PEORIA, Ill. — Peoria City Councilwoman Rita Ali has officially announced her candidacy to run for mayor next year.
Ali, an at-large council member, said Tuesday morning that she intends to be on the February 2021 primary ballot.
With her announcement, she became the sixth person to throw their hat into the ring.
“It’s highly competitive, and that’s a good thing so many people are interested in leadership,” she offered.
“I’ve been involved in races before that were pretty crowded.”
When Ali ran for her current at-large seat, she said, there were 17 candidates seeking the seat.
Ali currently serves as vice president of workforce and diversity at Illinois Central College.
“ICC is also large-scale government, so I have that foundation of being a leader within that type of platform, and I think there’s a lot of transferable skills I can take into this new role as mayor,” she said.
If elected mayor, Ali said she would retire from her position at I.C.C. to serve as Peoria mayor full-time.
Also running for mayor: current Mayor Jim Ardis, Chama St. Louis, Andres Diaz, Chuck Brown, and Couri Thomas.
