Endorsements: Schielke for Batavia mayor; Fahrenbach, Pieper and Cuneo for city council

How do you pick between two strong candidates to lead a successful city?

That’s the question we’ve been asking ourselves in the Batavia mayor’s race, where incumbent Jeffery Schielke faces challenger Tom Connelly.

Batavia seems to be in good shape. Its books are in order, and the community is thriving, which speaks well for the leadership of Schielke, who has been mayor since 1981 and is seeking his 12th term.

Connelly, an attorney and a former alderman, is bright, well-spoken and has a record of community involvement. He seems well-versed in the issues facing Batavia.

So the question becomes, does Batavia stay the course or is it time to go a different direction? After much consideration, we have decided that if it ain’t broke, we shouldn’t try to fix it, and Schielke is endorsed.

We believe Schielke’s experience and his extensive contacts can still benefit Batavia for another term. He has handled Batavia’s growth well, and we expect that to continue.

However, we hope Connelly stays involved in his community. He could still be a good mayor someday.

City Council: Pieper, Fahrenbach, Cuneo

As for the Batavia City Council, Ward 4, 5 and 6 have contested races, but only the Ward 4 race includes an incumbent. That incumbent is Dustin Pieper, appointed to the council in 2023.

He and James Fahrenbach, who is running in Ward 5, seem to have a particularly good handle on the issues facing the city, such as the Fox River dam and the single-use bag fee, as well as city finances. They get our endorsement.

Pieper’s opponent, Doug Eldrenkamp, did not submit answers to our questionnaire or appear at the meeting with our Editorial Board.

Fahrenbach is challenged by Garran DeWain Sparks. Sparks, who completed a questionnaire but was not able to make our Editorial Board meeting, brings prior experience of 10 years on the board as an alderman for Ward 1, but we’re confident in the energy and insights Fahrenbach offers.

Ward 6 is a race between Matthew Anderson, who because of an email mixup was not able to submit his candidate questionnaire in time for our consideration, and Kate Cuneo, a private contractor for political campaigns and precinct committee person.

We can endorse Cuneo, but not without reservations. She demonstrates a genuine interest in making life better for residents in her ward and the city as a whole. However, she often seems to lack a detailed understanding of issues facing the city. She mentioned during our interview her involvement in the movement advocating for a cease-fire in faraway Gaza, but that, in addition to her political work, opens some questions regarding her commitment to local issues.