City Council Gears Up for Spring Elections

Holiday lights have faded but upcoming elections are igniting a blaze of politics and policy that has city residents feeling the heat.

Election Day may be over, but politics is just getting started in Peoria County with the mayor’s seat, five district city council positions, and a spot on the District 150 school board up for grabs come April 7th. With the December 15th deadline for city council contenders and incumbents to file for election and re-election long past, candidates are honing in on issues they feel are vital to the heartbeat of the city.

Campaign Kick-offs

Peoria Mayor Jim Ardis jump-started his campaign in the presence of over 100 supporters who flocked to Weaver Ridge on the evening of December 3rd in support of the mayor’s run for re-election. Attendees—Republican and Democrat—spoke with mutual enthusiasm of Ardis’s contributions to Peoria. The mayor has been lauded for Peoria’s decreased crime rate, strong government, and alluring city image. He announced his candidacy for re-election on November 24th.

Ardis was elected to the Peoria City Council in 1999 as a Councilman-at-Large and was re-elected in 2003. He ran his first campaign for mayor in 2005, launching a grassroots effort for positive change in Peoria with a primer of ousting crime and upgrading education. In April, Ardis will attempt to become the first incumbent Peoria mayor in fifteen years to be re-elected since Jim Maloof was elected mayor. Ardis, 49, plans to focus his campaign on such issues as providing a stable business environment, cracking down on crime, and improving Peoria’s neighborhoods and schools.

General Parker, an alternate delegate for president-elect Barack Obama during the Democratic National Convention in August, will attempt to unseat Ardis this spring. Parker filed his petition on December 15th, moments before the deadline. He is a community activist whose wife, Rachael Parker, is a city economic development specialist and member of the Peoria District 150 School Board.

Four More Years

Five district council seats are drawing public attention, but not all current council members are ready to throw in the towel. First District Councilman Clyde Gulley says he fully intends to run for another four-year term.

“The fact that I’ve been in (office) for two terms and I’ve been working on a number of projects and they are coming into fruition is exciting,” he says.

If re-elected, Gulley plans on continuing to work with the school district and focusing on building a new school. “And not just a new school but new homes and a new neighborhood and doing it in a collaborative method,” he says.

Gulley considers one of his biggest accomplishments contributing to the creation of the council’s capital improvement plan to handle budget issues. “There are some things that are bringing us together,” he says.

First elected to the council four years ago, Barbara Van Auken claims she enjoys representing the 2nd District. “As long as my constituents feel the same way, I’m delighted to serve,” she says.

Her focus will be turning Main Street into a pedestrian-friendly drive and maintaining levels of public safety.

The councilwoman is encouraged by her past achievements, one of which involved initiating legislation for impounding vehicles that play loud music on the first offence. Van Auken has also limited the locations of payday and title loans businesses.

“I’ve gained a reputation for being very responsive and one of the hardest working members on the council,” she says.

Van Auken claims the 2nd District is “very well organized” and “demanding,” and it pays to be attentive to constituents’ needs. “These are people who know what they want and aren’t shy about asking for it,” she says. “Yes, it’s a full-time job, but on the other hand, I’m not wondering what needs to be done.”

Garnering proper funding for public safety and making certain her constituents have a voice for city development comprise two of her goals if re-elected. “From the top of Mainstreet at Bradley to the foot of the hill, there’s a lot of development going on, and I want to make sure I’m helping in every way I can.”

The councilwoman will be facing competition from Curphy Smith, Vice President of Community Banking in downtown Peoria.

“I think it’s a great opportunity,” he says. “It involves community service quite a lot. Peoria needs a good leader in that district and needs someone who can bring it all together.” Curphy resides in the Uplands with his wife and three children.

Incumbent fourth District Councilman Bill Spears claims he decided to run again after “talking it over with my family and constituents asking me to run again.”

“I plan to do the best job I can and continue to be fiscally conservative and grow the city,” he says.

Spears claims he wants to continue the projects he has been immersed in the past twelve years as councilman, mainly infrastructure.

Mark Plebanek, who’ll be facing off against Spears April 7th, could not be reached for comment.

Family First

Not all Peoria City Council incumbents are seeking re-election. Third District Councilman Bob Manning, a financial advisor for a brokerage firm, announced during a press conference that he plans to resign his seat to spend more time with his wife and attend more school activities with his two young daughters, ages 8 and 9.

“I appreciated the opportunity to represent the 3rd District, and I am thankful for the strong support that my constituents provided,” he told reporters last month. “My decision comes after weeks of deliberation and after discussion with family members.”

In an email, the councilman said he never seriously considered a career in politics but decided he needed to speak out regarding city issues with which he disagreed. Manning said he “enjoyed working on (constituents’) behalf and achieving solutions to many of the issues and challenges that we faced.”

Campaigning to replace Manning is Timothy Riggenbach, a District 10 representative on the Peoria County Board. “I think Bob Manning has done an outstanding job representing the neighborhoods,”says Riggenbach, Assistant Vice President bank manager at downtown’s Associated Bank. “It’s my desire to maintain that level of representation.”

Married to his wife, Barbara, with three daughters, Riggenbach claims a number of issues need attention in the district. “Of course, crime continues to be a major concern,” he says, “and schools. And then there are issues like getting the sidewalks widened.”

