List gets longer for mayor, council candidates in Joliet election

Joliet now has four potential mayoral candidates in April 2023, including the mayor.

Mayor Bob O’Dekirk announced in March that he would run for reelection. However, he did not pull nominating petitions until Thursday.

The three other candidates who have pulled nominating petitions for mayor are Terry D’Arcy, Gregory Lee and Tycee Bell.

Bell and O’Dekirk took part in the discussion Tuesday before the City Council passed a resolution in a 5-3 vote against the Safe-T Act, sending a message from Joliet that the state legislature should repeal the bill that would mandate changes in police departments and the courts.

“We need to focus on the facts, and we need to get some real information out there on the Safe-T Act,” Bell told the council, arguing that the city resolution distorted what is in the legislation.

Bell was among a number of future candidates in both the November state legislative races and the April 4 city election who spoke out on the SAFE-T Act resolution during a period for public comments at the start of the council meeting.

O’Dekirk, who typically only votes to break a tie, did not vote on the Safe-T Act resolution but made clear he was for it.

“I don’t think it goes far enough,” O’Dekirk said of the resolution, which describes the SAFE-T Act as imposing unreasonable limitations on police and the courts.

Nominating petitions for the city election have been available since Sept. 20. But the petitions are not filed with the city until late December, leaving open both the possibility that more people will take out petitions and that not all those who took out petitions will run.

Another incumbent who took out petitions last week was Larry Hug, who will seek reelection in District 1.

Hug put out a news release citing his leadership on the council’s Economic Development Committee, involvement in the program to remove ash trees damaged by the emerald ash borer, and push for a program that has expanded the number of streets and sidewalks being repaired each year.

“There still much to do moving forward and I’m up to the task,” Hug said in the release.

Mike Eulitz, retired public assets manager and roadways engineer for the city, also has taken out petitions to run in District 1.

So far, there are 19 people with petitions out for the mayoral and five city council contests. Other potential candidates are:

• District 2: incumbent Pat Mudron, Quinn Adamowski, Robert Wunderlich and Nicole Lurry

• District 3: incumbent Sherri Reardon

• District 4: Cesar Cardenas, Christopher J. Parker and Rosa Hernandez

• District 5: incumbent Terry Morris, Jim Lanham, Suzanna Ibarra and Michael W. Carruthers