Illinois Fire Fighters Elected to City Council

April 19, 2007— Two Illinois fire fighters are serving on city councils in Illinois thanks to the strong support of their brother and sister IAFF members. East Peoria, IL Local 1498 fire fighter Dan Decker and Pekin, IL Local 524 fire fighter John Abel are serving their first four-year terms on their respective city councils in East Peoria and Pekin.

Dan Decker  East Peoria, IL Local 1498

In East Peoria, Decker has long wanted to serve as a leader in his community. “Believe it or not,” says Decker, vice president of Local 1498 and former Local 1498 secretary. “I’ve wanted to run for office since about the fifth grade.” Eight candidates ran for four open positions on the East Peoria City Council.

“When Brother Decker came to us for support, the membership was proud to back him,” says Chuck Melton, president of East Peoria Local 1498. “We went door-to-door, made calls, handed out flyers and donated funds from our PAC.”

Decker also received financial support from FIREPAC and the Associated Fire Fighters of Illinois (AFFI) PAC.

In Pekin, John Abel’s election was an example of effective political action success. “We have turned over an entire city council in the past two elections,” says Chris Coats, president of Local 524. “We’ve gone from an unfriendly council to a council that, for the most part, is open-minded to issues important to fire fighters.”

For the campaign, Local 524 fire fighters went door-to-door, distributed flyers, put up signs and ran an ad in the newspaper. In addition, Abel had the financial support of the AFFI.

“Brother Abel has always been active within the local, sitting on many boards,” notes Coats. “I know his dedication will continue in his position on the city council.”

A state law was passed two years ago that allows fire fighters to continue to serve as fire fighters while also holding public office. However, Abel will retire after 30 years of service as he had initially planned.