Oglesby will have a new mayor next spring. Incumbent Dom Rivara said he will not seek a new term of office.
Rivara, 80, said Thursday he plans to finish his term of office but opted against reelection citing unspecified medical issues that have to be addressed. WLPO first reported Rivara’s announcement.
“It comes a time when you’ve got to make that decision,” he said. “I loved what I was doing. We made a lot of progress. I can look everybody in the eye and say that I’m leaving it in better shape than I inherited it.”
Rivara credited “good people on the council” and “some great employees” for helping him through his first and only term.
Three contenders may have emerged for the April 4 election. Former Mayor Don Finley picked up a petition for mayor, as did commissioners James Cullinan and Jason Curran. The filing period begins Dec. 12.
Rivara ousted Finley in the 2019 elections, taking 63% of the vote in part by wooing skeptics of the Senica Square project, a centerpiece of Finley’s economic development strategy.
Rivara will be remembered for steering the city through the pandemic but also for presiding over the city’s best finances in decades. Under his watch, the city’s tax base swelled thanks to the expansion of Green Thumb Industries and the arrival of the Speedway travel plaza. Last year, the city set records for retail and gaming revenue.
Source: The Daily Chronicle
Be First to Comment