Weisner takes second term in Aurora

Aurora Mayor Tom Weisner rolled to an easy victory Tuesday in his quest for a second term at the helm of the state's second-largest city.

With all votes counted, unofficial totals showed Weisner with 8,379 votes, easily enough to hold off challenges from aldermen Richard Irvin and Stephanie Kifowit who garnered 3,291 and 2,719 votes respectively.

Weisner campaigned hard for a second term promising voters he would continue his focus on reducing crime and developing the city's downtown.

During his first term, Weisner also led the city in implementing several green, eco-friendly initiatives.

"I think we accomplished quite a bit between our drastic decrease in crime throughout the city, the revitalization of our downtown and constant improvements to the quality of life for our residents," Weisner said Tuesday after giving his victory speech to supporters. "It just all came down to the community sensed what we were doing and they appreciated it. That gave us a lot of strength down the stretch."

Despite claiming to "have a lot of work to do," Weisner said he may not make it into his office until Wednesday afternoon.

"I'm going to hang out with and thank my supporters tonight as we celebrate," he said Tuesday. "But we'll get back to work soon enough."

First on his list, he said, will be continuing the study of the impact the national economic crisis has had on Aurora.

"The economy certainly affects Aurora and the decisions we'll be making going forward," he said. "It's going to take a lot of thought and prioritizing before we make those hard decisions in the coming weeks. Either way, we're set to position the city to move forward and make strides.

Irvin will return to his alderman-at-large post and Kifowit to her seat in the Third Ward. Weisner said he hopes they'll all be able to work together again.

"I'm ready to work with anyone who is willing to roll up their sleeves and get to work," Weisner said.

In Aurora's Eighth Ward, incumbent Richard Mervine defeated challenger Jason Minalga 1,024 votes to 258.