Springfield City Council: Notariano, Carlson, Rockford pick up seats; Williams, Purchase retain

Two incumbents on the Springfield City Council retained their seats, with a former city employee coming out of a three-way field in Ward 4, a state employee winning Ward 6 and a Republican Illinois Senate aide taking Ward 7.

Roy Williams, Jr. and Lakeisha Purchase each kept their seats in Ward 3 and Ward 5 respectively, with Larry Rockford winning in Ward 4, Jennifer Notariano winning in Ward 6 and Brad Carlson taking Ward 7. Williams, Purchase and Notariano were endorsed by the Sangamon County Democratic Party; Carlson unsurprisingly was endorsed by the Sangamon County Republicans and Rockford went unendorsed by either party.

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Ward 3

Williams, endorsed by the Democrats, got 54% of the vote to challenger Bill Eddington's 46%, winning by 121 votes in the eastside district. Eddington was a bricklayer endorsed by the Sangamon County Republicans.

Williams sought a full term in office after being appointed in 2021 following the departure of Doris Turner to the Illinois State Senate. The president of the Faith Coalition for the Common Good and the Ernie Bankhead Neighborhood Association, he said that his victory will allow him to continue working for the people in the ward, particularly as it relates to the Pillsbury site redevelopment and upgrades to the Poplar Place apartment complex.

"Winning again has allowed me the opportunity to see through various projects that I really wanted to get started and get going," Williams said. "I will be around long enough to see a big dent in with (Pillsbury) and the same with Poplar Place. I wanted to be around to see it through."

With Mayor Jim Langfelder – who helped get Williams on the City Council – losing tonight to Misty Buscher, Williams is looking forward to helping the newly elected mayor make her transition while also noting that power still resides with the aldermen.

"I always was close to the mayor; he was my choice," Williams said. "We didn't win, but he has given us instructions to help make a smooth transition because that's what Springfield needs. Just because she wasn't my choice, doesn't mean I won't continue the hard work for Ward 3. I understand that it's the city council that really makes the difference, not so much the mayor."

Ward 4

Rockford came out of the three-way field with 44.9% of the vote, defeating former Sangamon County Board member and Republican endorsee Jason Ratts by 206 votes. Ratts got 37% of the vote, with local financial advisor David Yankee, endorsed by the Democrats, receiving 18.1% of the vote.

Rockford, a retired city employee now working part-time for FedEx, said that his victory showed that the voters of Ward 4 were looking for someone with an independent mind, as Rockford wasn't endorsed by either major political party prior to the election.

"Sometimes, they want to hear from an independent," Rockford said. "I'm a registered Democrat (and) have been for many years. I didn't get the endorsement from the Democratic Party, but that's okay. I work for the city and citizens of Springfield."

Rockford's win comes in stark contrast to the fate of his brother-in-law Langfelder, whose defeat to Buscher could make one ask about how the relationship between a family member of the outgoing mayor and the incoming mayor who defeated him will go once both are sworn in.

For his part, Rockford said that he'll strive to make sure that his relationship with Buscher would be no different than what it would have been had Langfelder been successful yesterday.

"We need to come together and work for the common goal for the city of Springfield," Rockford said. "How do we make it better? There's issues on the north side of town. Mayor Buscher sees it (and) she's a northender. I think my relationship with her will be no different than with Mayor Langfelder."

Rockford wants to focus on rebuilding the infrastructure in the ward along with beautifying parts of the area, including Peoria Road.

"You can't say infrastructure enough," Rockford said. "We all want to add new businesses and beautify the city. Everybody talks about Peoria Road and getting it overlaid and getting it beautified. You got to get all the minds together and work for that common goal."

Rockford replaces John Fulgenzi, who is stepping away after eight years on the City Council.

Ward 5

Purchase blew out Cahnman by a 70-30 margin percentagewise, winning a full term by 615 votes. Purchase won the Democratic endorsement for the seat over Cahnman, who ran for a Illinois General Assembly seat as a Democrat in 2006. Calvin Pitts, a local electrician running as a write-in, received 64 votes.

