Voters Get Their Say in Spring Elections (UPDATED)

UPDATE: This article was edited slightly to further explain candidate Beth Akeson’s position regarding the sale tax increase referendum on the April 7 ballot.

With the elections for Peoria city council and the Peoria District 150 school board less than one week away, candidates are touting their issues on voters’ doorsteps.

Although voter turnout this spring pales in comparison to the 2008 presidential elections, the April elections bear equal importance—at least to the residents of the heart of Illinois. As lawnmowers whir, blossoms bloom, and leaves begin peaking from the trees, the state and congressional elections that bathed the city in spotlight one chilly November night now seem like a dream. But on April 7th voters will confront the reality of another ballot, another list of seasoned candidates, and another chance to choose the ones who’ll govern.

Squaring Off

Who will win the council’s top spot? Mayor Jim Ardis will become the first incumbent Peoria mayor to be re-elected since Jim Maloof was elected over a decade ago—should he garner the most votes. General Parker, the husband of city economic development specialist Rachael Parker who is also a board member of District 150, is also seeking the city’s mayoral seat.

Parker served as an alternate delegate for Barack Obama during the Democratic National Convention last August. He claims he is capable of “open and honest government.”

“We can’t keep raising taxes and funding private projects and expect people to pick up the bills for the bad decisions government keeps making,” he says.

Parker hopes to contribute to an economic turnaround and strengthen Peoria’s education system. “We have to be able to change the opinion about Peoria public school districts and make the city a place where people want to live and want to raise their kids and want to go to school,” Parker says. “We don’t have that right now.”

A people person who has “been fighting for them for years” as a community activist, Parker says he is more than willing to “go down and talk to the homeless guy on the street.”

“I’ve been able to bring different types of people together to work toward a common goal,” he says. “I’ve been able to put people to work who’ve been without jobs. I consider that a major accomplishment.”

Mayor Ardis, adamantly praised for Peoria’s strong government, low crime rate, and alluring city image, was elected to the Peoria city council in 1999 as a Councilman-at-Large and then re-elected in 2003. In 2005, Ardis ran his first campaign for mayor, the cornerstone of which was upgrading education and cracking down on illegal activity in the city. Ardis will focus his re-election efforts on ousting crime, improving Peoria’s neighborhoods, and creating a stable business environment.

Staying Put

Clyde Gulley can breath easy this time around. No one has filed to run against the incumbent for the District 1 council seat. Gulley claims he has been working on a number of projects during his two terms in office, and now he’ll have four more years to see them take shape.

He says he plans to spend his next term working toward developing efficiency within the city so residents will be able to do “more with less.”

Gulley will continue to collaborate with the school district and focus on building not only a new school “but new homes and a new neighborhood and doing it in a collaborative method.”

Continuing Service

A University of Illinois law graduate, dean’s list honoree, and recipient of the Rickert Award for Excellence, incumbent Councilwoman Barbara Van Auken claims, if re-elected, she will continue outstanding constituent service.

She plans to focus her efforts on the two main infrastructure projects in her district: the Sheridan Triangle and Main Street redevelopment and redesign. Encouraged by the support she has received from fellow council members, Van Auken claims she’s gained a reputation for being “one of the hardest working members on the council.”

“I bring experience and a proven track record of excellent constituent service,” she says. “If you look at the votes on the council for issues I bring forward, I have nearly unanimous support from my colleagues on impounding noisy vehicles and limiting the locations of payday and title loans businesses.”

A field attorney for eight years with the National Labor Relations Board and a legal council for ten years with Central Illinois Light Company, Van Auken claims, “You have to work hard to be cooperative and work well with others. You build up a level of trust and respect among your colleagues as you do your homework and show you’ve looked into issues thoroughly and properly.”

Curphy Smith, Vice President of Community Banking in Downtown Peoria, also has his eye on the District 2 seat. His agenda includes increasing economic development in the area by focusing “first and foremost” on infrastructure within the city and within District 2. The candidate claims increasing infrastructure development and lowering the crime rate go hand in hand.

