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DeKALB – DeKalb resident Linh Nguyen has announced her intention to run for mayor in 2025.
Nguyen is an educator at Northern Illinois University, and former president of the League of Women Voters of DeKalb County.
In a statement late Sunday night, she credited her experiences as a working mother from Vietnam learning English and taking public transit in a new country as pivotal to shaping her beliefs today.
“When I first arrived in the United States in 2004, I barely spoke English. I walked and took the bus to school and work in the summer heat of Oklahoma and the winter snow of Pittsburgh. I know the difference an added bus stop on the long stretch of First Street on Route 18 could make for seniors,” Nguyen said in a statement. “As an immigrant, I had no money and no connections. It took hard work, courage, and determination to work my way up to the middle class where I am today. My journey is a testament to the American Dream, and I am committed to ensuring this dream is within reach for all DeKalb residents.”
Her candidacy would make the race for DeKalb’s next mayor a contested one, after Mayor Cohen Barnes in April announced his intention to seek reelection.
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A contested race gives DeKalb voters a choice for mayor, which Nguyen said spurred her to want to run.
“Today, I am an award-winning educator who strives to create more equitable opportunities for all learners and a community leader who advocates tirelessly for working families in DeKalb,” Nguyen said in a statement. “I am running for DeKalb Mayor in 2025 because I know what it feels like to be unseen and unheard. I am running to help working families like mine, who work hard and still struggle.”
According to her campaign, Nguyen also sits on the board of directors for DeKalb County Community Gardens, and is a trustee of the American Federation for State, County, and Municipality Employees (AFSCME) Local 1890. She works as inclusive teaching coordinator for the Center for Innovative Teaching and Learning at NIU.
Nguyen unsuccessfully sought the office for DeKalb County Clerk and Recorder as a Democrat in 2022.
Mayoral races are nonpartisan.
Candidates for the spring 2025 consolidated election can’t begin circulating petitions until Aug. 20. The first day to file candidacy papers for the April 1, 2025, election is Nov. 12.