Purchase, appointed in 2021 to replace Andrew Proctor, said that she was excited to continue the work she started two years ago in terms of continuing to build new opportunities within the ward, such as the MedicsFirst headquarters now based out of a former Shop 'n' Save on North Grand Avenue.

"Ward 5 is very unique," Purchase said. "I cover downtown, the medical district and some of the oldest neighborhoods surrounding the downtown area. The infrastructure improvements (there) is such a critical need. That's not just a topic for Ward 5, it's for the whole city of Springfield. The downtown is the jewel of Springfield and the momentum we have is good, but I'm trying to continue to build on that."

Purchase is open-minded about listening to what incoming Mayor Buscher has to say about what she wants to do in the community, particularly as it comes to helping support the people of Ward 5.

"I think that communicating effectively, sitting down and talking with her to see what her vision is for our community and getting that message out to our communities (is important)," Purchase said.

She's grateful for the support provided by the people of Ward 5, enough to defeat someone with wide experience in the city and county.

"I'm still taking it in right now," Purchase said. "I'm so thankful and grateful for the residents of Ward 5. When people texted me last night and said, 'You did it,' no, we did it. Each and every one of you put your trust in me to represent you as your Ward 5 alderwoman and I am just so thankful for that."

Ward 6

Notariano, a contract specialist with the state's Capitol Development Board endorsed by the Democrats, beat Alyssa Haaker, an attorney endorsed by Republicans, by 379 votes. Notariano pulled 58.2% of the vote to Haaker's 41.8%.

Notariano said in February that she admired the work that her predecessor Kristin DiCenso did and wanted to continue doing it as Alderwoman.

"She's done a really good job of staying in touch with constituents and connecting them with services whenever they need (them)," Notariano said. "She's also been a strong voice for the values of this community and for the attention and care that this sort of older urban core neighborhood needs. I'm running because I want to continue on doing her work."

Ward 7

Carlson defeated John Houlihan by 430 votes, with the Republican-endorsed legislative aid getting 56.6% of the vote to Houlihan's 43.4%. Houlihan was endorsed by the Sangamon County Democrats, where his father Bill serves as the party's chair.

Carlson thanked those who helped pound the pavement for him in the months leading up to the election, in addition to those who voted for him to replace term-limited Joe McMenamin on the City Council.

"I want to thank the voters (and) my volunteers for having the faith in me," Carlson said. "I think my message of 35 years of experience at all levels of government has worked well and I think I can represent them well at the City Council."

He said that the endorsements from police and fire unions, not to mention a smattering of other labor unions, helped provide a boost for his campaign.

"Those groups have seen my involvement in the community for 35 years and what I can do for the citizens of Ward 7," Carlson said.

More: Election updates: Buscher unseats Langfelder as mayor of Springfield

Carlson said that his experience at all levels of government has taught him that his two main tasks in government are to solve problems and answer the questions of the people. When he was campaigning, people told him that they were looking for someone with the ability to find common ground with others and to create solutions for the community, something he feels that he is more than qualified for.

"That's what people told me they liked about my record as I walked precincts for five months," Carlson said. "In my day job, we're in the super-minority, so there's a lot of times that we have to work with the other side and find common ground."

As for his relationship with Springfield's incoming mayor, Carlson believes that he and Buscher will work well together, saying that the two are in lockstep on economic issues such as business development.

"One thing she talked about and one thing that I've talked about for months is (that) we need to make it more user-friendly for developers to come in, build and develop," Carlson said. "When businesses come into town, we need to walk them through the process, whether it's the electrical or plumbing department. We need to make it easier for developers to re-locate and locate here in Springfield."

Running unopposed

Five current alderman held on to their seats Tuesday as they ran unopposed. Chuck Redpath (Ward 1), Shaun Gregory (Ward 2), Erin Conley (Ward 8), Jim Donelan (Ward 9) and Ralph Hanauer (Ward 10) each kept their seats without opposition.

This article originally appeared on State Journal-Register: Purchase, Williams victorious; Notariano, Carlson pick up seats