A potential four-way contest for the job of mayor of Waukegan is beginning to take shape, and the field of candidates may grow even more in the weeks ahead.
Former Mayor Sam Cunningham, Miguel A. Rivera Sr., and former Ald. Harold Beadling, 4th Ward, have filed petitions to run in the Feb. 25 primary, while Mayor Ann Taylor and Ald. Keith Turner, 6th Ward, are announced candidates who plan to file as independents next month.
Beadling, Rivera and Cunningham joined other candidates seeking local office in Waukegan, Waukegan Township, North Chicago and Highland Park when the filing period ended Monday in Lake County for those pursuing the Democratic or Republican nomination.
Elected offices for the city of Waukegan, Waukegan Township and the city of North Chicago are partisan, though people like Taylor and Turner can run as independents. They have until Nov. 18 to file petitions with the appropriate jurisdiction.
Though Highland Park’s City Council is nonpartisan, City Manager Ghida Neukirch said if four or more people file to run for an office, there will be a primary to winnow the field. She said the threshold was not reached so no primary will be conducted.
Both Cunningham and Rivera filed to run in the Democratic primary, while Beadling is seeking the Republican nod. With no opposition, Beadling will be the GOP nominee in the April 1 general election. The winner of the Cunningham-Rivera contest will also advance.
Taylor announced her reelection bid as an independent in April, and Turner made his announcement before then. They both confirmed their intention to pursue the office in the past week.
Since former Mayor Bill Durkin was reelected in 1997, Waukegan voters have chosen a series of six one-term mayors through 2021, when they elected Cunningham, according to the Lake County clerk’s records.
City Clerk Janet E. Kilkelly is the lone candidate for the Democratic nomination for the clerk’s office and no Republican has filed. No independent candidates have announced their intention to run against Kilkelly. She is seeking her third term.
City Treasurer John R. Schwab is seeking his fifth term. He filed for the Democratic nomination and will be opposed by Gene Decker. No Republican filed to run.
Waukegan Township
State Rep. Rita Mayfield, D-Waukegan, submitted petitions to seek the Democratic nomination for Waukegan Township assessor. She is unopposed in the primary, and no one is running for the Republican nomination.
Running unopposed for the Illinois General Assembly in Tuesday’s election, Mayfield said Wednesday she intends to do both jobs. It is legal in Illinois to hold both positions. Incumbent Assessor Mark Stricklin did not seek his party’s nomination. He said Tuesday he will file to run as an independent.
Township Supervisor Marc Jones, Clerk Rose Staben and Trustees Jeff McBride, Percy Johnson, Dulce Ortiz and Sylvestere Castellanos, are all unopposed in the Democratic primary. No Republicans are seeking the positions.
Waukegan Township includes most of the city of Waukegan, the northern part of North Chicago and small parts of Beach Park and Park City.
North Chicago
North Chicago Mayor Leon Rockingham Jr. is going after the Democratic nomination as he begins his bid for his sixth term. He will be opposed in the primary by Ald. Kenneth Smith, 5th Ward. There are no Republican candidates.
Competing for the Democratic nomination for the 5th Ward seat are Tabitha Ann Wray, Gerry L. Gray and Kingston Neal. No Republicans filed, and there are no announced independents.
Ald. Michael Jackson, 1st Ward, and Ald. Carl Evans, 3rd Ward, is unopposed in the Democratic primary and no one from the GOP is vying for the office.
Dante Brooks is unopposed for the Democratic nod for the 7th Ward position. Though no Republican filed, Ald. Kathy January, 7th Ward, was elected as an independent four years ago. She could not be reached to confirm an independent run this time.
City Treasurer Vance Wyatt and City Clerk Lori Collins both filed for re-nomination as Democrats. No Republicans are seeking their party’s nod.
Highland Park
In Highland Park, the elected offices of mayor and City Council members are nonpartisan, but Neukirch said there are provisions for a primary if the field gets too large, so the filing date was Monday rather than Nov. 18.
Incumbents Anette Lidawer, Andres Tapia and Barisa Meckler Bruckman, along with challenger James Lynch, are seeking three seats being chosen by voters in the April 1 general election.
Bruckman was appointed to the council in June to complete the term of Jeff Hoobler, who was elected in 2023 and resigned on April 30. She filed to run for a four-year term rather than compete to finish the stint she began.
Incumbent Kim Stone along with challengers Jonathan Center and Kevin Cullather will vie for the remaining two years of Bruckman’s term.
Since there are three four-year terms being contested, Neukirch said more than 12 candidates would be necessary to force a primary. If more than four candidates went after the two-year term, there would also be a primary.
