Sycamore Mayor Steve Braser says he’ll seek second term

SYCAMORE – Sycamore Mayor Steve Braser announced he will seek reelection in the 2025 Consolidated Election – the first time in more than a decade an incumbent mayor as sought a second term.

Braser was elected to a four-year mayoral term in April 2021, after former Sycamore Mayor Curt Lang said he wouldn’t seek reelection. Lang’s predecessor was longtime mayor Kenneth Mundy, who served three terms in the role from 2005 to 2017. Mundy died Dec. 3, 2019.

When asked Monday why he plans to file his candidacy for another stint as mayor, Braser said he has embraced the office.

“I’ve really enjoyed the challenge so far, and with the staff that we have now, and the council, and the support I’ve received from the community, I really want to go forward and continue where we’ve left off as of today,” Braser said.

Candidacy papers cannot yet be filed for the April 1, 2025 election, but Braser said he’s already committed to seeking reelection because he wants to move Sycamore forward.

“I’ve really enjoyed the challenge so far, and with the staff that we have now, and the Council, and the support I’ve received from the community, I really want to go forward and continue where we’ve left off as of today.”

—  Steve Braser

After serving as alderman on the City Council for 12 years, Braser – who grew up in DeKalb and has lived in Sycamore since 1980 – said he’d seen things he thought the city could be doing better and believes he’s used his time in office as an opportunity to create progress.

Asked what he’s specifically hoping to make progress on during a potential second term, Braser said he wants to continue “going on the direction we [Sycamore] are on,” and referenced the city’s efforts to find a new city manager in 2021.

When he was first elected, Braser said his first priority would be to hire a new city manager after longtime city manager Brian Gregory left to become DeKalb County’s administrator March 1, 2021. Former city staffer Maggie Peck served as acting city manager at the time of the 2021 election.

Among actions taken during Braser’s first term and with City Manager Michael Hall – hired with an unanimous City Council vote at Braser’s recommendation in December 2021 – include economic development and a potential change to the city clerk’s office.

In April, the Sycamore City Council voted to hire a consultant to better help identify industrial growth opportunities in the city. Also in April, the Sycamore City Council moved forward with a plan which will ask voters in November whether they’d like Sycamore’s City Clerk to remain an elected or appointed position. The role is currently held by Mary Kalk. Braser has publicly backed moving the clerk to an appointed gig.

Braser said he believes progress in Sycamore looks like embracing the city’s population, something he said he doesn’t think previous administrations did well.

“I feel like when I took over – and I’m not blaming Curt Lang. I’m more blaming the previous administration city managers and stuff – they were still trying to run this town like 8,000 instead of 18,000,” Braser said. “We’ve made a lot of progress with a lot of really good people and we’re headed in that direction.”