Galesburg Reporter

With the Nov. 3 general election having just passed, Galesburg is already setting its sights on the April 6, 2021, local election. 

The April election will see residents voting on several elected offices including the mayoral position, the Register-Mail reported. Jaclyn Smith-Esters has said she is running for the position, which is currently held by John Pritchard. 

Smith-Esters' campaign website shows her experience in anthropology, sociology and social work, which gives her “a unique ability to recognize the needs of our community and the skillset to develop strategic and effective directives to meet those needs," her website said. She holds a master's degree from Carl Sandburg College and has served in the Illinois National Guard for six years.

To date, Pritchard is the only one to take paperwork out to file for the mayoral election. 

Galesburg Board of Elections Director Lisa Watson said other candidates have plenty of time to file before the ballot deadline. Potential candidates need to go to the Galesburg Elections Office in City Hall. 

Paperwork to be considered a candidate is due Dec. 21. To be on the ballot, there need to be between 224 and 358 signatures in the filing. Those seeking office are required to be 18 years old or older; be a registered voter as of April 6, 2021; and have lived in the city for at least one year prior to April 6, 2021. Filers are not allowed to be in debt to the city or be convicted in the state of Illinois or federal courts for malfeasance in office, bribery or infamous crime. 

"While Pritchard has taken out paperwork for candidacy, he told the Register-Mail that he is still not sure if he will be running in the spring to retain the position. He was first elected mayor in April 2013, beating incumbent first-term Mayor Sal Garza. 

Pritchard won the office in 2017, running against Walt McAllister on a platform of economic growth and increased job opportunities in the city. 

“I haven’t made that final decision yet,” Pritchard said, adding he would be making his decision in the coming weeks. 

There are also rumors circulating that Alderman Peter Schwartzman will be running for mayor as well. 

“Simply, I have no comment on whether I am running for mayor at this time," he told the Register-Mail. "There are lots of rumors all the time regarding such things."