Less than a week after surrendering to authorities on alleged felony voter fraud charges on May 27, Waukegan Ald. Sylvia Sims Bolton, 1st Ward, is reconsidering whether to seek reelection next year.
Bolton expressed her doubts toward the end of a City Council meeting on Monday at City Hall in her first public appearance since her indictment became public last week.
“I am reconsidering not running again for reelection, but we will see,” Bolton said. “I want to say thank you to those who have called me, reached out to me, and supported me, and showing their concern.”
Authorities say she cast a vote-by-mail ballot on Feb. 26 in the name of her late mother, Mary Sims, who died on Jan. 12. Bolton said nothing about the pending charges or her mother’s death during her remarks at the meeting. She did speak of “family issues.”
“Not only (do I have) concern on my plate for the city of Waukegan, but I want to make you aware I have to address some family crises and issues that is also a top priority,” Bolton said.
Starting her remarks by calling her nine years on the City Council “one of my greatest honors,” Bolton said her goal is to be a good representative for her constituents and the entire city. She said she plans to keep doing a conscientious job.
“I will continue giving my unwavering support throughout the city and holding my position here and continuing to show my dedication,” she said. “I just wanted to say thank you.”
Should Bolton decide to seek renomination in the February primary and reelection in the April 2027 municipal election, she has five months to make her decision. Lake County Clerk Anthony Vega said Tuesday that she would probably have to start preparing in the next month or two.
Vega said candidates for partisan municipal offices — Waukegan and North Chicago have Democratic and Republican primaries — can start circulating petitions in late July, and must file them in late October or early November. The precise dates are not yet scheduled.
Sims was living in the same home as Bolton when she died. A vote-by-mail ballot was mailed to Sims on Feb. 5. The clerk’s office was notified of Sims’ death on Feb. 12 through the Illinois Department of Public Health through the Illinois State Board of Elections voter registration system.
The ballot was deposited in a box outside the clerk’s office on Feb. 26. It was flagged and separated from the other ballots. On March 27, election officials realized that the death record had been processed before the ballot was returned. It was then confirmed by a Lake County Sheriff’s Office detective.
Bolton’s is next scheduled to appear in Lake County Court at 9 a.m. on July 2 in Waukegan. Lake County State’s Attorney Eric Rinehart said Tuesday it is a status preliminary hearing in which future scheduling will be discussed. Her initial court appearance was on May 27 when she was released on her own recognizance.
Appointed to the council in 2017 by newly elected Mayor Sam Cunningham after he spent 18 years representing the First Ward, Bolton was elected in 2019 and again in 2023.
