Aurora Mayor-elect John Laesch announces transition team
Aurora Mayor-elect John Laesch, a current city alderman at-large, announced Monday the team of people who will help guide his transition into the mayor's office.
Laesch's official transition committee is being tasked with making sure there is a smooth transfer of city leadership and will be made up of 20 people representing both 'extensive' institutional knowledge and grassroots experience, according to a news release. Included on the team are past and present elected officials, community organizers, civic leaders and city employees, among others.
'Our committee represents the heart of Aurora — people who know our city, care deeply and have spent years working toward justice, access and transparency,' Laesch said in the release. 'This group reflects the community's diversity, knowledge, ethics, experience and shared vision for a more transparent, accountable and people-centered local government.'
Laesch is set to be sworn in as Aurora's next mayor on May 13 alongside newly-elected or reelected members of the Aurora City Council. Laesch won the mayoral election over outgoing Mayor Richard Irvin earlier this month.
Over the next few weeks, Laesch's transition team is set to review city operations, engage with the community and develop early goals for his incoming administration, the release said.
'We are building a government that works for the people — because it's powered by the people,' Shannon Cameron, chair of the new transition committee, said in the news release. 'This team is ready to get to work.'
According to her LinkedIn profile, Cameron previously served as the executive director of the Aurora Area Interfaith Food Pantry from 2021-2024 and before that was the director of Education and Community Engagement at the Paramount Theatre from 2017-2021. In the latter role, she was the founding director of the Paramount School of the Arts, Laesch's news release said.
Cameron is also a mental health professional, a former public school teacher and a member of Aurora Mutual Aid, Aurora Rapid Response Team and the League of Women Voters, according to the release.
Past and present elected officials make up a large chunk of the committee. Among them is former Aurora Mayor David Pierce, who has also previously served as the Kane County clerk and as a Kane County Board member.
Also on the transition team is Ald. Mike Saville, 6th Ward, who is the longest-serving alderman on the Aurora City Council with more than 40 years in office, the news release said.
Ald. Ed Bugg, 9th Ward, and Ald. Ted Mesiacos, 3rd Ward, were also announced to be on the transition committee.
Mesiacos ran for mayor against Laesch and Irvin in the past election but lost in the primary. So did two other members of Laesch's new transition committee: Karina Garcia, president and CEO of the Aurora Regional Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, and Jazmine Garcia, who dropped out of the race ahead of the primary to endorse Laesch.
While other aldermen were not added to the transition committee due to open meetings law requirements, Laesch is planning to meet with all sitting aldermen and newly-elected members of the Aurora City Council to 'make sure that their opinions are included in strategic goal-setting and the decision-making process,' according to the news release.
Other elected officials on the transition team include Kane County Board member Mavis Bates, Aurora Alderman-elect Keith Larson and Naperville Township Trustee-elect Gautam Bhatia, who is also the chair of Naperville Township Democrats, Laesch's news release said.
Chuck Nelson rounds out the list of elected officials on Laesch's transition committee as both the current District 5 trustee for the Fox Metro Wastewater Reclamation District and a former Aurora alderman. He also previously worked at the city of Aurora, most notably as Irvin's deputy mayor from 2017 to 2020.
Another former city employee on the transition team is Ray Hull, who spent 36 years working at the city of Aurora's Water and Sewer Maintenance Division and in the most recent past election led an unsuccessful campaign for 1st Ward alderman. He also previously served on the East Aurora School District 131 Board of Education and is a former labor leader.
Also announced for Laesch's transition committee is Nicholas Richard-Thompson, another former city employee. He is now the director of communications at the Illinois Black Advocacy Initiative, the Midwest regional organizer for Black Alliance for Peace and a member of the boards of the Community Foundation of the Fox River Valley, Aurora Mutual Aid, Simply Destinee and Aurora Area Interfaith Food Pantry.
Michelle Velazquez, a current Aurora fire inspector and former labor leader, was also announced to be on the transition committee.
Laesch's transition team also includes Casildo 'Casey' Cuevas, who is the chair of Working Families Aurora, a PAC that supported Laesch, Larson and other candidates in the past election. Cuevas is also the founder and vice president of non-profit UNI2, bilingual community service director for state Sen. Karina Villa, D-West Chicago, and immigration chair of the Labor Council for Latin American Advancement, according to the news release.
Ed Mullen, an attorney who represented Laesch in a challenge to his petition for mayoral candidacy, is another of the announced transition team members.
Others on the transition team are active community members, including Salek Khalid, an advocate for immigrant and refugee rights as well as Muslim civic engagement who currently serves as program manager for immigrant justice partnerships at The Resurrection Project.
Nicole Mullins, founder and president of L.I.F.T. Aurora (Culture Stock) and community care unit supervisor at Senior Services Associates, was also announced for Laesch's transition team.
So was Ram Tyagi, who has over 25 years of experience in the tech industry and management, currently serves as treasurer of his Homeowners Association Board and is a board member of LibraryCreate, a nonprofit focused on youth empowerment, literacy, and community service, according to the news release.
Rounding out the transition committee is Christina Whitty, who the release said has over 36 years of leadership in conducting financial and risk control analysis and document assessments.
There are also ongoing efforts to add additional members to the transition team, Laesch's news release said.
rsmith@chicagotribune.com
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