“When you have people walking and talking and getting involved in the business community, crime deters itself from these areas,” says Curphy, a past president of the Heartland Community Development Corporation. “Infrastructure promotes community and encour ages economic growth.”

He also plans to upgrade education by “reaching across the aisle” and working with District 150 to find solutions. As a banker, Curphy brings 13 years of financial expertise to the table, which he claims has taught him to “separate the fluff from the facts.”

“(The city council) makes tough decisions where taxpayer money is involved,” he says. “We need to do our homework and minimize the risk (of using taxpayer dollars ineffectively).”

Qualified, Motivated, Ready

Unlike leaders of the first and second districts, incumbent Councilman Bob Manning is stepping aside to make room for new leadership in District 3. A financial advisor for a brokerage firm, Manning will not seek reelection at the end of his term in order to spend more time with his wife and two young daughters, ages 8 and 9.

On the heels of Bob Manning, Timothy Riggenbach and Beth Akeson are racing fast and hard to fill the shoes of their predecessor, touting six years of experience as a District 10 representative on the Peoria County Board and experience as Vice Chairperson of the disbanded Heart of Peoria Commission, respectively.

Both candidates ran against Kelley McGowand-Mammen, a semi-retired psychotherapist, in a three-way district primary race on February 24th. McGowand-Mammen received 4 percent of the votes while Akeson finished with 42 percent and Riggenbach captured 54 percent in the nonpartisan primary with all precincts reporting.

Assistant Vice President bank manager at Downtown Peoria’s Associated Bank, Riggenbach claims a number of issues need attention in his district, including crime, schools, and city infrastructure.

“My platform is simple,” he writes in his profile. “Crime reduction . . . revitalizing the core neighborhoods . . . consensus leadership . . . Let’s see what has worked, and let’s take it to the next level . . . We need to make sure that the heart of the city gets healthy. I have a proven track record of doing the very things I promise. It is easy to talk, but results speak for themselves.”

Akeson, 54, says she will focus on targeting economic development for run-down areas of the city. She says she will vote “no” regarding the sales tax increase referendum this month to raise funds for the construction of The Block in Downtown Peoria, favoring the creation of retail stores and residences over museum development. Akeson believes the construction for the Downtown Peoria Block needs to include retail and residential development in addition to Museum Development.

Akeson also advocates cooperation between City Hall and District 150 on the upgrading of city neighborhoods, and the “neighborhood improvement zone,” the primer of which is a new Glen Oak School on the East Bluff.

“I am qualified to represent the 3rd District because I am a collaborator, problem solver, and community resource,” Akeson writes in her profile. “I am motivated to improve Peoria, and I have demonstrated my commitment through community involvement and work on the Heart of Peoria Commission.”

Incumbent Councilman Bill Spears is competing against Mark Plebanek to retain the District 4 seat.

“I plan to do the best job I can and continue to be fiscally conservative and grow the city,” Spears said in January.

Having made significant headway over the past twelve years with city projects, such as infrastructure development, Spears claims he is more than willing to continue these projects to benefit the constituents in his district.

Mark Plebanek could not be reached for comment.

Continuing the Tradition

While other neighboring districts are built upon neighborhoods and neighborhood organizations, District 5 is a conglomeration of business factions and developers—hence, a perfect fit for Panco Food Service Equipment owner Pat Nichting.

Since Nichting announced his run for City Treasurer, constituents who admire his work on the city council have stepped up to continue his tradition of exceptional service. Gloria Cassel-Fitzgerald is a retired state administrator with the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services. She believes her experience working with DCFS has prepared her for leading her district.

“Working with DCFS, I was their Deputy Director of Education,” she says. “I helped between 30-60,000 children. I was over 3,000 staff. I had my own budget. I worked and commuted from Springfield to Chicago. I’m experienced with a lot of issues.”

