Mayor Ali reflects on first term, goals for second term if re-elected

Yahoo

22-02-2025

PEORIA, Ill. (WMBD) — Peoria Mayor Rita Ali is hoping to build on her accomplishments in a second term.
And she's excited for what is on the horizon. While her administration is making strides, there is still a long way to go. Among her priorities are working to bring Amtrak services to Peoria and improving the housing stock within the city.
There's also the Riverfront Development Plan which was unveiled nearly two years ago and requires at least $15 million and possibly more to revamp and redo the area along the Illinois River.
'We've made a lot of improvements, and we have a ways to go. So we have a new five-year strategic plan that I want to see through,' said Ali.
She hopes voters will agree and pick her in both February and then in April. City voters will go to the polls on Tuesday, Feb. 25, for the primary election. The two people who get the highest vote totals will then square off for a winner-takes-all in the April general election.
Ali was the first African American to serve as the city's mayor when she ran in 2021. At the time, she was on the council, as was her opponent. Before that, she was the vice president of workforce and diversity at Illinois Central College before retiring.
The strategic plan prioritizes affordable housing, reducing crime and investing in Downtown Peoria.
'Part of our strategic plan is to revitalize Downtown and a thriving Downtown to create a thriving city. We have made investments in businesses, over 350 businesses, small businesses got grants from the city to help to sustain them, help to grow them and provide support for their development. So, we want to continue that,' she said.
She thinks that a grocery store and a pharmacy are on the way and the more housing that is available in Downtown, the more people will come.
Improving housing is also something she's hopeful will keep occurring in South Peoria, an area that has needed newer stock for years. With the redevelopment of the old McKinley School property and other areas like the Churchview Gardens development near St. Ann's Catholic Church, she's excited for what is happening.
The improved housing will help to sustain the pharmacies and grocery stores that are needed in those areas.
When it comes to reducing gun violence in the city, Ali said her administration is making progress by giving police the tools they need to solve crimes, like license plate readers. She also convened the Safety Network, comprised of community leaders, police, schools and clergy, to come up with solutions.
She's proud of the organization which started with 50 people and has grown over the years.
'I'm very proud of that. It has grown to more than 150 people, who working together with the police to reduce crime in Peoria,' she said. It's that collaborative effort that will build dividends, she adds.
'We've seen violent crime come down between 2023 and 2024 significantly in the areas of reducing gunshot victims, gunshots in reducing murders, overall murders,' she said.
Under her leadership, she said, the police department has gotten high-tech tools to help solve crime which she says will improve the overall perception of the city. As the rate increases, the sense that Peoria isn't safe will go down, something she says is already happening.
Another facet is the improved interventions that are occurring both in the community and in the criminal justice system which she says will do two things — create consequences for bad acts but also find ways to help children before they reach a certain point.
Giving teens a way to break the cycle of violence is important. Ali points to her Mayor's Youth Internship Program, which she created for 14 and 15-year-olds, as proof that things are working.
'We have to work with the families, work with the children to put them on the right path. I gave them a summer job and they work at various not-for-profits and government agencies around the city. We also coach them once a week,' she said. 'They have a session where we bring in speakers and talk to them about their careers and opportunities. Then if they finish the program successfully, they're invited to come back the next summer.'
She, like nearly everyone around the Horseshoe, is in favor of having land-based gaming in Peoria. Should the owners of the Par-A-Dice riverboat casino opt to build a casino on land, she says it'll be here based upon the 1991 agreement that brought riverboat gaming to the area.
'It will improve our economic stability tremendously. It will bring new people to visit our city from all over. I'm excited about the opportunity,' she said.
Under her leadership, the city has invested $100 million in infrastructure, including roads and bridges. Ali said there is more to come in a second term.
'This year, we're going to invest over $88 million in infrastructure. It's not just one part of the city, like the north part of the city, the newer parts of the city. It includes the older parts of the city as well. So I want to continue the work that has been started in this first term and continue that over the next four years,' she said.
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