Vice Chairman of the Heart of Peoria Commission, 54-year-old Beth Akeson is also running for the 3rd District seat. Akeson was appointed to the commission in 2004 by former Mayor Dave Ransburg. She claims, if elected, she will work to improve Peoria’s older neighborhoods and serve her district as “an advocate for proactive policy.”

Kelley McGownd Mammen, a 3rd contender for the district seat, says it’s the “perfect time” for her to run for office. “It’s always been a dream of mine,” she says. “I want to continue with the positive motion the council has had.”

Mammen says she plans to work with kids and parents to crack down on gang involvement and drug use. She also wants to make improvements to Peoria’s police department.

“I think we need to beef the police department up a bit more,” she says. “More officers. More training. Right now, if you call in sick, they find a replacement, and (the replacement) has to work it. You don’t have a choice.”

From Councilman to Treasurer

Patrick Nichting’s career as city councilman for Peoria’s fastest-growing district—District 5—is coming to a close after years of representing the city’s businesses and developers. Nichting, a Republican who owns Panco Food Service Equipment, is seeking a full-time job as City Treasurer and—if elected—will replace retiring City Treasurer Reginald Willis. Willis, who will be 68 next year, says his decision to retire is a “personal choice.”

“I’ve been here and done a good job,” he says. “Family comes first. I believe I can be of better value to my family (at this time).”

Willis has served as Treasurer since September 2003 and believes Nichting will perform responsibly in his place. “I’ve known Pat for some time,” he says. “He’s been a councilman who has matured, and because of him the city has grown and grown in a way that has not been costly to the city.”

The job as Treasurer, he says, is not an easy one. “There are many hats that have to be worn in this job and a lot of responsibility. But I certainly think Pat’s capable.”

Gary Shadid, nephew of retired state senator George Shadid, threw his hat in the ring to run against Nichting. Gary, 48, is a Democrat and the president of Martin & Shadid Certified Public Accountants on Prospect. With 26 years of accounting experience, he feels he is the best candidate for the job. If elected, Shadid will pay close attention to the city budget, which he claims is “the major issue right now,” and will help Peoria enhance revenue without raising taxes on property.

Dan Irving, Douglas P. Crew, and Gloria Cassel-Fitzgerald are racing for Nichting’s 5th District seat. Irving, 40, is a member of Peoria’s liquor commission as well as a sales director of major accounts for the Lincoln office. “I want to continue the tradition of constituent service that Patrick Nichting has laid as far as being accessible to their needs and responses,” he says.

If elected, Irving will focus on continuing services for which constituents pay taxes, such as road repair, curb repair, and snow removal. He also plans to continue economic growth by “keep(ing) communication open between city developers, neighborhood associations, as well as the neighborhoods themselves.”

“(I plan to) be constantly assessable and respond in a timely manner (to constituents’ needs),” says Irving. “I will keep open communication and make sure it’s in alignment with what the citizens want for the whole city of Peoria.”

Crew, 59, is a former Peoria Public Library Board member and also served on the Chillicothe City Council in the 1980s. He currently works at Caterpillar, Inc in governmental affairs.

“I’ve always been interested in municipal government,” he says. “I think I can bring a different perspective to things than that which currently exists.”

Gloria Cassel-Fitzgerald, a retired state administrator with the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services, says she’s “very interested in District 5.”

“I’ve been living there since the early 70s,” she says.

Fitzgerald claims some of her goals will be elevating the institutional level of the district and becoming involved in the movement toward new stores being built in the area.

“We also have traffic ways that need more monitoring with lights and things because of the new shops in the area,” she says.

A primary election will be held on February 24th for the 3rd and 5th District seats.

Back to School

Several Peoria County residents are hoping to head back to school—to the school board, that is. Peoria’s District 150 School Board member, Mary Spangler, is resigning from her 3rd District seat after four years of service. Originally from the south side of Chicago where she taught at a private school before coming to Peoria in 1989, she has previously taught at Von Steuben Middle School.

“I don’t like politics, and I like education. I think you have to have an interest in both to continue,” she says.

Spangler lives with her husband and four children and currently instructs fitness at The Clubs at River City.

Possible candidates for the 3rd District seat include Lonnie Whisker, a grant writer project coordinator for the Tri-County Urban League; Ken Brooke, a photographer; Laura Petelle, an Illinois Central College employee and local attorney; and Sandy Farkash, a former District 150 employee.

“Officially, I’m still deciding,” says Brooke. “I’ll know by late January when petitions are filed.”

Whisker is excited about the opportunity. “I’m from the district, and I’m married to a teacher in the district, and I have an honor roll student in the district,” he says. “I want to be a part of the solution.”

Whisker has four goals he’d like to accomplish, if elected. “I want to see the achievement gap be closed. I want teachers and support staff to become better equipped to handle the geographical changes in the district—economic, racial, etc. I want a stronger partnership with parents for student success. I want to work as a team player. I’m a firm believer that ‘teamwork makes the dream work.’”

Petelle, a firm believer in community service, desires to improve student achievement. “I would also like to improve communication between the board and the community and improve accountability to the community as well,” she says.

Sandy Farkash could not be reached for comment.

Board petitions must be filed between January 20th and 26th. All board members will serve a five-year term beginning July 1st.

Best of luck to all candidates!