PEORIA, Ill. — If current election results hold, current At-Large Council Member Rita Ali would win the 59th mayoral election in Peoria’s history.
In the middle of her four-year term that expires in May 2023, her win would leave an empty seat in the council chambers.
City Manager Patrick Urich explained Illinois Municipal Code 65 ILCS 5/5-2-12 (g) lays out how the process of filling an empty council seat works. The code states:
If a vacancy occurs in the office of mayor or councilman, the remaining members of the council, within 60 days after the vacancy occurs, shall fill the vacancy by appointment of some person to the office for the balance of the unexpired term or until the vacancy is filled by interim election under Section 3.1-10-50, and until the successor is elected and has qualified.
Ali explained how she would want to fill the vacancy.
“I’ll lead an open and fair process where individuals can apply to the appointed seat,” she said. “Send their resume, application, and then we’ll go through a vetting process, and we, as a council, who will be appointed to that seat.”
She said she didn’t have a deadline in mind for when the seat would need to be filled.
“I haven’t had a chance to actually sit down and talk with legal [counsel] or other people about that. We just certified my win today,” she said.
“So that was step one, and then getting sworn in is going to be the next step, and then actually beginning the transition process and working to get that seat filled.
“I’m interested, certainly, in someone who is like-minded. The citizens voted me into that at-large position, and I hope we fill it with someone who is like-minded.”
Current Mayor Jim Ardis’s term expires May 4.
