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Chicago Tribune
02-04-2025
- Politics
- Chicago Tribune
Cunningham declares victory in campaign to return as Waukegan mayor; ‘I want to continue with the plans we started'
Former Waukegan Mayor Sam Cunningham, the city's first Black chief executive, declared victory Tuesday night in his bid to regain the office he lost four years ago, thus extending the city's 28-year string of one-term mayors. Leading in a four-candidate race, Cunningham was ahead of incumbent Mayor Ann Taylor, who defeated him four years ago to become the city's first woman chief executive, according to unofficial results. 'I'm honored and certainly grateful to the voters to allow me another opportunity to serve as their mayor,' Cunningham said. 'This election was more about the future of the city, and I believe the voters have made it very clear they trust me to lead Waukegan forward.' Expressing gratitude to his three opponents for their service to Waukegan, Cunningham said he is ready to get to work after he is inaugurated on May 5. 'I'm ready to work alongside the City Council and other local leaders, but more importantly Waukeganites, to rebuild a stronger, more united community,' he said. Cunningham collected 47.04% of 6,020 votes counted as of late Tuesday night. Taylor had 33.94%, Ald. Keith Turner, 6th Ward, had 13.17%, and former Ald. Harold Beadling, 4th Ward, had 5.85%, according to unofficial election results from the Lake County Clerk's Office. Taylor conceded shortly after 9 p.m. She congratulated Cunningham and expressed gratitude to the people of Waukegan for their support over the past four years. 'I congratulate former Mayor Sam Cunningham on his election victory this evening, and wish him success as he leads Waukegan forward,' Taylor said. 'Serving as mayor these past four years has been an incredible honor, and I am proud of the progress we've made together as a community.' Since former Mayor Bill Durkin was reelected to a second term in 1997, Waukegan voters have chosen a different chief executive every four years since. Cunningham said numerous times during his campaign that he had unfinished business. Now, he has a chance to address that. Starting his first term with bold plans, Cunningham updated the city's master plan after nearly 40 years, crafted a capital improvement plan and shepherded three applications for an 'entertainment center called a casino' through the City Council to the Illinois Gaming Board. 'I want to continue with the plans we started,' he said in February. 'We had to put some of them on hold with COVID. I want to rebuild Waukegan. We (started) to rebuild affordable housing, particularly in the public sector. It's important to me because I lived in public housing.' Starting to rebuild the city's water plant during his tenure, Cunningham said he still sees it as a way to sell Lake Michigan water to other communities as a revenue source. It will help keep taxes down, he said. Collaborating with other governmental entities to benefit the community, Cunningham said he plans to work with the Waukegan Park District and the Lake County Forest Preserves District to create a mobility trail partially along the lakefront, from the south side of Waukegan to the Lyons Forest Preserve near Highway 41 and Route 173 in Zion. A piece of the trail puzzle is acquiring the land owned by the Canadian National Railway once used to haul coal to the now-decommissioned NRG electric generating plant. There were negotiations and an agreement during his tenure, but it did not materialize. Removal of the railroad tracks will also enable another project Cunningham said he intends to pursue — Navy Pier North — by creating an entertainment district at the beach. The area's success is also dependent on adding 700 to 1,000 residential units in the downtown area, he said. 'Downtown redevelopment ties in to the entertainment center at the beach,' Cunningham said. 'They go hand in hand. We also need a new police station, and a realignment of our current fire stations. It's all essential to the rebuilding of Waukegan.'
