Daily Herald endorsement: Pineda for West Chicago mayor

West Chicago mayor Ruben Pineda, who became the city’s first elected Hispanic mayor 13 years ago, is focused on continuing the strong trajectory he believes the city is currently on. He pledges to do this by targeting the redevelopment of the downtown area through comprehensive plans and strategic funding, expediting the lead pipe removal project by attaining forgivable loans from the Illinois EPA, attracting more businesses to and beautifying the Roosevelt Road corridor and creating a park featuring a variety of amenities (pickleball, soccer fields, trails, etc.) to appeal to all residents on the Kerr-McGee grounds.

This election, Pineda is facing two passionate challengers. Candidate Daniel Bovey, a 25-year West Chicago resident, pastor of a bilingual church and a small-business owner, feels that there is a growing disconnect between the needs of the residents and the interests of city hall. Bovey, who is currently involved in an ongoing legal fight with West Chicago over his family’s backyard geodesic dome greenhouse, says the city needs to prioritize revitalizing downtown by investing in incubator programs for new businesses instead of potentially spending millions on a new city hall. Other priorities include the lead pipe replacement program, resolving the residential water bill issue, pedestrian safety and building unity by celebrating the city’s diverse population.

Citing what he sees as a need for change in the governance of West Chicago, challenger Joseph Sheehan, a doctor and businessman, feels very strongly that the city is not living up to its potential under current leadership. Sheehan’s priorities include resolving the ongoing water bill issues, improving the city’s infrastructure and making the downtown a destination by building an accessible train underpass to boost traffic flow, curtailing nonessential spending, enacting stricter waste management policies and bringing 10 years of free energy to West Chicago residents.

While the challengers’ ideas sound promising in theory, Pineda’s extensive experience, first as a 14-year alderman and then as mayor, gives him the slight edge.