Aurora primary Tuesday to narrow the field for mayoral election

Aurora voters will decide during a primary election on Tuesday which two candidates can run for mayor in April.

Five people are seeking spots on the ballot, including incumbent Mayor Richard Irvin, Alderman-at-Large John Laesch, Alderman Ted Mesiacos, former alderman Judd Lofchie, and Karina Garcia.

Jazmine Garcia’s name is still on the primary ballot, but she announced on Tuesday that she had dropped out of the race.

Here is a look at the candidates:

Garcia

Karina Garcia is chief executive officer and president of the Aurora Regional Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.

One of Irvin’s supporters tried to have her, Laesch and Jazmine Garcia thrown off the ballot. The city electoral board agreed, but a Kane County judge overruled its decision. An appellate court upheld the ruling.

Garcia says she would champion small businesses and entrepreneurs. She also said that the city’s population is nearly 42% Latino, and so “We deserve a Latino voice and I am ready to represent it,” she said.

Irvin

Richard Irvin is seeking a third term. Before that, he was an alderman. He also sought the Republican nomination for governor in 2022.

Irvin said in a Daily Herald questionnaire that he aims for an “inspirational” leadership style. “I inspire others by leading by example, communicating a clear vision, fostering collaboration, actively listening to the team and recognizing achievements,” he said.

Irvin said the city’s finances are in “excellent shape,” saying the budget is balanced, equalized assessed valuation of property is up, and property taxes have decreased during his two terms as mayor.

If elected, he would continue to focus on safety, education and the economy, what he called the three pillars of his success.

He is proud of the work he did to get the state to change casino law so the Hollywood Casino could move off its Fox River site to one near the Chicago Premium Outlet Mall.

Irvin is a lawyer, having started as a prosecutor before turning to defense work.

Laesch

John Laesch is in his first term as alderman. He previously served on the East Aurora school board. He ran against Irvin and former alderman Judd Lofchie for mayor in 2021.

Laesch is a big critic of Irvin, and the two have argued often at city council meetings.

He has opposed the city using tax increment financing, borrowing money, to help pay for the Hollywood Casino to build a new facility. He has criticized many of the financial incentives the city council has approved for various developments.

He ran in conjunction with the Garcias, including passing and signing petitions for each other, which Irvin contended showed the trio had formed a de facto political party for the nonpartisan election.

Laesch also tried to have an advisory referendum put on the April ballot asking the city to adopt campaign finance rules to prohibit city officials from receiving more than $1,000 a year in contributions from businesses that hope to do business with the city or have a matter pending before the city.

Lofchie

Judd Lofchie was an alderman from 2017 to 2021. He is a member of the East Aurora District 131 school board. He is a lawyer and businessman.

Lofchie is critical of the amount of debt the city is carrying, saying it amounts to about $1 billion. He questions why the city’s bond rating is just AA, says bureaucracy at City Hall makes it difficult for businesses to get permits, and that the city should stop “giving massive incentives” to developers.

Lofchie said he wants to start an “Aurora Promise” scholarship program, which would pay for students costs for community college or trade school.

Mesiacos

Ted Mesiacos has been an alderman since 2013. He is an architect.

“The present administration has lost its way,” he wrote in a Daily Herald questionnaire. “We need to focus on our neighborhoods with the same zeal as we do with economic development.”

He also criticized the city’s spending and voted against the last two budgets and property tax levies.

One of his proposals is to create a private foundation to help raise money for maintaining and improving Phillips Park, the 325-acre city-owned park on the south side that features a golf course, a zoo, Mastodon Lake and a water park (co-owned by the Fox Valley Park District).