Yahoo
02-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Election 2025: 5 races we are watching in Whiteside, Lee counties
Apr. 1—DIXON — Sauk Valley-area voters headed to their polling places Tuesday to choose who will represent them on city, school, park, library and township boards. After the polls close at 7 p.m., visit the Sterling Gazette/Dixon Telegraph's website for election night coverage and updates on the races. Here are five local races we are watching: Rock Falls City Council Ward 2: Running for a four-year term, Brian Snow — who has held his seat for more than two decades — is going up against former 4th Ward Alderman Marshall Doane. Snow was first elected to his 2nd Ward seat in 2005 and has been reelected four times. Doane ran for a four-year 4th Ward seat in 2021 against Violet Sobottka. Doane lost the election but was appointed to a two-year term as the second 4th Ward representative alongside Sobottka. He resigned in 2022 after purchasing a home outside 4th Ward boundaries, Doane said in an interview with Shaw Local. Doane has lived in Rock Falls almost his entire life and works as a logistics coordinator with Riverside Logistics in Sterling. He also owns his own business, Phoenix Wicks Candle Co. Rock Falls City Council Ward 3: In the 3rd Ward, also running for a four-year term, incumbent Steve Dowd will face off against newcomers Mary McNeill and Austin Zink. Dowd, a retired Northwestern Steel and Wire worker, was first elected in 2021 by defeating 12-year incumbent Jim Schuneman. Newcomer Zink is a 25-year-old looking to get more young people involved in the city. He will be graduating from Northern Illinois University in May and works at Anne's Garden Center in Dixon, Zink said in an interview with Shaw Local. He has lived in Rock Falls his whole life and is a Rock Falls High School and Sauk Valley Community College graduate. Sterling City Council At-Large seats: In the running for two four-year alderman-at-large positions on Sterling's City Council are incumbents Jim Wise and Kaitlyn Ekquist as well as two newcomers, Ryan Nares and Allen Przysucha. Wise was first elected to the council in 2017 and was reelected in 2021 to serve his current four-year term. Ekquist was first elected to the council in 2021 for her current term. Nares is a business owner who in October opened The Mercantile, 117 W. Third St. in Sterling, with his wife Ashley Nares. The couple also own Nares Event Co. and 'Til Death Photo and Film. Przysucha currently serves on the Sterling planning commission and as a youth committee member for Sterling Township. He is also a board member at United Way of Whiteside County and is a member of the Sterling Noon Rotary Club. Dixon Township highway commissioner: Incumbent Corey Reuter is running against newcomer Cameron Magne. Reuter has been involved in township government for almost 20 years. He first started as a part-time employee at Dixon Township in 2006 and has held the position of highway commissioner for the past five years. Magne has worked for the city of Dixon for 13 years and currently serves as the general foreman in the water department. The Whiteside County Public Safety Sales Tax: Whiteside County voters are once again being asked to consider a countywide sales tax to help fund emergency dispatch services. Residents were asked in November to consider the same 0.5% public safety sales tax but the measure failed after 65.85% of voters said no. If approved, the sales tax would add an additional 50 cents for every $100 that shoppers spend on general merchandise in Whiteside County. The tax would not apply to groceries or items that must be titled or registered by a state agency, including watercraft, aircraft, trailers, mobile homes, qualifying drugs (including over-the-counter medications and vitamins) and medical appliances. Amy Robbins, the county administrator for Whiteside County, said dispatch services cost $1.8 million annually to operate. Outside of radio surcharges, the county and the cities of Sterling and Rock Falls foot the bill. Robbins said there is a deficit of about $500,000 each year. If Whiteside County voters approve the tax, cities would not have to pay to cover the services, and the money that Sterling and Rock Falls now spend for 911 services could possibly remain in their general funds for other uses. If the tax does not pass, cities throughout the county would have to pay for services. The tax is estimated to raise an annual $2 million that could only be used for matters of public safety. Any funds left over would be used to buy equipment and radio and software upgrades while allowing for multiagency interaction.
Yahoo
27-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Nunez, Hansford run for 4th Ward seat on Aurora City Council
Editor's Note: This is one in a series of stories looking at contested races in the April 1 general election. Aurora voters are set to soon choose between Jonathan Nunez and Jeffrey Hansford for the 4th Ward seat on the Aurora City Council. This and other local races — including for Aurora's mayor, alderman at-large and several other ward aldermen — are set to be decided in the April 1 consolidated election. Early voting is now open in all four of Aurora's counties. The current 4th Ward alderman, Bill Donnell, is not running for reelection after 12 years on the Aurora City Council. Nunez is a sales and brand strategy director for a large vehicle parts manufacturer, while Hansford is a teacher at Bardwell Elementary School in Aurora. Neither has ever run for public office before. Both candidates agreed to interviews with The Beacon-News earlier this month. Nunez, whose family has been in Aurora for over 100 years, said he is running for 4th Ward alderman because he sees the city at a crossroads. As a child of the 1990s, Nunez said he has seen Aurora in a tough spot, but the city has now built itself a strong foundation. He wants to make sure the city continues to build on that foundation and not 'go down the wrong path,' he said. Nunez would work to make sure the city doesn't go back to what it was like in the 1990s, with vacant properties, violence and people feeling unsafe to be out at night, he said. So, the city needs to continue supporting its police department, he said, and keep making sure officers engage with the community. Aurora also needs to continue seeking out growth, but not so much that the city outgrows its residents, according to Nunez. While he said he loves seeing a thriving downtown, he also wants to make sure residents can afford to live in the city. 