May 3, 2021
Galesburg Mayor-elect Peter Schwartzman says he intends to appoint Jaclyn Smith Esters as his replacement on the City Council.
Schwartzman says he’s recommending Smith-Esters for the last two years of his term as Ward 5 Councilmember in a letter addressed to the City Council included in Monday’s meeting packet.
Smith-Esters was the first candidate to announce a run in the Galesburg 2021 Mayoral race but dropped out before Election Day.
She was going into Election Day as a write-in candidate, but then dropped out and endorsed Schwartzman. Smith-Esters explained to WGIL at the time, she feared her candidacy would pull votes from Schwartzman, and cause John Pritchard to be re-elected.
Election Roundup: Signs stolen, Galesburg misspelled in mailer
Election sign thefts
Tuesday, Galesburg Police released a notice of multiple reports of stolen election signs. They noted that this is a theft punishable by a maximum of one year in jail and a $2,500 fine.
Police Chief Russ Idle was quoted saying that anyone caught stealing election signs will be arrested.
The thefts have impacted at least one mayoral candidate personally.
Mayoral candidate Peter Schwartzman took to Facebook Tuesday night saying that his signs started disappearing from his own yard Monday night.
“I am pretty confident that I will be able to find out who did this on video. It is so ridiculous that someone is so callous to remove yard signs,” he said. “As the police chief made clear in a press release today, people engaging in this type of activity will be prosecuted and jail time is a potential outcome.”
Smith-Esters drops out of mayoral race, endorses Schwartzman wgil.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from wgil.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Jaclyn Smith-Esters: Create city task force to reimagine public safety
Jaclyn Smith-Esters, What can be done to make Galesburg safer?
According to city-data.com, Galesburg’s crime rate in 2019 was 358, which is 1.3 times higher than the national average. Under its current leadership, the crime rate rose 99% compared to 2017. In 2021 we have seen four violent deaths among other crimes. We are clearly in a public health crisis because we need to tend to our community’s health and that includes safety. A mayor s number one concern should be the condition of the population. The public looks at safety as a policing problem, however, actually it is a law enforcement and community problem. You cannot medicate a problem without first having a diagnosis, which requires an overarching plan.
galesburg.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from galesburg.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.