On final day of filings, the fields in three races for Springfield alderman get crowded
Five aldermanic filings Monday means four wards will have three candidates each in the city's 2023 consolidated election.
Monday at 5 p.m. was the deadline for filing for the April 4 election, which will also feature races for District 186 board of education, the Springfield Metropolitan Exposition and Auditorium Authority (SMEAA) board, the Springfield Park District trustees and the Lincoln Land Community College trustees, among others.
Those offices file from Dec. 12 to Dec. 19.
Former Sangamon County board member Jason Ratts filed for the Ward 4 alderman race Monday, while Sam Cahnman, who will be sworn onto the county board later this week, was the last filer of the day.
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Dan Pittman, fresh off the Nov. 8 election for Sangamon County treasurer, filed in Ward 6. David Yankee filed in Ward 4 and John Houlihan filed in Ward 7. Yankee and Houlihan are political newcomers.
The other contested aldermanic race in Ward 3 pits incumbent Roy Williams Jr. against political first-timer Bill Eddington. Both filed Nov. 21.
Lisa Badger and Bill McCarty both filed for city treasurer after 4 p.m. Monday meaning there will be a lottery on Dec. 6 to determine the last spot on the ballot. Colleen Redpath Feger, the deputy treasurer, filed Nov. 21.
For mayor, it's Jim Langfelder seeking a third term in office against city treasurer Misty Buscher. Both filed Nov. 21.
Ratts, 50, filed just after the city clerk's office opened at 8 a.m.
Later Monday morning, Yankee filed to make it a three-person race.
Larry Rockford, who recently retired from City Water, Light & Power filed to run on Nov. 21. It is Rockford's first political election.
Pittman will go up against political newcomer Alyssa Haaker, who practices insurance defense law for a private Springfield firm, and Jennifer Notariano, a contract specialist for the Illinois Capital Development Board.
Brad Carlson, a Capital Township trustee and policy analyst with the Illinois Senate Republicans staff, and Jaleesa Davis, a Springfield business owner, await Houlihan in Ward 7. Houlihan is the son of Bill Houlihan, chair of the Sangamon County Democrats
Cahnman will be matched up against incumbent Lakeisha Purchase and businessman Calvin Pitts.
Ratts, a licensed practical nurse at Memorial Health's Koke Mill Medical Center, said he wanted to be a voice for the city's north end.
"I've lived on the north end since I was 9, so the north end has raised me," said Ratts, who grew up in Northgate. "Having that experience on the county board for 11 years (from 2010 to 2021), knowing how the county government works, the ins and outs of how (the city and county) coordinate with intergovernmental agreements, I think that really helps me have an understanding of how to serve."
Ratts has three children and is engaged to Katherine Stearns, a school teacher. He attended Capital Area Career Center.
Yankee, a 46-year-old native of the South Suburbs of Chicago who has lived on the north end since 2006, said people in Ward 4 are anticipating change as Ald. John Fulgenzi exits after two terms.
"They appreciate what John has done, but I think they're ready to see different advancements in the area and go a different direction," Yankee said.
Yankee is a financial advisor with Cornerstone Financial Services. He has been a foster father for the last seven years.
Yankee has an associate of arts degree from Illinois State University.
Cahnman won a spot on the county board on Nov. 8 after defeating incumbent Rose Ruzic in the June 28 primary. The district covers a swath of the northeast part of the city.
By law, Cahnman could only serve in one of those offices, said Sangamon County clerk Don Gray.
Cahnman said Monday he "didn't research the (law)" about the incompatibility of the offices.
Cahnman said when he ran for county board, a number of people told him they weren't satisfied with representation of Ward 5.
"They want someone who is a problem solver and gets things done," Cahnman said after the filing. "I want to continue to come up with good solutions to help the people of our ward and city."
As far as issues in Ward 5, Cahnman said he didn't think the administration wasn't enforcing an ordinance regarding having a mandatory waste hauler. Cahnman said also favors reducing the three-year period homeowners have to correct building code violations.
Houlihan said when he saw Ward 7 Ald. Joe McMenamin was term limited, he talked to friends and family and took "a leap" to get into the race.
A piece of advice his father gave him: gather as many signatures as you can.
Houlihan submitted 660 signatures. He had to turn in 252 valid signatures.
Houlihan, 33, has worked for the Illinois Senate Democrats the last 12 years. Houlihan attended both Southern Illinois University Edwardsville and Benedictine University in Lisle and has a 12-year-old son.
Ward 1 Ald. Chuck Redpath; Ward 2 Ald. Shawn Gregory; Ward 8 Ald. Erin Conley; Ward 9 Ald. Jim Donelan and Ward 10 Ald. Ralph Hanauer, all incumbents, do not have opponents. No one filed to run against city clerk Frank Lesko, who is seeking a third term.
The Dec. 6 lottery will determine ballot positions for Langfelder and Buscher; Williams and Eddington and Haaker and Notariano. All were in line by 8 a.m. for the opening of filing on Nov. 21.
McCarty said he expected it to be a three-person race, but that wasn't going to change his approach to the race.
"I'm going to continue to run on my experience both as a previous elected official and as the budget director for the city for the last 12 years," McCarty said. "I just have to go out and communicate that to the voters and I feel I'll be successful in April.
Badger promised it was going to be "an interesting and fun few months."
"Campaigning is a lot of hard. It's time-consuming," she admitted. "It takes a lot out of you, but at the same time, you get to go out and meet people in the community and hear what their thoughts are and what their concerns are. That's one of my favorite parts, just being out in the community and talking to people. I do think that part is fun."
Contact Steven Spearie: 217-622-1788, sspearie@sj-r.com, twitter.com/@StevenSpearie.
This article originally appeared on State Journal-Register: Candidates jump in to Springfield alderman races on last day to file
