Cameron Carlile

Hello! If you've made it this far you're most likely aware that my name is Cameron Hunter Carlile, and I am running for Mount Vernon City Council on April 6th 2021. I've created this website to help you see what I stand for, what plans I have for Mount Vernon if elected, and of course: why you should vote for me.
 Let me start off with why I'm running in the first place: Having lived in Mount Vernon for most of my life I decided that I should try to get as much involved in my community as possible. With absolutely no idea on how to do that I decided to go to one of the last City Council meetings of 2018. After sitting there for 30 minutes and understanding absolutely nothing that anyone was talking about, I decided that I should leave. That was the only city council meeting I've ever left early. I came back two weeks later with a notebook and I wrote down every question I had, and on the first business day of 2019 I set up a meeting with Mayor John Lewis. During our hour and a half long conversation he explained to me how I could do my part for my city, and how that part could help better the lives of so many people that I knew, and saw every day. It  became very evident to me that city government is by far the most important level of government in the United States, and that's simply because the city government is in charge of the majority of things that affect your life on a daily basis. Things such as roads, sewer, police, fire, and many more services that your tax dollars pay for that work behind the scenes everyday.
After almost a year of attending City Council meetings regularly I started to realize a small yet significant inefficiency. Besides the fact that the Illinois State legislature drastically under funds and under prepares any of its cities besides Chicago for the regulations it imposes upon them, Mount Vernon is at a disadvantage because our city government is stagnant. Like many of you I'm a conservative. But I'm not a 20th century conservative. I'm a 21st century conservative, and that means forward thinking, that means looking to other areas in the State and country to see what makes a small town successful, to see what makes small business thrive, and to see what helps the little guy the most. Because here in Mount Vernon we are all the little guy. Most of us live paycheck to paycheck, with our only goal being to see our family prosper. I think as a city with such simple wishes it is the duty of our local government, not only to safely and effectively manage our city on a day-to-day basis, but to look forward. To be proactive, and to see what more we can do other than just fix our roads, and settle for Mount Vernon being just another One-Stop town.
So in summary: I'm running for City Council because I care about the future of our city. I care about the future of my family, and of my friends. I want to be the proactive change, the breath of fresh air, a voice to reach across the divide to bring us all together, so that together we can not only have better Mount Vernon tomorrow, but so that we can have a better Mount Vernon everyday for each person who calls it home.