Morton Mayor Jeff Kaufman has thrown his support behind Becky Cloyd, who is running for Pekin mayor in the April 4 election.
Cloyd is serving as Pekin's mayor pro tempore following the Jan. 23 resignation of Mayor Mark Luft, who said he stepped down because of a career opportunity.
She's running against fellow city council member Dave Nutter and former Tazewell County treasurer Mary Burress.
Cloyd and Nutter both have two years remaining on their city council terms, and will remain on the council if they lose the election for mayor.
"Becky has the personality, passion and determination to make Pekin better," Kaufman said. "She's not a me, myself and I person. She's all about Pekin. Those kind of leaders are hard to find."
Kaufman said he felt it was crucial to make an endorsement because "Pekin is the (Tazewell) county seat. It's very important. There's a lot of opportunity there. It has a neat downtown.
"But the council needs to work together. Maybe do things differently. Different doesn't have to be scary. Becky will be a strong mayor. She really wants to listen and wants the residents to be heard. She wants to see residents and the business community thrive and prosper."
Kaufman said he decided to make an endorsement after discussing with Cloyd her ideas for improving the city's infrastructure and increasing transparency on council decisions.
This isn't the first time Kaufman has made an endorsement for mayor of a neighboring city. He endorsed East Peoria Mayor John Kahl in 2019. Kahl is running for re-election April 4.
Kahl is familiar with Cloyd. He said he has provided advice to her in her role as mayor pro tempore, as he has done with other area officials. But he isn't making an endorsement in her race.
"The voters in Pekin can best decide who has the leadership and skills necessary to get their city back on the right track," he said.
Cloyd said she was honored that Kaufman endorsed her.
"It's good to have good relationships with other community leaders," she said. "We're not in competition. We want to have a stronger region."
Cloyd said Kaufman and Kahl have helped her navigate through the issues that have come up since she became mayor pro tempore.
"The best advice they gave me was to be myself and speak the truth," she said.
Nutter had no reaction to Kaufman's endorsement of Cloyd. He said he's more concerned with convincing Pekin voters that he's the best candidate for mayor.
"I've been on the council for four years. In the first two years, we moved forward. In the last two years we've had strife, turmoil and infighting and we have a dedicated staff that is being stretched to the max," he said.
"I'm a problem-solver. That's my nature. But our problems are like an aircraft carrier in the ocean. We can't turn things around on a dime."
Luft announced in November that he was not running for re-election.
It also was in November that, while serving as chair of the Pekin electoral board, he voted in favor of removing Cloyd from the ballot because of an issue with her petitions. The vote was 2-1.
Cloyd returned to the ballot when Tazewell County Circuit Court Judge Paul Bauer overturned the electoral board's ruling.
Burress could not be reached for comment.
