Unofficial election results for Batavia City Council put incumbents, fresh faces on next city council

The Batavia City Council will likely be welcoming some new faces beginning next term, according to unofficial results.

Incumbent Dustin Pieper is poised to retain his seat as alderman for Ward 4. In the night’s two other contested aldermanic elections, James Fahrenbach is in the lead in Ward 5, and Matthew Anderson is ahead in Ward 6.

All the other aldermanic races featured uncontested races.

According to the Kane County Clerk’s Office, Pieper has 269 votes compared to his opponent Douglas Eldrenkamp, who received 165 votes.

Following Election Night, Pieper said he was motivated by how responsive the voters seemed with the issues.

“My opponent put in a good showing, I’m trilled it was a contested election because it gives me a better idea how I’m doing,” Pieper said. “My opponent’s been going to all the city council meetings, he’s been talking to people, so it’s a sign that democracy is really working.”

Pieper said transportation and safety appeared to be an issue that really resonated with his voters.

“People really like the ‘Safe Streets’ concept, a lot of voters I spoke to had issues with drivers using the streets as shortcut routes and driving aggressively in that area,” Pieper said. “People need to feel safe, walking and biking around our neighborhoods.”

Pieper said sustainable development in the town can be something the entire community can get behind.

“I’m a big proponent of finding ways to increase affordable housing,” Pieper said. “I know a ton of people who would love to move to Batavia, young and old, and there’s just no available housing right now. We must find ways to create housing that’s not disruptive to the community. Small-scale in-fill development to let the folks here invest in our town to build hope for the community.”

In Ward 5, unofficial results have Fahrenbach with 516 votes to Garran DeWain Sparks’ 196 votes.

Following election night, Fahrenbach said the election was reflective of his high level of engagement with the community over the past several years.

“We have to deal with the property taxes across the board from a multi-government perspective,” Fahrenbach said. “We have to resolve the issue with the dam. It’s also time to engage other generations on what local government means. I’m hoping to do some mock city council work with the school district to help make sure our young people become involved in local government. Especially in times like these, when the federal government is cutting back on funding, local governments can be a lot more important.”

In Ward 6 unofficial results have Anderson ahead with 431 votes compared to Kate Cuneo’s 374 votes.