'The last thing we want is for families to be forced away because they just can't afford to be there anymore,' Nunez said. When listening to residents' concerns, one major thing Nunez said he has heard is the need for a different approach to communication. While the city is active on Facebook, and Donnell currently sends out mailers, he said residents still have questions about what is happening at City Hall and in their local area. So, Nunez proposed meeting residents where they are with communication. That means communication across various different methods — email, text message, Facebook post, etc. — so that people can find the channel they feel most comfortable with, he said. Another thing Nunez said he would focus on if elected is the ward's infrastructure, whether that is lead pipes, road repairs or sidewalks. 'We need to be able to give our kids a safe place to walk,' he said. 'Very basic, sounds elementary, but it needs to be a priority.' What sets Nunez apart from his opponent in this race, he said, is his tested professional experience. Even though Aurora has a nearly $760 million budget, Nunez said he has managed larger. To manage a budget of that size takes someone with an attention to detail and who isn't afraid to say no, he said. But also, even though Nunez may not always see eye to eye with all his counterparts, he said he wants to help create true dialogue, not just say no for the sake of saying no. Instead, Nunez said he would try to always bring an alternative or at least a talking point that may help get to common ground. Aurora isn't just a place he lives, Nunez said. It is here he grew up and where he is raising his family, too, despite opportunities to move that he has always turned down, he said. A lifelong resident of Aurora born in the 1960s, Hansford said he has seen the city through its various phases — all of which had issues, but all of which had good things too, he said. Hansford used to work for Sears managing its hardline business, but he switched to teaching because it was a better career to raise a family, he said. Now, he said he has been teaching at Bardwell Elementary School — switching between first and second grade — for 22 years. So, he both lives and works in the 4th Ward. Hansford is running for alderman, he said, because he wants to give back. Although he has always been interested in politics, Hansford said he doesn't want to be a politician — and he still won't feel like one even if elected, because he'll still keep his teaching job, and he'd never want any elected position higher than alderman, he said. His main job as alderman, he said, would be to inform people about what the city has to offer or help people solve problems. Being a teacher, Hansford has helped families not just with educational issues but also personal ones, so he already has that experience, he said. For example, he said parents have come to him about housing, clothing and immigration issues. If elected, Hansford said he would focus on three main things: education, housing and public safety. While the city does not have direct control over the schools and school districts, Hansford said the city should work to encourage more after-school programs at schools. He has personally seen a lack of these programs, and families are asking for them, he said. But, generally, education in the city is going well, with both East and West Aurora school districts having some of the highest graduation rates ever, according to Hansford. He said the city also needs more affordable housing. Although his children are adults now, some still live with him because of housing prices, and he hears other parents talking about the same thing, Hansford said. As for public safety, Aurora is already a safe place, according to Hansford. In general, he said the city is moving in a good direction, and he wants it to continue. But, the city should also be looking to see if people have issues with the direction of the city and tweak its plans accordingly, he said. Hansford doesn't have all the answers, he said, but he is willing to listen to both residents and city officials to learn. It is his knowledge of the past and life experience in the city of Aurora that sets him apart from his opponent in this race, according to Hansford. He said he's raised four children through Aurora schools, both public and private, and has been involved in the community through volunteer work. 'I just always want to be involved somehow,' Hansford said. 'I love the city that I live in.' rsmith@
Chicago Tribune
24-03-2025
- Politics
- Chicago Tribune
Waukegan's mayoral candidates discuss assorted issues at forum
Public safety, through the police and fire departments, along with basic services like collecting garbage, removing snow and maintaining roads have long been the domain of Waukegan's mayors, who function as the city's chief executive. Now, the mayor is expected more than ever to deal with issues related to the federal government in Washington, D.C. As national programs that provide funding for things like public housing, food assistance for low-income residents and medical care for the underserved, are being reduced or are under the threat of cuts, those needs may need to be met by local governments, at least to some degree. Waukegan's mayoral candidates — former Ald. Harold Beadling, 4th Ward, former Mayor Sam Cunningham; current Mayor Ann Taylor and current Ald. Keith Turner, 6th Ward — debated those issues and more during a League of Women Voters forum Saturday at the Patricia Jones Center. With the city's fiscal year coming to an end in a little more than a month, moderator Jeanne Kearby asked the candidates in front of a standing-room-only crowd of more than 150 people how they will deal with the uncertainty of changes from the federal government which occur on an almost daily basis. Taylor said a backup plan is mandatory if grants the city has sought for things like lead pipe replacement and other needs are not forthcoming from Washington. The city has built cash reserves that can be used, she said. 