Wards 5 and 7 will have contested races in 2023 election; filing closes today
With two filings in the city clerk's office Wednesday, two more aldermanic races in Springfield are being contested in the 2023 consolidation election.
Candidates must file petitions by 5 p.m. today.
The nonpartisan election is April 4. If more than four candidates emerge for a race, a primary will be held on Feb. 28.
Also on the ballot are 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.
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Calvin Pitts, the owner of Southtown Construction and B.O.N.E. (Bringing Others New Empowerment) LLC, jumped into the Ward 5 race challenging incumbent Lakeisha Purchase, who filed last Monday.
Sam Cahnman, who confirmed earlier that he had been passing petitions in Ward 5 which he represented for terms, told The State Journal-Register late Sunday afternoon that he intended to file Monday.
Springfield business owner, Jaleesa Davis, is making a run in Ward 7 against Brad Carlson. Davis operates Glaze Nail Salon on Clock Tower Drive.
Davis is making her first political bid in Ward 7, an open seat because Ald. Joe McMenamin is completing his third term.
Here are how things are shaping up for the April 4 election.
Ward 7
Davis, 33, said public safety will be a focus of her campaign, particularly highlighting a number of businesses that have been burglarized.
"People put a lot of work into opening up businesses," said Davis, a licensed nail technician who opened her salon two years ago. "I want to bring more awareness to it."
Davis also pointed out the safety of Wabash Avenue around the entrance to Sherwood, where she lives.
"Even though I'm running for Ward 7, I'm going to be a voice for the city," Davis said.
Davis is a native of Chicago who grew up in Bolingbrook. She moved to Springfield to attend the University of Illinois Springfield, where she earned a bachelor of arts in business administration and management.
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Davis is a mother of four who is married to Springfield police officer Joshua Davis.
She has been involved with volunteer projects like Girls Glory, a free hair braiding service, and The Dollhouse Project, a nonprofit started by SPD Officer Timara Pflug.
Carlson was the first candidate in line to file last Monday. A Capital Township trustee and a policy analyst with the issues staff of the Illinois Senate Republicans, Carlson lost to McMenamin in the 2019 Ward 7 matchup.
Carlson recently said he had been walking west-side precincts for two-plus months, including two new areas in the ward, Westchester and Lincolnshire.
"(One-third) of Ward 7 is now new," Carlson pointed out. "I've been a 27-year resident of Ward 7 under three different maps. I feel like I kind of understand the ward and the people who make up Ward 7."
Ward 5
It could be a three-candidate race in Ward 5.
Purchase, a resident of Enos Park, was appointed to the council seat about 15 months ago when Ald. Andrew Proctor resigned to take a job in the Chicagoland area.
The former Capital Township trustee is a support services specialist for the Illinois Department of Transportation.
Purchase said she didn't mind the challenge.
"I like to always say that is what democracy is built off, anyone is open to get into this race, but I would definitely primarily keep my focus on my constituents and my relationship and service to them," Purchase said.
Building up the North Grand Avenue corridor is a prerogative of Purchase, who calls Ward 5 "the jewel of Springfield." The ward includes parts of downtown and several tourist sites, including the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum and Lincoln's Tomb in Oak Ridge Cemetery.
Pitts, 53, has been a Ward 5 resident since 2013.
Southtown Construction and B.O.N.E. LLC, in the 1100 block of South Grand Avenue East, was started by Pitts, a 20-year plus journeyman electrician with IBEW Local 193, also in 2013. It trains people to launch careers in the building trades.
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Pitts is an appointed member of the Springfield Housing Policy Advisory Council. He is a sitting member of the Sangamon County Building Code of Appeals.
Cahnman was elected to the Sangamon County Board on Nov. 8 after winning a primary on June 28 against a sitting incumbent, Rose Ruzic.
"I've been told by resident after resident in Ward 5 that change is desperately needed," Cahnman said in an email. "Ward 5 residents deserve an alderperson who will go to bat for them in the times of greatest need."
The county board district Cahnman was elected to covers the northeastern part of the city.
Cahnman was first elected to the county board in 2002.
Cahnman served two terms as Ward 5 alderman but lost a reelection bid to Proctor in 2015 and finished third in the 2019 election.
An attorney, Cahnman has also ran for the U.S. House, Illinois Senate and Illinois House.
Other contested ward races
Alyssa Haaker and Jennifer Notariano have both filed for the Ward 6 race.
That seat is open after incumbent Ald. Kristin DiCenso announced in August that she wasn't running again.
Daniel Pittman was also expected to file in Ward 6.
In Ward 3, incumbent Roy Williams Jr. and William Eddington have both filed.
Another open seat, in Ward 4, has attracted one candidate so far in Larry Rockford, though Jason Ratts was expected to file on Monday.
Haaker, a former Sangamon County assistant state's attorney, is now in private practice as insurance defense attorney. Notariano is a contract specialist with the Illinois Capital Development Board.
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Pittman is an Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services public service administrator. He lost to Joe Aiello for Sangamon County treasurer in the Nov. 8 race.
Williams was appointed to succeed now State Sen. Doris Turner in Ward 3 in 2021. He is the president of the board of directors for the Faith Coalition for the Common Good.
Eddington is a brick mason who took over Eddington Masonry, which has been in the family for over six decades. This is his first run for political office.
Rockford recently retired from City Water, Light and Power as division chief at the property management center. It is his first run for office.
Ratts, a health care worker, resigned from his county board seat in 2021 after moving out of the district, which included Grandview and parts of Springfield’s north end.
In June, Ald. John Fulgenzi announced he was retiring from the Ward 4 seat.
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 filed for reelection last Monday. So far, all races are uncontested.
Mayor, treasurer, city clerk
The mayor's race is contested with both incumbent Jim Langfelder and city treasurer Misty Buscher having filed.
Two candidates for treasurer — city budget director Bill McCarty and Springfield Park District trustee Lisa Badger were expected to file Monday, joining deputy treasurer Colleen Redpath Feger in the race.
Incumbent Frank Lesko filed for city clerk on Monday.
Langfelder, Buscher and Lesko were all elected to their respective offices in 2015, so Langfelder and Lesko would be term limited if they win.
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McCarty served as mayor of Williamsville from 2005 to 2009 and ran for mayor of Springfield in 2011. He has been city budget director since that time.
Badger was the top vote-getter for park board in 2019 when five candidates ran for three seats. It was her first run for public office.
Redpath Feger has served as deputy treasurer the last four years. Redpath Feger was elected to the SMEAA board in 2003, serving one term. The board oversees the operation of the Bank of Springfield Center.
Contact Steven Spearie: 217-622-1788, sspearie@sj-r.com, twitter.com/@StevenSpearie.
This article originally appeared on State Journal-Register: Springfield IL elections: 2 more candidates file for aldermanic races
