Schielke seeks 9th term as Batavia mayor

Batavia Mayor Jeff Schielke is going for four more years in office.

If elected, it would be his ninth term as the city’s leader. He has held the office since 1981.

“I don’t like to leave things in the middle, and we started the streetscape program and I would really like to see that through,” Schielke said Monday night.

He compared it in importance to the building of the Riverwalk in the 1990s. “If you are a leader and you start those kind of things, you should attempt to see them through,” he said.

Schielke, 63, is the longest-serving mayor or village president in Kane County.

He is the former chairman of the Metropolitan Mayors Caucus of Chicago, helped start the Metro West Council of Governments, and was once considered for appointment as chairman of the Regional Transportation Agency.

Schielke grew up in Batavia, the son of a shopkeeper. He is a real estate agent but started his career as a newspaper journalist.

Schielke has been a volunteer firefighter. He has also written books on the history of Batavia.

Candidates for mayor have until Dec. 26 to collect signatures on a petition to be placed on the ballot. Petitions must be filed with the city clerk between Dec. 17 and Dec. 26.