06-02-2025
Pekin City Council candidates answer questions, tout reputations, at forum
PEKIN, Ill. (WMBD) — Pekin residents got the chance to ask questions to prospective members of the city council at a forum Wednesday night, and discussion topics ran the gamut.
It was held at the Pekin Public Library, and it featured a mix of incumbent council members and new candidates ready to shake things up.
There will be at least one new council member, as Lloyd Orrick chose to not seek re-election. Chris Onken and Dave Nutter's terms are up, and seek re-election against challengers Jim Fletcher, Chris Hogue, Peg Phillips, and Matthew Johnson.
Questions were posed about public safety pensions, the April city council decision to implement a 5% utility tax, and more.
Matthew Johnson ran for city council two years ago and came up short, but he wasn't discouraged. He consistently attends council meetings to voice his opinions and sees several things he'd like to change about how the city is run.
'I don't care for the wasteful spending. I don't like all the fee increases and I certainly do not like the abuse of home rule that happens within the city of Pekin,' he said.
Home rule, which can also be referred to as local control, gives municipal governments the power to adopt any legislation unless it's against state law. In essence, its purpose is basically to allow the local community to solve its own problems.
Chris Hogue is another one of the challengers and is a lifelong Pekin resident. If elected, he wants to bring more transparency to the citizens of Pekin about city council decisions.
'It seems like when you talk to people, they aren't quite on the same page as the direction the city's going, so I just want to be able to have that outlet to talk to people and bring those opinions back to council,' he said.
Jim Fletcher, who owns two businesses in the city and has lived in Pekin his entire life, echoed Hogue's thoughts. He believes the city should be run like a business that works for the people of Pekin.
'I believe we need to have more public input on a lot of the issues that seem to get passed without a lot of the voter's knowledge,' he said.
Dave Nutter has been on the city council for the past six years and said he has tried to make the council more proactive than reactive. He agrees with Hogue and Fletcher, saying there needs to be more transparency from the city to its residents.
'Things that go out on social media are not always factual and that creates rumors which creates other problems. We need to get more of the facts out to make sure people understand why we're doing what we're doing,' he said.
Chris Onken has been serving on the council since January of 2024 when he was appointed to fill Becky Cloyd's vacant seat. This is the first election for the physical education teacher at Pekin High School, and he believes he has brought a 'cool head' to city council.
'I think some of the decisions we've made as a council have been tough ones, but I feel most of the citizens are pleased with what we had to do,' he said.
Election Day is April 1. The three candidates with the most votes will be elected.
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