'One minute we're in one direction, and the next day we're in another direction,' Taylor said. 'In the weeks and months ahead, we'll get a more clear answer of what things are going to be. We're waiting almost day to day to see where things are going to be at.' Cunningham, who said he relied less on grants when he was mayor from 2017-2021, commented that the Community Development Block Grants coming from the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development will likely be reduced. He sees less spending as an answer. 'We'll probably see cuts,' Cunningham said. 'How do we manage that? One simple thing … is control spending. Your budget should not grow over 2% each and every year. Control your spending. That's how you're going to control our city government.' Turner said he anticipates grants will be cut, and more control over spending is mandatory. He said he would take a close look at the money going out. He also sees more efficiency as a solution. 'There have not been any significant spending cuts' Turner said. 'We need to reign in our spending, and become more efficient in our spending, more effective in the delivery of our services. We need to be more service-oriented.' Though Taylor said she is concerned environmental efforts can be impacted if the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is reduced in size, and receives a significantly smaller budget from the current administration of President Donald Trump. Beadling said he is now worried. 'As far as government cuts are concerned, it's waste, fraud and abuse,' Beadling said. 'The EPA, there's a lot of waste, fraud and abuse in there.' With the federal government focusing a lot of attention on the deportation of illegal immigrants, Kearby asked the candidates how they would reconcile Illinois' Trust Law with federal efforts to accelerate immigration enforcement. For Beadling, the answer was short. 'When it comes to violent, criminal aliens who may have come over the border in the last four years, I think they need to go,' Beadling said. 'I don't think anyone in Waukegan wants to live amongst violent people.' Turner said he would abide by the Trust Act if he is elected, but wants to put more emphasis on dealing with law enforcement in Waukegan with a focus on gang crimes. He would like help from federal law enforcement in that regard. 'If the feds come in with a warrant for anyone, regardless of the immigration status, we're going to abide by that warrant, but we're not going to aid immigration officers,' Turner said. Saying Waukegan has long been a city of immigrants, Cunningham said while he will honor the Trust Law he believes the city should continue to welcome people coming to the area from other countries. 'We, in Waukegan, know how to do immigration,' Cunningham said. 'We can teach a thing or two to our national government if they come and ask us. We know what the needs are. We identify the services that are there, and we distribute them.' Since shortly after the most recent presidential election, Taylor said she has taken steps to protect the immigrant community. She made it clear during the forum her position is unchanged. The Illinois Trust Act of 2021 will be obeyed, she said. 'We follow the laws, and that is the law in the state of Illinois and that's what we will stay with,' Taylor said. 'No exceptions to that. If the federal government goes about things a different way, I don't know how that's going to happen because I don't see it happening in Illinois. I really don't.' With Vista Medical Center East furloughing workers and keeping them off the job longer than anticipated, as well as reducing its hours of service in its cardiac cauterization lab, the candidates were asked what they can do to keep a full-service hospital open in the city. Turner said the city has no control over the hospital because it is a 'private enterprise.' The issues with the hospital have been a problem for some time, with different owners over the years, he said. He said he would do what he could, including potential financial assistance. 'We can be a bully pulpit,' Turner said. 'As mayor, I will advocate for controls on how the state manages hospitals to ensure this process doesn't repeat itself. We need to get to the root causes of what their problems are and maybe a short-term bailout.' Since the hospital has an advisory board of community members, Cunningham said hospital executives should be giving board members more information so both city officials and the residents are better informed. 'This is a regional hospital,' Cunningham said. 'Our legislators and governor will listen to this mayor, and (I will) make sure he understands the importance of having this regional hospital at full capacity because the care is necessary to the region and Waukegan' With a longtime problem getting worse, Taylor said the city must have a hospital, but the city has no control over the situation. She is uncertain of the solution, but has some ideas to offer 'This area needs a regional hospital, but a hospital that does not serve our residents well is worthless,' Taylor said. 'We need a hospital that is first-rate. Whether that is making Vista a teaching hospital or whatever, the case may be that is important. We need to have stakeholders held accountable for this.' All four candidates also answered questions about development along the lakefront and downtown, as well as the role of the mayor, gun control, liquor licenses, dealing with speeding vehicles and the role of the City Council. With election day on April 1, early voting will continue at the Lake County Courthouse & Administration Building and the Jane Adams Center in Bowen Park through Monday.
