New DeKalb 5th Ward alderman reflects on first 30 days in office

DeKALB – Andre Powell says life has been crazy busy as DeKalb’s new 5th Ward alderman.

Aside from attending City Council meetings, Powell is a local realtor and small business owner who runs and operates In and Out Cuts Barbershop in Sycamore.

“I got a lot of things going, but I’m able to still respond to my constituents and get back to them and do everything that needs to be done,” Powell said. “I feel like for the most part, I’ve made myself 100% accessible to everyone, which I think is a key factor.”

The end of June marked about a month since Powell took the oath of office as DeKalb’s 5th Ward alderman to succeed Scott McAdams, who resigned from his duties in mid-March, citing “reasons of health.”

Powell said that being an alderman has been everything he imagined it would be.

He said he likes how the job varies from day-to-day, but there’s a lot to learn at the same time.

“I’m still getting [over] the learning curve of the 5th Ward,” Powell said. “Everyone’s been great. I’m honored to be in the role I’m in.”

Powell has been no stranger at community events during his first 30 days in office.

He said he’s making a point to be present in the community for his constituents.

“They want to be heard, and they want someone that’s accessible, but more than anything, they want their voices heard and their concerns heard,” Powell said. “They want to know that they do have a voice and it’s not just government operating how government wants. They want to make sure you’re operating on behalf of citizens. That’s what I’m doing.”

Powell said he’s not been surprised by the level of community engagement he’s seen since taking on the new job.

“More people have reached out to me as an alderman in a month [than] probably did the entire tenure that I was on the school board,” he said. “On school board, people [didn’t] voice their dislikes. I didn’t feel like people fully engaged with school board, how they were with City Council.

Powell previously served as a member of the DeKalb School District 428 Board alongside Vice President Christopher Boyes. He resigned that role to take on the City Council position.

Boyes said he knew there would be a void to be filled with Powell’s departure.

“It’s definitely been a huge seat to fill with Andre gone because he was definitely someone you could always lean on for advice, but also someone that you could trust to be there to make the right decisions at all times,” Boyes said. “You know, definitely just missing one of my good friends, I would say, not just a board member. I lost a friend when he went over to City Council.”

Powell said that serving on the City Council has been very fulfilling for him.

“You don’t get complaints,” he said. “You get people that want to get creative, people that want to collaborate and work together. I think that’s important. I wish that was the case on the school board. We got a lot of heat for different things on the school board, and I don’t have anything bad to say about the school board or anyone else, for the record. I’m just saying it’s been a lot more friendly of an approach serving on council.”

Powell said that as someone who wears many hats, he feels he’s accomplished a lot. As an alderman, he said he relishes opportunities to make and develop connections.

“I’m fairly new to the council – too new to feel accomplished,” Powell said. “There’s work to be done. I’d say what I’ve done and will continue to do is connect with my ward and the community making myself available and responsive. [It] has and will be my primary focus.”

Powell said that as a school board member, he’s enjoyed taking part in the 2024 commencement ceremony.

“The most important accomplishment and heartfelt memory of school board was passing the Class of 2024,” he said. “Sharing that stage was the reward and reminder of why I got involved. My niece and my godson being two of those students was an emotional moment for me.”

Powell said that as a businessman, he feels he made a difference.

“As a businessman, my biggest accomplishment has been putting my work family in a position to win, feed themselves and their family,” he said. “Together we’ve built something special and I’ve reached a point in business where I’m more excited about their success than my own. Together we’ve grown as a business and a family.”

When asked if Powell had met the bar of expectations set by his predecessor McAdams, Boyes said he had exceeded it.

“I think that Andre is not one that you can really compare to anyone else,” Boyes said. “Andre is going to be Andre, and I think that Andre is phenomenal at doing that, whether it’s his business, leadership in the community, his nonprofit work or his investment in our community through service like the school board, City Council. So I feel Andre being Andre has exceeded.”

Powell said he plans to host a ward meeting to give constituents and local business owners the opportunity to get to know him.

No timeline has yet been set for when the ward meeting would take place.

“I think it’s imperative to do it because, like I said, you got to be accessible,” Powell said. “People got to feel like you’re approachable. I get out. I’ve been getting to know everybody attending different [events] within the community, but I figured I’d have a whole ward meeting to do a formal meet-and-greet for anyone I haven’t met.”

Powell said he’s enjoyed all the fanfare that comes with being an alderman.

“It’s been a very warm welcome from all aldermen, all components of city,” he said. “It’s been a warm welcome.”