Peoria's next mayoral race is starting to take shape, with two known challengers to Mayor Rita Ali's re-election bid so far.
Ali believes the city is in a better place than when she entered the mayor’s office, and she’s eager to stay there.
“My work is not finished; that's the main reason that I'm asking the public to give me four more years,” Ali said during her monthly interview with WCBU. “We’ve made good progress over the past 3½ years. We've had surplus budgets; we've seen progress in economic development. We've seen progress in numerous areas of growth and opportunity within the city.
“I think that, for the most part, people are satisfied with my leadership and the work that has been done.”
Ali admitted her decision to seek a second term took some contemplation before she announced her re-election bid.
“There was some weariness at one point, just because it's a tough job; it really is,” she said. “I had promised and committed to be a full-time mayor, that this will be my only job — and this has been my only job, and it will be.”
Ali acknowledged that violent crime remains a major issue for Peoria. But she said anti-violence partnerships between the police and the community are making a difference.
“I’m a data-driven person, and so I want people to understand the data,” said Ali, pointing to recent year-to-date crime statistics from the Peoria Police Department that show a 36% decline in homicides and a 27% drop in shooting incidents compared to 2023.
“So again, we're making some improvements. It may not seem like it, perception-wise. But let's follow the data and see what it says.”
Longtime city council member Chuck Grayeb announced his mayoral bid earlier this week, while at-large council member John Kelly also has indicated he intends to seek the office. The official filing period is Oct. 21-28, and more candidates may enter the field.
Four years ago, Ali emerged from an initial slate of seven candidates and claimed a narrow victory in the general election. She thinks her first-term experience gives her an advantage.
“I’m much stronger than when I started this job; I know the job now, I've learned the job,” she said. “I've helped to build new collaborations, and I think we've had great teamwork and partnership between the staff, myself and the council, and I would like to see that continue.”
Ali said since she's been in office, Peoria has made strides in several areas such as economic development and a need for more affordable housing. She said with the city implementing a new five-year strategic plan, her work is not yet finished and she's committed to the task.
“I still have the energy, I still have the passion, and I think I have those collaboration partners in place that want to continue working with me to get things done,” she said. “I don't want an interruption in the progress that we've had, and I think that our best course of action is to stay the course for the next four years.
“Really that’s all I'm asking for. I'm not asking for eight more years, two more terms. I'm asking for four more years, one more term, to get my job done and complete my assignment.”
Ali said she's intent on addressing poverty, and embracing diversity, equity, and inclusion as a step toward closing the gaps identified by the Peoria City-County Joint Commission on Racial Justice and Equity.
“Their first report in 2022, it identified the gaps in eight different areas that are based upon race – and again, it's data. It's proven information from qualified resources throughout our community and the census,” said Ali.
“Then their next report talked about strategies that will be put in place to address these inequities. So these are facts; you know, we can't ignore the facts. If we ignore the facts, then we're not making improvement. We are making improvement incrementally, through collaboration, through committed service.”
Ali said one of the achievements she’s proudest of is the push to bring passenger rail service connecting Peoria to Chicago.
“I believe with all my heart that it's going to happen. We’ve made progress and we have a commitment on the federal level,” she said. “It’s still going to take time; it could take another seven or eight years for it to actually happen.
“Transportation access is key to economic development, all the research will tell you that. And within our proposal to the federal government, we had evidence that this would be an economic driver for the City of Peoria, and not just our city but the entire region.”
With three or more candidates running, a primary election will be scheduled for Feb. 25, with the general election on April 1.
