Elgin City Council members Corey Dixon and Rose Martinez say they’ll be candidates for mayor in the city’s next’s municipal election.
Both made their plans known over the Fourth of July weekend. Incumbent Mayor Dave Kaptain previously announced he would not be seeking another term.
Dixon’s plan was unveiled July 3 in a social media video in which he invited supporters to march with him in the city’s holiday parade. Martinez’s was revealed when she and her backers marched in the parade with a banner announcing her candidacy.
Candidates can start circulating nominating petitions on July 28, which must be filed between Oct. 19 and 26 in order to be on the April 6, 2027, election ballot.
In that election, the council seats currently held by Martinez, Anthony Ortiz, Tish Powell and John Steffen are up for reelection. The latter three confirmed they will be seeking new four-year terms.
Steffen, who will be a six-term councilman if reelected, said he believes “there’s a lot of stuff that is left to be done,” especially “with the federal level going off the rails,” he said. It will take years to clean up “this mess” on the local level, he said.
He declined to endorse either of the two announced mayoral candidates or anyone else who might make a bid for the seat.
“My belief is it’s for the residents to do their research and see who is the best fit,” Steffen said.
With Martinez’s term is ending, she will be off the council if she loses her mayoral bid. Dixon’s current term ends in 2029.
While she was not available for comment, Dixon said his reason for seeking the job — it will be his second consecutive attempt — was simple.
“Because I love Elgin,” he said. “This is the city that raised me. It is where I learned the value of hard work, service, faith, family and community. It is also where my wife, Janelle, and I are raising our three daughters. Every decision about the future of Elgin is personal to me because this is not just where I serve. This is home.”
An important lesson from his first mayoral campaign has stayed with him as he embarks on the campaign trail, Dixon said.
“I learned that people want to be heard, not talked at. They want leadership that shows up in their neighborhoods, listens to their concerns and provides real plans, not just slogans,” he said.
The main issues facing the city are affordability, public safety, economic development downtown and throughout the city, neighborhood investment, homelessness, sustainability, ICE enforcement and trust in government, he said.
“Affordability is about more than rent or a mortgage. It includes property taxes, utility costs and whether families, seniors and working people can still afford to live a full life after paying their bills,” Dixon said.
“We also need stronger economic development, especially downtown. I am tired of watching surrounding communities lure our residents away with retail, restaurants and entertainment options that we can and should have right here in Elgin,” he said.
Dixon has been involved in the city for nearly 15 years, starting as a volunteer with the Elgin Image Advisory Commission and later becoming a member of the Planning and Zoning Commission. He was elected to the council in 2017.
He’s built relationships in the city that helped push conversations around housing, economic development, equality, community infrastructure, and public safety, he said.
“I am proud that I have tried to serve in a way that keeps people at the center of the work,” Dixon said.
Martinez’s website says her vision for Elgin is safe neighborhoods, economic growth, fiscal responsibility and transparent government.
She is a U.S. Army veteran who reached the rank of sergeant and completed three overseas deployments. She’s also a member of the American Legion Post 57 and VFW Post 1307 and serves on the American Legion’s Honor and Color Guard.
After her military career ended, she worked at the U.S. Postal Service for 31 years and then as a School District U-46 school bus driver for six years before retiring.
“Her experience working directly with residents has given her a deep understanding of the need and priorities of Elgin families, seniors, veterans and local businesses,” her website said.
She is currently serving her third term on the council, where her website says she “has been a strong advocate for public safety, fiscal responsibility, economic development, and transparent government.”
Gloria Casas is a freelance reporter for The (Elgin) Courier-News.
