Richard C. Irvin

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Richard Irvin
Mayor of Aurora
Assumed office
May 9, 2017
Preceded byBob O'Connor
Personal details
Born (1970-03-29) March 29, 1970 (age 51)
Aurora, Illinois, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
EducationRobert Morris College (BA)
Northern Illinois University (JD)

Richard C. Irvin (born March 29, 1970)[1] is a Republican politician, the first African-American mayor of Aurora, Illinois.[2][3]

Biography[]

Irvin was born and raised in Aurora, Illinois, the son of a single mom.[4] He is a graduate of East Aurora High School.[4] After high school, he enlisted in the U.S. Army and served in the Gulf War.[4] Irvin graduated with a B.A. from Robert Morris College and in 1998, he received a J.D. from the Northern Illinois University College of Law.[4] He served as a substitute teacher in the East Aurora School District and as an adjunct professor at Robert Morris College and Northern Illinois University.[4]

After graduating from law school, Irvin served as an assistant state's attorney for the Cook County State's Attorney's office and the Kane County State's Attorney's office.[5] In 2001, Irvin was named Aurora's first community prosecutor, an alternative law enforcement strategy designed to improve police relationships with residents and develop solutions to drugs, prostitution, and other quality of life crimes.[6] As community prosecutor, Irvin joined the U.S. Department of Justice's “Weed and Seed” program, which aimed to both aggressively combat crime in specified areas, but also provide redevelopment and social services.[7] Irvin also successfully pressured the owners of Woodlands Apartments, an apartment complex notorious for violent crimes, drug sales, and prostitution, to improve security of the complex or be shut down. A year after Irvin's intervention, residents said the complex was "pretty much cleaned up."[8] Irvin was removed as community prosecutor in late 2002 and he resigned from the Kane County State's Attorney's office in 2003 to open his own law office.[9]

Political campaigns[]

In 2003, Irvin announced he would run for Mayor of Aurora after incumbent mayor David Stover announced that he would not seek a third term.[10] While the race was officially non-partisan, Irvin was supported by prominent Republican politicians and conservative organizations, and his opponent Tom Weisner had the support of Democratic politicians, including then-Senator Barack Obama.[11] In April, 2005, Weisner defeated Irvin with 59 percent of the vote.[12]

In 2007, he won election as Alderman At-Large on the Aurora City Council, the first African American elected to the position.[4]

In 2008, Irvin announced he would run for mayor again and challenge Weisner.[13] Irvin criticized Weisner for enacting tax increases during his first term, including a 7.5 percent property tax increase, and pledged to roll back property taxes if elected mayor.[14] In April 2009, Weisner defeated Irvin with 8,379 votes to Irvin's 3,291.[15]

On April 4, 2017, he won election as the 59th mayor of Aurora, narrowly defeating Richard "Rick" Guzman, assistant chief of staff in the mayor's office, by 7,574 votes to Guzman's 7,404.[16] He was sworn in on May 9, 2017, as its first African-American mayor.[4][16]

On April 6, 2021, Irvin won reelection to another four-year term[4] defeating Alderman Judd Lofchie and union carpenter John Laesch with over 55% of the vote.[17][18]

On January 17, 2022, Irvin announced that he would seek the Republican nomination for Governor of Illinois in the 2022 Illinois gubernatorial election. His running mate is Illinois State Representative Avery Bourne.[19]

References[]

  1. ^ "City of Aurora, IL, Government - Happy 49th Birthday, Mayor Richard C. Irvin! #MayorOnTheMove | Facebook". www.facebook.com. Retrieved December 26, 2021.
  2. ^ Rosca, Emily (December 16, 2021). "Aurora Mayor Strongly Considering Run for IL Governor: Reports". Aurora Patch. Retrieved January 13, 2022. If the Republican candidate declares, he could be up against several other GOP candidates challenging Democratic Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker.
  3. ^ Miller, Rich (June 9, 2011). "The Family Business". Capitol Fax. Retrieved January 13, 2022. Aurora Alderman-At-Large, Richard Irvin, announced that he will form an exploratory committee to consider a bid for the Republican nomination for U.S. Congress
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h "Mayor Richard C. Irvin ('98) Re-Elected in Aurora, IL". Northern Illinois University College of Law Bulletin. April 30, 2021.
  5. ^ "Mayor Richard C. Irvin | Aurora, IL". www.aurora-il.org. Retrieved 2021-12-26.
  6. ^ Mowatt, Raoul (June 6, 2001). "Kane County brings prosecutor to people". Chicago Tribune.
  7. ^ Dardick, Hal (April 22, 2002). "Aurora joins federal anti-drug program". Chicago Tribune.
  8. ^ "Complex cleans up crime". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2021-12-26.
  9. ^ "Irvin quits post with Kane state attorney". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2021-12-26.
  10. ^ Dardick, Hal (July 8, 2003). "Ex-Kane County prosecutor running for Mayor in Aurora". Chicago Tribune.
  11. ^ "Aurora's mayoral rivals say it's not about party politics". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2021-12-26.
  12. ^ "Weisner a winner in Aurora". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2021-12-26.
  13. ^ "2 challenge Aurora's mayor for re-election". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2021-12-26.
  14. ^ Kmitch, Justin (March 13, 2009). "Aurora candidates wrangle over taxes, crime". Chicago Daily Herald.
  15. ^ Kmitch, Justin (2009-04-08). "Weisner takes second term in Aurora". Daily Herald. Retrieved 2021-12-26.
  16. ^ a b Wilson, Marie (April 4, 2017). "Irvin claims Aurora mayoral race". The Daily Herald.
  17. ^ Addy, Jason (April 6, 2021). "'Let's Continue Moving Aurora Forward': Mayor Irvin Wins 2nd Term". patch.com.
  18. ^ "April 6 Mayor, Village President Election Results — Irvin Wins Aurora, Burns in Geneva, Vitec in STC". kanecountyconnects.com. April 6, 2021.
  19. ^ Wall, Craig (January 17, 2022). "IL governor race: Aurora Mayor Richard Irvin announces run with Avery Bourne as running mate". ABC 7 Chicago. ABC 7 Chicago. Retrieved January 19, 2022.
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