Aurora mayoral hopefuls promote connections, solutions, experience, vision

Four candidates running for mayor of Aurora each say they're uniquely qualified to be the top elected official and chief executive of the second-largest city in the state.

The field includes two longtime aldermen, the city's assistant chief of staff and a state representative, all of whom say they have the experience and qualifications to move the city forward.

But voters have two choices to make before the city's first elected mayor emerges since the resignation last fall of 11-year Mayor Tom Weisner, who stepped down before his fourth term was to expire because of health reasons.

First, in a primary election on Tuesday, voters must choose two mayoral hopefuls to advance. They'll select from candidates Linda Chapa LaVia, Michael B. Saville, Richard "Rick" Guzman and Richard C. Irvin and write-ins Thomas V. Benedetto, Daniel N. Hoffman, Jeffrey M. Houghtaling, David James Howard and Eva M. Rodgers.

Then, come April 4, voters will pick their mayor from the two top vote-getters.

It's a choice between connections and long-term solutions, experience and vision, say the four candidates on the printed ballot who are waging a heated campaign.

Chapa LaVia, a 50-year-old small business owner and state representative since 2003, says she's got the connections to deliver the resources Aurora needs.

"I have a very diverse background and knowledge and access to reach beyond the city limits," said Chapa LaVia, a lifelong Auroran and Army veteran. "We need a leader that has the reach - federal on down ... to bring Aurora what it needs."

What the city needs, Chapa LaVia says, is a "reform agenda" of government transparency, ethics, economic development and a plan to create jobs.

She says 125 Aurora businesses are working within her campaign to reshape the city's permitting process and its dealings with businesses. And she says her advocacy already has helped Aurora financially, through state grants such as $8 million for RiverEdge Park and $11 million for the Santori Public Library.

Saville, meanwhile, says his efforts for the past 32 years as an alderman have helped improve downtown and the riverfront, add bicycle connectivity and better control landlords for increased safety.

Saville, a 63-year-old property manager and lifelong Auroran, says he is a careful and attentive listener and a big-picture thinker who has a record of taking action to improve the city.

"I literally have decades of dedication working for the people here in Aurora," said Saville, who represents the city's 6th Ward on the west side. "I listen to people, I find common ground and I work to solve their problems. I don't look for Band-Aid solutions; I look for long-term solutions."

Saville said his idea to create a riverwalk commission in 1986 helped lead to better pedestrian and bicycle connectivity, and his idea to start a crime-free housing program in 2008 has become an example for other communities looking to decrease crime.

His focus as mayor would be on education, public safety, stabilizing older neighborhoods and growing the economy, he says.

Working as assistant chief of staff for five years in former mayor Weisner's office has given Guzman the experience he needs to operate the city on a daily basis, the 39-year-old first-time candidate says.

"I bring the kind of experience in the day-to-day operations that nobody else has," said Guzman, a native of Virginia who has started an Aurora nonprofit called Emmanuel House to help people overcome working-class poverty. "But I also have the ability to bring people together, to bring people along, to include people and to collaborate in a way that the mayor will need to do."

Guzman says he has helped Aurora use state and federal money to fill vacant buildings and accomplish projects. As mayor, he would focus on being inclusive and collaborative to help residents strengthen their community together.

Meanwhile Irvin, the fourth candidate listed on the ballot, offers a formula for prosperity in Aurora that he calls C + E�. It stands for controlling crime, then improving education and economic development.

Irvin, a 46-year-old attorney who has been an alderman at large for 10 years, says his competitors lack the leadership ability to take on the mayor's post.

"What the next leader of Aurora is going to have to do is have vision," said Irvin, a lifelong Auroran. "A visionary has to convince people to follow, and that's what I'm about. I have a plan to excite people to want to get involved in our local government and the city so we can grow to the next level."

Irvin says following the C + E� plan will help the city improve its image away from what he calls its "reputation of gang-banging, drug dealing, drive-by shootings." His plan calls for addressing crime at its root with problem-oriented policing, in which beat cops get to know their neighborhoods and take preventive steps before crimes occur.

Irvin also says the city needs to create an education commission and highlight its resources including the Fox River, transportation and infrastructure to bring more businesses to town.