Having lived in District 5 since the early 1970s and built a home there, she claims she has a firm grasp of what needs to be done. “We need to elevate the education level in this district,” she says. “We need to increase our education level to meet federal requirements.”

The candidate also believes the recent merger of businesses into District 5 requires city leaders make certain that “what we have and what comes here is an elevation for the economy in this district and that what comes here is what the people want.”

Dan Irving, a member of the city’s liquor commission and a sales director of major accounts for the Lincoln office, believes his experience on the commission has prepared him well for the duties of a city councilman.

“Serving on the liquor commission had required me to look at neighborhood associations and how it’s going to affect them,” he says. “I think I have a leg up because I’m already looking out for the best interests of my constituents. I have the experience and a general desire to help people with their problems and move the district forward.”

Irving runs his campaign out of his home. He claims if elected he plans to be open and honest with those he serves and keep “open ears and an open mind to (constituents’) concerns.”

“Pat Nichting has laid a good foundation, and I want to continue that level of constituent service,” he says.

Treasuring Peoria

As Patrick Nichting’s career as a city councilman for District 5 comes to a close, all eyes turn to the race for City Treasurer where Nichting will go up against Gary Shadid, nephew of retired State Senator George Shadid. If elected, Nichting will replace retiring City Treasurer Reginald Willis.

The current councilman believes his MBA from Bradley University and 26 years of business experience have helped prepare him for this position.

“From working on the city council, I understand the importance the City Treasurer plays with providing the financial information that’s needed (to conduct business in the city effectively),” he says.

If elected, Nichting will focus on guaranteeing exceptional customer service for his constituents. “Reginald Willis’ staff has always been very customer-oriented, and I want to continue that,” he says.

A second priority is upgrading and improving technology. “We need to look at what we’re doing and at what we can do to improve and keep things updated,” says Nichting.

Nichting’s opponent, Gary Shadid, has been a Certified Public Accountant since 1983 when he began a career with Deloitte Haskins & Sells, an international accounting firm. Shadid spent 23 years in Public Accounting and another three years in the private sector working as an assistant controller for a billion-dollar real estate developer in Phoenix, Arizona. He later returned to Peoria to raise a family and work for KPMG, another international accounting firm. In 1990, he co-founded Martin & Shadid, CPAs, P.C. and currently serves as President.

“I have been involved with government accounting and auditing and real estate for 18 years. This experience is very relevant to the Treasurer’s position,” he says.

The Treasurer’s office is responsible for collecting and depositing and reporting pension payments.

“What we commonly refer to as post-employment benefits—these will be the big issues in the future,” says Shadid. “But my experience has prepared me to be a source of advice to the council within these difficult financial times.”

Helping Peoria Schools

School board candidates who will begin serving a five-year term July 1st are petitioning area voters for help in winning this year’s elections. Mary Spangler, who currently serves on the school board’s District 3 seat, will not seek reelection.

Lonnie Whisker, Laura Petelle, and Sandy Farkash are vying for the position. Whisker says, if elected, he will work to balance the district’s budget and promote fiscal transparency and responsibility and close the achievement gap. He also plans to help teachers and staff become well-equipped to handle the changing demographics and challenges schools are facing, develop stronger partnerships between communities and parents, and “provide strong visionary leadership skills in order to work with the board and the administration to help us become world class.”

“I believe I am a decisive leader and a creative thinker and open to other people’s input,”

Whisker says. “I have the passion to do (the job).”

Petelle says she will work to promote honesty, transparency, and accountability while improving fiscal responsibility. “I want to ensure that any cuts (in the budget) that are made do not effect the students (in a negative way),” she says.

Improvements in student achievement will also be a priority. “I want to focus on increasing test scores, supporting teachers, and developing a strong high school curriculum in college prep and vocational technology that will help keep middle-class families in the district and give students a really strong foundation,” she says.

Sandy Farkash could not be reached for comment.

Good luck to all candidates!