Police Command Staff researched police records management systems and are ready to proceed with upgrades. By teaming with St. Clair County, we could save a significant amount of tax payer dollars."
Elmore, currently an alderman for Ward 7, said he supports working with the county to get a new records management system. Elmore also doesn't dispute the statement on Eckert's flier is accurate.
Eckert included this information on campaign literature even though he has repeatedly told council members that discussing "unfinalized financial negotiations" publicly could jeopardize such deals, Elmore said.
"I'm going to adhere to keeping negotiations out of the paper because that's what's best for taxpayers," Elmore said.
The City Council on Feb. 19 voted to tell St. Clair County that the city is "open and receptive" to partnering with the county in obtaining the Tiburon Records Management System.
The city is waiting for county leaders to make a decision on the system and then the project will again go before the city for a final vote.
The proposal calls for the city to make an initial payment of $25,000, and then make monthly payments of about $3,300 for five years.
At the council meeting and a Finance Committee meeting in February, Elmore voted to move the project forward. A new computer system for City Hall is part of Elmore's platform.
Contact reporter Jacqueline Lee at jlee@bnd.com or 239-2655. Follow her on Twitter at twitter.com/BNDBelleville.
