Peoria’s 5th District council member is seeking re-election.
Denis Cyr was originally elected to the large district covering north Peoria in 2017, beating now-Mayor Rita Ali by three votes. In 2021, Cyr defended the seat from challenger Ryan Hite.
In a press release on Wednesday, Cyr described himself as a “voice for fiscal conservatism, business growth and avoiding unnecessary tax increases.” Cyr also writes he’s a “strong voice for Peoria’s neighborhoods” and a “consistent voice for public safety- for Peoria’s Police and Firefighters.”
“I just like to complete what I started,” Cyr told WCBU Thursday. “I mean, I’ve been in that chair for seven and a half years now. And there’s a lot of projects that are close to my heart and I’d like to get a chance to finish or see them to completion the next four years.”
Some of the projects Cyr mentions include OSF’s new cancer center, renovations at the Peoria Civic Center, riverfront projects, Main Street reconstruction and work on Pioneer Parkway. He also mentions a new TIF program on Allen Road.
Cyr is a former professional hockey player, spending time on the rosters of the Chicago Blackhawks, St. Louis Blues and Peoria Rivermen. He is also the founder of Cyr/Woertz Financial Group.
“I’m in the job to serve people,” Cyr said. “So I think, one, that’s the promise I made seven and a half years ago, is I would return every phone call, I would return every email, every text message. I would serve the people of the fifth district. And I think I’ve done a good job of that.”
When asked about broader, community-wide issues like violence prevention, Cyr says the council has already put millions of dollars into programs. He says they’ll have to wait to determine how effective they are.
“I believe that we, eventually, you know, somebody needs to talk about returning to family values and have good education and good jobs,” said Cyr. “And to me, that is that, until we achieve what I’m just talking about, those three elements right there, I mean, we’re always going to have problems.”
Cyr joins two other council members announcing a run to return to their seat. Andre Allen will campaign for a second term in the fourth district and Denise Jackson defends her seat in the first district.
Chuck Grayeb’s second district seat will be up for grabs as he runs for mayor. At-large council member John Kelly has also announced his intention to challenge Mayor Rita Ali for the position.
The municipal elections are April 1, 2025.
