One incumbent sails to victory, two former at-large council members return and the mayor welcomes two newcomers to the horseshoe.

Peoria’s City Council election on April 9 was quite a game changer. With just 12 percent voter turnout, those who cast their ballots managed to open the door for new faces—and new opportunities—for the next city council. Peoria Mayor Jim Ardis welcomed the new members, saying he looks forward to “working together” with them and claiming district council members’ jobs can be more challenging than those of at-large members. Although he claims the council will be losing the experience the incumbents brought to the table, he is confident the new members will have no problem getting up to speed.

“It’s to everyone’s advantage that they find the ability to do their jobs as best they can,” Mayor Ardis said last month.

Resounding Victory

Financial advisor and business consultant Denise Moore, 54, wife of WEEK-TV News Channel 25 morning anchor/reporter Garry Moore, defeated incumbent Gary Sandburg with 81 percent of the vote, or 705 votes to Sandburg’s 19 percent, or 167 votes.

Sandburg, 64, has served on the council for 24 years. He was first elected in 1989 when he won election to the 2nd District seat. He later left this position in 1997 when he was elected to become an at-large councilman. Sandberg still retains this position and will be up for re-election in 2015.

Moore attributes her victory to the fact that the people in the 1st District want “real changes.” Having served on the city’s south side as a former neighborhood association president, her first priority will be increasing economic development in her district. She says funding is a big concern for the Southtown Tax Increment Financing District. She also says she will make specific improvements to Western Avenue, an area she claims, does little to attract businesses to Peoria.

The 1st District consists of South Peoria and Downtown Peoria and the North Valley.

Familiar Faces

The city’s 2nd and 4th Districts are welcoming back former at-large city councilmen, Charles Grayeb and Jim Montelongo. In Peoria’s 2nd District, retired educator Charles Grayeb, 63, is returning to the city council after successfully ousting incumbent Barbara Van Auken with 52 percent of the vote. A retired attorney, Van Auken, 66, served for eight years on the city council.

Grayeb, an at-large council member from 1995-2007, says he had “an enormous amount” of encouragement from friends and family to run again. Having each received 595 votes in Tuesday’s ballots, Grayeb won the early voting, 107-77, and absentee ballots, 69-46, a strategy he claims helped put him over the top.

The 2nd District includes parts of Central Illinois and the West Bluff.

In the 4th District, former at-large councilman Jim Montelongo defeated former city code enforcement chief, John Kunski, with 58 percent of the vote to Kunski’s 42 percent.

Kunski served as Director of Inspections for Peoria for twenty-two years before taking early retirement.

Montelongo says his election came about largely due to the fact that his constituents desire business development and increased opportunities in the city. A plan for business growth, he says, will be one of his first priorities.

Staying in the Game

Incumbent Tim Riggenbach soared to victory in the 3rd District, winning against opponent Chad Grimm by a margin of 81 to 19 percent. Riggenbach was first elected to the city council four years ago and won by just 12 votes.

Riggenbach credits his victory to hard work over as well as “tough decisions” made involving budget cuts. He and his colleagues also worked hard to improve the way Peoria conducts business and strengthen the financial integrity of the city.

Over the next four years, the incumbent desires to continue his work with community leaders as well as his partnership with the Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) to improve the East Bluff and South Peoria neighborhoods.

Earning Constituents’Respect

Casey Johnson’s victory over incumbent Dan Irving changed the face of the 5th District. Johnson defeated Irving, a first-term incumbent, with 54 percent of the vote to Irving’s 46 percent.

Johnson, 33, a financial advisor and an assistant high school and college basketball coach, says good voter turnout—17 percent in the 5th District—worked to his favor. Johnson knocked on hundreds of doors, made phone calls for hours and, he says, made people really believe in what he was doing.

The new councilman says the same cooperation and hard work necessary in the athletic field translates to politics and believes that building relationships with experts will help the city move forward. He says his biggest job will be to earn his constituents’ respect over the next four years.

Portions of North Peoria and Northwest Peoria as well as all of Far North Peoria compose the 5th District.