7 Candidates Vie Joliet City Council Seats: 2025 Election

JOLIET — Tuesday's municipal elections will send Joliet's voters to the polls to determine their three at-large representatives on the Joliet City Council for the next four years. Five-term incumbent Jan Quillman and one-term incumbent Joe Clement are seeking re-election, while Joliet Mayor Terry D'Arcy has been encouraging the voters to vote for a challenger, Damon Zdunich.

In addition to D'Arcy, Will County's longest serving State's Attorney, Jim Glasgow, has come out and made a public endorsement for Zdunich. "Joliet City Council candidate Damon Zdunich's stand on safer streets and community policing gets the endorsement of Will County State's Attorney Jim Glasgow," Zdunich shared on his Facebook page.

The Council seat held by Cesar Guerrero is up for grabs because Guerrero chose not to seek re-election to city offices. Instead, his name is on the ballot for the Joliet Township Supervisor position.

In addition to Quillman, Clement and Zdunich, the two other candidates on the ballot are Juan Moreno and Glenda Wright McCullum. Two Joliet residents also have launched write-in candidacies, Jim Lanham and Larry Crawford.

In the 2021 municipal elections four years ago, Quillman and Clement garnered the most votes out of the 12 candidates seeking the three open seats on the Council.

According to his candidate profile for Joliet City Council, Clement went to Coal City High School and the Police Training Institute at the University of Illinois. He retired as a Joliet Police Officer after 27 1⁄2 years on the job.

"The voters of Joliet have already established that they trust me to make decisions on their behalf and manage their tax dollars responsibly by electing me as a Commissioner of the Joliet Park District. I will be no less diligent in maintaining that trust as a Joliet City Council member," Clement informed Joliet Patch when he ran for Joliet City Council in 2021. "Don’t spend more that you generate in revenue so that you don’t leave a legacy of debt for your children and grandchildren to pay. This is currently the shameful legacy that exists in the State of Illinois government, Cook County government and the City of Chicago government. They have jeopardized the economy of Illinois and Joliet through their irresponsibility and I will not support any such irresponsible spending in Joliet government."

As for Quillman, she has served on the Joliet City Council since 2005.

"My past record has shown that I will make decisions on facts while remaining fair to all residents. I have also made myself accessible and will continue to put the citizens of Joliet first. As a taxpayer, I want to keep our taxes as low as possible while making sure that every penny is spent wisely. I voted NO to recently passed tax increases and I also voted NO for the $6.5 Million dollar bond for the remodeling of the downtown library," Quillman told Joliet Patch when she won her re-election in 2021. "I believe in the time I have served most residents have come to know me. They know they can trust in my integrity, compassion and commitment. They also know I am very accessible and responsive and will always stand with them until we solve any problem or issue they are facing. If you would like to speak to me please call 815-726-7071."

On March 20, Joliet Patch reported that a new video clip posted on the Zdunich 4 Joliet Facebook Page contains video showing Joliet Mayor Terry D'Arcy making his endorsement.

"Hi, I'm Terry D'Arcy. I'm endorsing Damon Zdunich for your City Council at-large that's coming up. Damon is a fourth generation Jolietan. He's a 28-year Navy veteran and he's an accountant, and he has a love for Joliet. He's a businessman. We need Damon Zdunich on our City Council. "I endorse and I will vote for Damon Zdunich City Council at large."

According to the Damon Zdunich campaign website, "I am the 4th generation of my large Croatian family to call Joliet home. My mother and father’s families and their mother’s and father’s families fed, clothed, housed and educated their children on steel mill wages. I am fortunate, and blessed to learn from those unselfish immigrants the value of individual education and hard work; and collective social responsibility and community pride. I am a candidate for at-large Joliet City Council seat for three sound reasons: First, to add an expert in budgets, revenue, and finance to the city council. Second, to facilitate the growth and prosperity of our job-creating local business community. Third, to sensibly balance the interests of industrial development with the quality of life of Joliet residents."

As for Juan Moreno, his candidacy for Joliet City Council is strongly backed by numerous building trades and labor unions. Roughly 20 trade unions and labor groups are urging the Joliet citizens to vote for Moreno as well as Quillman and Clement.

According to Moreno's Facebook candidate's page, "I am excited to announce my candidacy for Joliet City Council at Large. I’ve been a dedicated worker throughout my career, gaining valuable experience as a former business owner and currently as a union worker. Alongside my career, I have also volunteered with various nonprofits in our community, supporting local small business owners and serving where needed. As a father of four, I understand the challenges families face and am committed to improving our community.

"I am running for city council because I believe our community deserves a representative who truly understands the value of hard work and the challenges faced by working families and small businesses. I am committed to addressing critical issues such as public safety, boosting our local economy, and advocating for fiscal responsibility to ensure that our city’s resources are managed wisely and effectively. Additionally, I will fight to bring more union jobs to our city, creating opportunities for secure, well-paying employment that can sustain working families."

As for McCullum, she also ran for City Council four years ago, finishing seventh of the 12 candidates on the ballot. "As a life-long resident of the city of Joliet, and being in public service for over 30 years, I am well aware of the many accomplishments that have produced major advancements for our city. These achievements have given Joliet the prowess of being the 4th largest city in the Midwest, with momentum toward becoming the 3rd largest city. Contrary to the other candidates, my focus is to forge community alliances and unify for the common goal of continued advancement," McCullum informed Joliet Patch when she ran for office in 2021. "Joliet has at least 4 connecting components to make it a whole city; the north side, south side, east side and west side. When any component is lacking developmentally, socially, economically, culturally, etc., the whole city becomes infected. I will work hard to promote development on the southeast side of the city that's comparable with the developments in other parts of the city; thereby, strengthening the WHOLE city."