St. Charles Mayoral Candidates Sound Off On Priorities

ST. CHARLES, IL — Two candidates are running for the St. Charles mayoral seat in this spring's local election.

Mayor Lora Vitek faces challenger Clint Hull, a retired judge and former president of the St. Charles Park District Board, in this spring's mayoral race in St. Charles. Voters in Kane County will head to the polls on April 1 to make their picks in this year's local election, which features village board, township board, school board and mayoral races.

• St. Charles Mayoral Race: Lora Vitek Candidate Questionnaire
• St. Charles Mayoral Race: Clint Hull Candidate Questionnaire

In his response to a candidate questionnaire sent by Patch in recent weeks, Hull said the most pressing issues facing the St. Charles community are infrastructure upgrades, economic redevelopment and energy sustainability.

He said focusing on infrastructure upgrades would address "the critical need for replacing lead water service lines."

"I will seek additional funding through grants while prioritizing and scheduling other necessary improvements to our water, sewer, and road systems," Hull said.

The redevelopment of the Charlestowne Mall and the old police station site would also be a priority for Hull if he is elected to mayor.

"I will work collaboratively with developers, surrounding cities and stakeholders to craft viable and innovative plans that meet community needs and stimulate economic vitality," he said.

Vitek, who was first elected as mayor in 2021, said addressing infrastructure issues, lead service lines and economic issues and costs topped her list as priorities for the city if she was re-elected as mayor.

"We have reduced debt by $20 million in my four years (as mayor) to help weather these issues. We will continue to prioritize projects. Growing our community to offset this burden helps tremendously too," she said. "We have brought in some new diverse developments and will continue to partner to bring additional ones that our residents and visitors are excited about."