Lawrence Maushard is running to represent Peoria's Third District on the city council.
While Maushard said incumbent councilman Tim Riggenbach is a "good man," he said the Third District needs a representative who actually lives on the East Bluff.
"I've been here for three years. I live in my home. I own my home. I'm right on East Arcadia," said Maushard. "And just within a few blocks of me is some of the worst housing and blight in the city. This is nothing new. This needs attention, and it needs it now."
Maushard said he's lobbied the city to install speed bumps on Arcadia that often sees speeding vehicles cut through the residential street from Wisconsin to Knoxville.
He said the East Bluff needs hands-on attention from a council member who lives in the neighborhood and sees the day-to-day problems.
"This is a majority African American community. When it flipped from being a majority white, working-class neighborhood, a lot of the city became afraid, and it became neglectful," Maushard said. "There's a lot of institional racism here in Peoria. That's something I want to knock on the head and hammer down."
Maushard said he wants people to understand the East Bluff is a great place to raise a family, despite the longtime institutional neglect he said it's faced from City Hall.
Maushard directs Third District residents to his Facebook page for more information on his platform.
Riggenbach is seeking a fourth term on the city council next year. He said he's built coalitions and consensus during his time around the horseshoe, and said he wants to be around as the city continues to deal with the financial fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic.
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