Geneva Mayor To Face Familiar Challenger In 2021 Election

GENEVA, IL — The race for the Geneva mayor’s office will feature a rematch from four years ago, with Mayor Kevin Burns set to face another challenge from Tom Simonian, the Kane County Chronicle reports.

Simonian, who served as the Fifth Ward’s alderman from 2013-2017, lost to Burns by a wide margin in the previous mayoral election. Burns earned 3,921 votes (61 percent) to Simonian’s 2,418 votes (37.7 percent) in the April 2017 election.

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Simonian also unsuccessfully ran to regain his seat on the Geneva City Council in 2019, picking up 237 votes (37.6 percent) to now-Fifth Ward Alderman Craig Maladra’s 387 votes (61.4 percent).

Burns is seeking a sixth term as Geneva mayor, having first been elected to the office in 2001.

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Burns and Simonian clashed during the 2017 campaign over the city’s budget and its “places for eating” tax, while Simonian also called out Burns for spending too much time on ribbon-cuttings and other ceremonial duties.

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