Joliet mayoral candidates loading up with cash

Joliet mayoral candidate Terry D’Arcy opened a campaign fund this week with $75,000 of his own money.

The quick injection of cash from D’Arcy, who announced his candidacy a month ago for the April 2023 city election, marks the likelihood of an expensive mayoral race between the car dealer and incumbent Mayor Bob O’Dekirk.

O’Dekirk had $225,072 available in his campaign fund at the end of March, according to the latest documents posted on the Illinois State Board of Elections from Citizens for O’Dekirk as of late Friday afternoon. The website showed D’Arcy with $85,000 as of Thursday.

The mayor has been building up a campaign chest since he was first elected mayor in 2015 and did not have to spend anything in 2019 when he ran unopposed.

O’Dekirk said Friday that he did not know if the mayoral campaign would be an expensive one or if money would matter in the end.

“I think you just saw a race where money didn’t matter at all,” he said, pointing to the outcome in the recent Democratic primary in the 43rd Senate District where Rachel Ventura won despite having a fraction of the money of opponent Eric Mattson. “I’m not concerned, and I don’t think Terry is either.”

O’Dekirk said he planned to run on a record that has included strong job growth, rising property values, business growth and major initiatives like the Houbolt Road bridge now under construction.

“There’s a lot,” he said. “I think the record speaks for itself. The politicking is going to happen, but I think the facts speak for themselves.”

D’Arcy on Friday did not make himself available for a phone interview and instead issued a statement through the communications firm hired for his campaign, saying he has taken “the next step” in his race for mayor by establishing a campaign committee with the Illinois State Board of Elections.

“As I have done throughout my business career, I gathered talent and resources and in the next several months look forward to meeting the people and business owners in Joliet and hearing their concerns and thoughts about how I can serve them as mayor,” the statement said.

D’Arcy announced his campaign for mayor on June 15 at a press conference in which he had no answer when asked what issues he considered important but stressed that he would bring strong leadership skills and business experience to the mayor’s job.

The announcement was unusually early for a local election in which candidates cannot begin circulating petitions to get on the ballot until September.

There is plenty of time for other candidates to get in the race.

But D’Arcy and O’Dekirk are heavyweights with strong name recognition, built-in bases of support and more campaign cash at their disposal than is typical for a Joliet mayoral election.

Voter turnout for local elections is typically small – almost always less than 20% and sometimes in the low-to-mid teens.

Council member Larry Hug, who is running for reelection in District One, said it’s hard to judge yet whether the O’Dekirk-D’Arcy contest will motivate higher turnout.

“Bob [O’Dekirk] has been in office as a councilman and two terms as mayor, so he has a base of voters that shows up,” Hug said.

D’Arcy, too, will have a base of voters because of his business reputation, Hug said.

“Whether he brings more voters to the polls, I don’t know,” he said.

Council member Pat Mudron, who has been at odds with O’Dekirk on some key issues and is supporting D’Arcy, said he thinks the mayoral contest has already stirred interest that will increase as the election approaches.

“I think it will get more voters out,” said Mudron, who will run for reelection in District Two. “Obviously, last time with the mayor running unopposed, it hurt all of us in terms of participation. Now with two candidates, I think there will be a lot more interest.”