NIU alumnus named DeKalb mayor
Q: What inspired you to run for this position?A: I have been known to as the unifier, and I think I can get the people around the table and get some kind of consensus to a particular problem. I couldn’t stay on the sidelines any longer after seeing some of the problems that we have in DeKalb, and so many people have asked me, and at this stage in my life, if I am going to run for mayor — now is the time.Q: What is the most important change that needs to happen in this community?A: I am going to ask the Board of Trustees at NIU to allow me to either sit as an ex-official member or on some committee because the city of DeKalb is so dependent on the success of Northern Illinois University. With the decrease in enrollment at NIU, we are all hurting, and whatever the city can do to access NIU to increase that enrollment is very important. I would also like to work with City Council to learn what some of the problems and some of the promises are in every one of our wards. We have seven wards in this community, and they all have unique problems; I don’t suppose to know all of them in every ward, but I want to work with them to see that we have a better handle on what we can do in every ward.
April 4, 2017
DeKALB | Alumnus Jerry Smith was surrounded by family members and supporters when he was declared the next DeKalb Mayor.
Smith won the election with 47.97 percent of the vote at the time of publication, which totaled 2,362 votes. Former mayoral candidate Misty Haji-Sheikh followed with 946 votes, trailed by mayor John Rey with 942 votes and former mayoral candidate Michael Embrey with 674 votes at the time of publication.
“I’m just as excited as can be over these results tonight, and I’m excited to get going,” Smith said. “I am going to hit the ground running. I’m going to try to get going on the 100 day plan that I had outlined to the voters of DeKalb; it’s still on my website, and we’re going to make some changes in the city.”
Mayor John Rey said he will to continue to serve the community through volunteerism.
“Obviously the voters in their expression today are wanting a change that Jerry Smith and his administration will deliver,” Rey said. “I look forward to working with Jerry very soon and planning the steps for a very smooth transition.”
Smith plans to assist Northern Illinois University by addressing issues such as low enrollment.
“I’m going to reach out to the Board of Trustees, the administration and the student body at Northern Illinois,” Smith said. “I want all the components of the university to know that Jerry Smith, this city council and the city of DeKalb are willing to sit down with whomever and address some of the problems that we have in common.”
