Four take oath in Elgin as Rauschenberger bids goodbye to city council
The Elgin City Council welcomed its newest member Wednesday while saying goodbye to another.
Diana Alfaro took the oath of office for her first term after being the top vote-getter in a field of eight candidates in the April election.
It was Alfaro’s second effort to join the council after falling short two years ago. She said her then 11-year-old nephew encouraged her to run again.
“It was very emotional, especially seeing my nephew Jordan (in the audience from the dais). Because when I lost two years ago, he called me on election night when I lost,” she said. “He asked if I would run again, and I said I didn’t know. And he’s like, ‘Yeah, you are, and this is what we could do better.’”
Two years later, the now 13-year-old was by her side the whole campaign.
“(He) religiously door knocked with me, and most people thought he was my son,” she said.
Alfaro was joined in the swearing-in ceremony by reelected council members Corey Dixon, Dustin Good and Steve Thoren.
Dixon, who was elected for a third term, commended everyone on the dais for their commitment and said that even though they don’t all agree on everything, it’s best that they don’t because of the value of the ensuing public conversations.
“For everyone that’s up here, it is a love of service that brings us here, and we all want to do the best for this community,” he said. “No matter how we may decide on the issues, we all want to see our community move forward.”
Good said when he joined the council four years ago he assumed he was going to find “a bunch of weird things” or some sort of malfeasance going on behind the scenes.
“Ultimately, even with my eyes on it and some of my colleagues who have very sharp eyes for these things, we consistently come back around to the fact that we’ve got a really great team here in Elgin,” he said.
Thoren was given the oath of office by Judge Keith Brown, with whom he said he has been friends for over 50 years.
“I was so proud four years ago when I sat up here for the first time, but I’m even more proud to be reelected after decisions I’ve made for all of you,” he said.
After 12 years on the council, Carol Rauschenberger, a staunch advocate for sustainability, downtown and the arts, decided not to run for reelection. She thanked the citizens of Elgin for putting their trust in her to represent them.
“I did not take that trust lightly and want you to know that I always had the future of Elgin in mind and the future of our children in weighing options,” she said. “A decision made today almost always has consequences 10 to 20 to 50 years in the future, or forever.”