It's a three-way contest in Batavia's 5th Ward

BATAVIA – Three candidates are competing in the April 2 election for an open seat on the Batavia City Council representing the 5th Ward.

Abby Beck, Mike Hanrahan and Michael Woerner are seeking to replace 5th Ward Alderman Lucy Thelin Atac, who decided not to run for re-election.

The three hopefuls bring significantly different backgrounds and experiences to the contest.

Beck, 35, is a life-long, fifth-generation Batavian with a long resume of community activities and an election campaign focusing on environmental issues.

Hanrahan, 59, has been a Batavia resident since 1991 and is well-known as a local businessman. Hanrahan is stressing a pro-business platform in the election.

Woerner, 66, came to Batavia three years ago from Hinsdale, where he served as an elected official. Woerner is emphasizing his municipal government experience and focusing on a balanced city budget.

Beck serves on the Batavia Environmental Commission, a group appointed by Mayor Jeff Schielke to promote city policies benefiting the environment. She is a co-founder of the Well Batavia Initiative, an organization encouraging healthy lifestyles, as well as the Fox Valley Sustainability Network.

In addition, Beck serves on the Water Street Studios advisory council, and the H.C. Storm School Green Team. Beck also serves as the manager of the Batavia Farmers Market and is employed as the business manager of the Limestone Production Group.

Hanrahan is the owner and operator of Hanrahan’s Painting, an interior decorating business, and worked for many years as a Batavia insurance agent.

For several years, Hanrahan served on the board of the Batavia Foundation for Educational Excellence, an organization providing grants to Batavia School District 101. He also was involved with the Rotary Club and other community organizations.

Woerner served two terms from 1995 to 2003 as an elected member of the local elementary school board serving Hinsdale and Clarendon Hills, including two years as president.

In 2003, Woerner was elected as a trustee on the Hinsdale Village Board. Two years later he was elected village president and served a four-year-term until 2009.

Since moving to Batavia, Woerner has served as a volunteer at the Hesed House homeless shelter in Aurora. Although retired, Woerner works as an instructional assistant at Wheaton-Warrenville South High School.

Beck said the biggest challenges facing Batavia are maintaining the city’s infrastructure, ensuring the future of Depot Pond and moving the city away from its reliance on the coal-fired Prairie State power plant, in which the city has an ownership stake.

The city should focus on making the community more pedestrian-friendly, Beck said, and bring environmental concerns into its decision-making.

“I feel I’m really well-networked in the community and want to elevate my influence to bring more attention to what the city does,” Beck said.

Hanrahan said the city government should enact policies helping small businesses and reduce rules and regulations that he says are slowing business development. Hanrahan used the drawn-out approval process for the downtown Walgreens store several years ago as an example of too much interference by the city.

If elected Hanrahan wants to conduct quarterly meetings with 5th Ward residents and downtown business owners to get feedback on city issues.

“I really want to represent the ward differently,” Hanrahan said. “I like to meet people and interact. The alderman is a representative of the people.”

Woerner said the city’s biggest challenge is to increase tax revenues by attracting more businesses, especially hotels, automobile dealerships and grocery stores.

“I know how to balance a budget and can bring something to the table on zoning issues that can help,” Woerner said. “The number one issue is the budget.”

On the issue of a second Fox River bridge, Hanrahan and Woerner say the city should begin making plans, although Hanrahan is adamant that property taxes should not be increased to provide funding for the project. Beck is not convinced that another bridge is needed.

The 5th Ward encompasses the central portion of the city and is unique among Batavia’s wards because it is the only one to straddle both sides of the Fox River. The ward covers the entire downtown business district west of the river and a significant portion on the east side.

On the west side of the river, the ward extends as far west as North Van Nortwick Avenue, as far south as the West Batavia Cemetery and as far north as Timber Trail. This portion of the ward includes some of the community’s most historic churches, commercial buildings and residences, including Bellevue Place.

On the east side of the river, the 5th Ward extends south from East Wilson Street, through established neighborhoods centered along South Prairie and South Van Buren streets, and as far east as South Forest Avenue.