Chicago Tribune
05-03-2025
- Politics
- Chicago Tribune
Column: Waukegan mayoral election up for grabs
Waukegan voters go to the polls less than a month from now to decide if Mayor Ann Taylor deserves another term or if they want to, once again, head in a different direction. It will be an interesting four-way contest. Besides Taylor, running as an independent as she did four years ago, also on the April 1 ballot are fellow independent, 6th Ward Ald. Keith Turner; former Mayor Sam Cunningham, whom Taylor defeated in 2021; and former 4th Ward. Ald. Harold Beadling. Cunningham is running as a Democrat; Beadling, a Republican. There aren't many registered Republicans in Waukegan and there was a dismal Democratic primary turnout on Feb. 25 in which Cunningham defeated Miguel Rivera for the second time in four years by a margin of 1,695 (74.7%) to 573 (25.6%) votes out of 2,268 cast. The Democratic primary turnout between Waukegan and North Chicago was 3,309 votes cast out of a registered voter base of 50,059 or 6.6%, according to the Lake County Clerk's Office. A low turnout on Election Day next month could aid any of the candidates in the four-way contest which currently is up for grabs. Taylor and Cunningham both have citywide name recognition. Turner, normally a Democrat, opted for an independent candidacy. Candidates will be working from now until April 1 — the date of April Fool's Day hasn't been lost on some — to identify their supporters and get them to the polls on time. With a small turnout, every vote will count. Early voting begins Friday at the clerk's office in downtown Waukegan. Countywide early voting kicks off March 17 at various voting sites across the county. Campaign signs are dotting Waukegan lawns and lots as the runup to the election draws near. Cunningham's campaign signs exhort voters to 're-elect' him to office, as do Taylor's. City voters haven't re-elected a Waukegan mayor to two consecutive terms since Richard Hyde, who became mayor in 2002 following the sudden death of Mayor Dan Drew. Hyde won a special election in 2003 to complete Drew's term. In 2005, Hyde, a former 8th Ward alderman, won election to a full four-year term, first defeating a field of Democrats that included Cunningham, then a 1st Ward alderman. Hyde went on to beat then 6th Ward Ald. Larry TenPas in the general election. The last Waukegan election which had a four-candidate mayoral field was in 2001, and it was also one of the city's closest. Six votes separated winner Drew, who was then city treasurer, from challenger Newton Finn, a political activist. Also trailing on the ballot were Jack Potter and political gadfly Margaret Carrasco. With the rare vocation of attorney and ordained Baptist minister, Finn founded TOWN (Taskforce On Waukegan Neighborhoods) warning the city was turning into a 'Pottersville.' That is the community run by a villainous real estate magnate which Bedford Falls reverts to in the imagination of protagonist George Bailey in the Christmas classic 'It's a Wonderful Life.' It was the second time Finn had run for mayor, and the second time he was defeated by a small number of votes, with nearly 10,500 cast. In 1997, Finn lost to incumbent Mayor Bill Durkin, who served as the city's chief executive from 1993 to 2001, by 36 votes. With four candidates, April's contest, too, could have a nail-biting outcome in this political hardball event. Even before campaigning began in earnest, there were residency challenges to Taylor's candidacy, dismissed by the city's Electoral Board. The political fireworks ramped up recently with allegations by Taylor accusing Cunningham of distorting her fiscal record the past four years. A campaign piece mailed to Waukeganites alleges Taylor has created a budget deficit during her term in office. In truth, four budgets under the mayor's administration have been balanced while increasing the city's cash reserves to nearly $55 million, without tax increases, and shoring up the city's credit rating. Waukegan's balanced budget for the current fiscal year, which ends April 30, is $245 million. I'm not sure how much the next fiscal year budget might increase with the addition of legal counsel for members of the City Council. Alders last month overrode Taylor's veto by a 6-2 vote of an ordinance, first proposed by mayoral candidate Turner, which now provides for council members to retain their own lawyer or lawyers, separate from what Waukegan taxpayers currently spend on the city's corporate council. Surely, aldermanic legal expenses in this tight mayoral race will become a campaign issue sooner rather than later. If not, certainly in 2027 when council members face the voters.
