MENDOTA – The April 1 Illinois Consolidated Elections came and went quickly.

But not without Mendota residents going to the polls and electing the incumbents for the three city council races with opposition.

Mayor David Boelk keeps the title for a seventh term as he defeated Shallen Gross 647-238, Jim Fitzpatrick is also taking his seventh term as the Ward 1 Alderperson as he defeated Joel Perez 128-123, and after one appointed year and a four-year term, Vicki Johnson is adding another four years to her Ward 4 Alderperson career with a 181-104 win over Matt Ramer.

Here is what the winners had to say after the election:

Mayor David Boelk

“It feels good to be elected again; there's no doubt about it. I was born and raised in Mendota. I'll always love this town and it'll always be my home,” Boelk said. “I give a big thank you to Mendota voters. The next four years are going to be challenging.

“We have our sewer plant project, which is a $40 million project. Plus, we're trying to redo downtown and Illinois Avenue. I know it's been a couple of years since the fires, but of course, we had to figure out who owned what and then purchase the property from them.

“We're going to start the rebuild. I think people will like it in the end. I'm not going to say it's going to solve all of our problems because small town America, downtowns are a dying thing. But, you have to try to keep it because without a downtown, you're not really a town.”

With 24 years as mayor already behind him, he looks back with surprise he is still here.

Throughout the journey and for the next four years, his mentality is the same – stay fair and do what's best for Mendota.

“I didn't think I'd be the mayor this long when I first started. Usually, people get tired of somebody after a short while,” Boelk said. “You make enough people mad in what I have to do. Every month I'm making a ruling where one side is happy and the other isn't. Guess what, you then have someone who isn't going to vote for you. We have tried to be as fair as we could within the guidelines. There will be people with hard feelings and those who don't. But we try to do the same thing. My administration and our city employees have done a great job. They make my job a lot easier because they give 110-percent effort all the way.

“I enjoy the job, No 1. I've sat in this seat so long that I know more about the sewer plant and the water plant, more than I ever thought I would. It's important part of a municipality. A lot of it is underground infrastructure. A lot of people don't see it and don't understand, but it's so important.

“Having a great infrastructure is something that helps us attract business. I don't think enough people gave the credit to ADM for moving their flour plant here. That was a big thing for Mendota. The addition raised our EAV (equalized assessed value) by a quarter.

“That was great for our city. As well as all of the other businesses that are here. Black Brothers are doing great. They help the city out and we help them out. HCC and Prescott Brothers to name a few more. It's been a pleasure working with all of the businesses in Mendota and I'm excited to keep doing so. 

Ward 1 Alderperson Jim Fitzpatrick

“It feels good to still have my spot on the council. I suppose I should have worked harder, but I thought I did OK with debate, Meet the Candidates,” said Fitzpatrick, who has lived in Mendota since 1991 and is a retired farmer. “After all, I've been in the public eye for a while so I would hope most people know who I am.

“I think we're trying to be helpful. As I explained during the debate, there are other issues at work, everything didn't happen overnight. There are not so many stores downtown. It's a decay that has been going on for a bit. We were hoping as a city government, there would be open arms for new business owners. It's a tough racket to own a business now. There are many different industries having issues.

“We try to help a person at the beginning of their new business process. We want to hold their hand and be encouraging. That's the whole idea.”

Fitzpatrick, who is also a violin player who has performed with the Illinois Valley Symphony Orchestra and at Holy Cross, added Perez is a good man and he enjoyed interacting with him at Meet the Candidates.

Ward 4 Alderperson Vicki Johnson

“It was nerve racking. I didn't get any results until after 10 p.m. That's when I found out I had won,” Johnson said, who was out of state on election night. “It was nerve racking because Matt Ramer is from Mendota and is well known, and a good guy. I was excited I won. I thank Matt for wanting to run to be part of the council. I like to see we have other people who want to support Mendota and want to help it improve.

“One thing I've said throughout is I can't wait to keep bringing change to Mendota. We have a lot on the plate right now. Hopefully our grant writers will continue to write and secure grants so we can continue building. Little by little it's going to come and take place. Everyone has to remember it takes time. We can't think Mendota is going to be different tomorrow.

“I think in the next 4-5 years, we're going to see a good change.”

With five years in the books and four more on the horizon, the retired educator (33 years in education with 22 of them in Mendota schools before retiring May 31, 2024) is ready to stay as involved in the community as she has been with roles in Reimagine Mendota and city events.