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Riggenbach announces bid for another Peoria City Council term in District 3

Peoria City Council District 3 representative Tim Riggenbach sits at his desk in the council chambers at Peoria City Hall.
City of Peoria
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Peoria City Council District 3 representative Tim Riggenbach speaks during a special city council meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2024. Riggenbach announced Friday he will run for a fifth term in next April's municipal election.

Peoria City Council member Tim Riggenbach is running for a fifth term as the District 3 representative.

Riggenbach announced his re-election bid in a statement released Friday morning, touting himself as a “common sense, middle-of-the-road, results-oriented leader.”

“I think it’s important that folks know that, after being on for four terms; what you see is what you get,” Riggenbach said in an interview with WCBU. “You know I’m not an unknown entity; I’m going to have your best interest at stake here, because I live and breathe Peoria.”

Riggenbach pointed to public safety, neighborhood improvements and business development in the East Bluff as his top goals.

“I’m excited about the things that I’ve been able to help be part of and accomplish these last number of years, and I see a real need and value for my experience and perspective on the council,” said Riggenbach.

“We’ve heard loud and clear from our constituents, public safety is first and foremost on everybody’s mind, and making sure that our neighborhoods are safe places to have your family – that’s critical. So making sure that the neighborhoods know that they’ve got an ally at City Hall is something that’s really important.”

While Riggenbach’s list of priorities includes “keeping taxes as low as possible,” he says Peoria’s biggest challenges ahead stem from budget concerns once the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding runs out.

“We’ve been able to have a number of years here with no budget constraints, almost. We’ve been able to do an unprecedented amount of road improvements; we’ve helped small businesses get back on their feet after COVID,” he said. “But those dollars are all spent, or allocated to be spent next year. So it’s going to be ‘back to business’ in setting priorities for the city.”

Riggenbach was originally elected in 2009. In his 2021 re-election, Riggenbach earned 60% of the vote to defeat former City Council member Gale Thetford.

“The difference between being on a city council and being a congressman or state representative, to me there’s no place I’d rather be – because I run into people at Kroger’s; I run into people at Menards,” he said. “There’s a couple guys at the gym that I go to that are always talking to me and holding me accountable for things.

“So I think that’s what makes city government so appealing to people like me, because I can help make an impact on things in in your neighborhood, and you’re going to see it.”

Next spring’s municipal election is set for April 1.

Contact Joe at jdeacon@ilstu.edu.