‘Let’s Continue Moving Aurora Forward’: Mayor Irvin Wins 2nd Term

AURORA, IL — Aurora Mayor Richard Irvin thanked voters Wednesday for their “vote of confidence” in his leadership after seeing off two challengers to win a second term.

Irvin earned more than 55 percent of the vote in his race for re-election against Ald. Judd Lofchie and John Laesch.

In a short message posted to Facebook, Irvin expressed his gratitude to his supporters and said his large margin of victory shows Aurora is "on the right path."

"Aurora neighbors, thank you for your vote of confidence and your vote of confirmation that we are on the right path," Irvin said. "Let's continue moving Aurora forward as we continue to focus on our people, our progress, and our potential."

Irvin had earned 6,697 votes to Lofchie's 2,806 votes and Laesch's 2,544 votes, according to unofficial results from Kane, DuPage, Will and Kendall counties.

Tuesday's election results are unofficial until certified by county officials on April 27. Provisional Ballots cast on Election Day and all late Vote By Mail Ballots postmarked by Election Day will be counted at Provisional Count on April 20.

Irvin was first elected to the mayor’s office in 2017, after serving for a decade on the Aurora City Council as an aldermen-at large. He was a trial attorney for 10 years, with experience as an assistant state’s attorney and a defense lawyer.

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Economic recovery and improving Aurora's educational institutions were key planks of Irvin’s campaign for re-election. As the incumbent, Irvin presented himself as the best candidate to lead Aurora’s economic recovery after the coronavirus pandemic.

“The economy is bound to change after the pandemic and my administration is the best prepared to handle it,” Irvin said.

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Responding to a questionnaire from Patch ahead of the election, Irvin said he had three priorities for his second term as Aurora mayor: “1. Get every resident of Aurora a (coronavirus) vaccine. 2 Get every resident of Aurora a job. 3. Provide high-speed affordable broadband internet to every resident of Aurora.”

“This pandemic has been hard on Aurora, but it will also provide us with a great opportunity to push ahead and be a greater, stronger Aurora,” Irvin said.

Lofchie, who represented Aurora's 10th Ward since 2017, spent much of the campaign calling out Irvin for “irresponsible fiscal management.” Lofchie, an attorney and commercial real estate broker for more than 30 years, will soon lose his seat on the Aurora City Council, after not running for re-election to seek the mayor’s office.

Laesch, a union carpenter since 2005, picked up significant support throughout the city in his first campaign for the city’s top job. Laesch, who served one term on the East Aurora District 131 school board, ran a campaign focused on transforming Aurora into a “green city” to provide new, good-paying jobs.

CITY COUNCIL RACES

Incumbent aldermen Juany Garza (2nd Ward) and Edward Bugg (9th Ward) were projected to win re-election to the Aurora City Council as soon as the polls closed Tuesday, as each faced no opponent.

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William “Bill” Donnell holds a lead of more than 30 percentage points in his race for a third term as alderman from Aurora’s 4th Ward, holding off challenger John Bell.

Donnell earned 704 votes to Bell’s 374 votes, with all 10 precincts in the 4th Ward reporting totals, unofficial results show.

Incumbent Ald. Scheketa Hart-Burns is also ahead in her race for re-election against challenger Saul Fultz III. Hart-Burns, who was first elected in 1991, earned 61.3 percent of the vote to Fultz’s 38.7 percent, according to unofficial results.

Arjun Nair Shweta Baid is leading Arjun Nair by 35 percentage points in the race to replace Judd Lofchie as the alderman from Aurora's 10th Ward. Baid earned 1,247 votes to Nair's 596, unofficial results show.

Ron Woerman looks on course to replace Robert O'Connor as one of two at-large aldermen on the Aurora City Council. Woerman earned 3,981 votes, while Brooke Shanley earned 3,797 votes and Raymond Hull earned 3,238 votes, unofficial results show.

SCHOOL BOARDS

Annette Johnson and Daniel Barreiro are projected to win re-election to the East Aurora District 131 school board, as the two were running for three open seats. Johnson currently serves as the board's president, and Barreiro is vice president.

Julie Stone, Valerie Dykstra and Richard Kerns are projected to win their races for three open seats on the West Aurora District 129 school board.

Jennifer Cresse trails Kerns in third place by nearly 400 votes, with all 51 precincts reporting vote totals, unofficial results show.

Eleven candidates are challenging for four open seats on the Indian Prairie District 204 Board of Education: Allison Fosdick, Marina Kosak, Shannon Adcock, Laurie Donahue, Yanmei May Liang, Saba Haider, Susan Taylor-Demming, Supna C. Jain, Kader Sakkaria, Rajesh Narayan and Robert O. Harris.

Donahue, Taylor-Demming, Fosdick and Jain had the four highest vote totals, with all 77 precincts in the district reporting vote totals. Fourth-placed Jain holds a lead over more than 800 votes over Adcock in fifth place, unofficial results show.

Four seats are up for grabs on the Oswego District 308 school board, with seven candidates in the race: Keisha Earl, Eugene Gatewood, Katie Heiden, Jennifer Johnson, Donna Marino, LaTonya Simelton and Eulalia Valdez.

Donna Marino, Eugene Gatewood, Jennifer Johnson and LaTonya Simelton are projected to win their races for the seats on the Oswego District 308 school board. Keisha Earl, Katie Heiden and Eulalia Valdez also campaigned for the District 308 board.

AURORA TOWNSHIP

There will only be a few changes in Aurora Township administration after the 2021 Consolidated Election, with six incumbents winning new terms Tuesday.

William “Bill” Catching will continue as Aurora Township supervisor, with Davis Offut and Juan Reyna remaining as the township’s assessor and highway commissioner, respectively.

Incumbents Dolores Hicks, Juanita Wells and David Moore are all projected to win re-election to the Aurora Township Board of Trustees, along with Sam Nunez, unofficial results show.

Penny “Cassidy” Alexander is projected to win the race for Aurora Township clerk, as he was unopposed.

REGIONAL RACES

Incumbents Rebecca Oliver and Patrick Kelsey are projected to win re-election to the Waubonsee Community College Board of Trustees. Both held significant leads over challengers Giselle Gonzalez and Sandra Gonzalez with all 222 precincts reporting totals.

Charles Anderson is projected to win re-election to the Fox Valley Park District Board of Commissioners after running unopposed. He is currently the board’s president. No one ran for the board’s at-large seat.

Winfried Cordell Cooper Jr. is projected to win a six-year term on the Kane County Regional Board of School Trustees. He was the only candidate for three seats on the board.

Randall Brown is projected to win another term on the Fox Metro Water Reclamation District Board of Trustees after running unopposed.

For the latest results, visit the Kane County Clerk’s website.