Here’s who’s running for DeKalb City Council in the April 4 election

The field of candidates vying for a seat on the DeKalb City Council came into focus Monday as the filing period for candidates seeking to run in the spring election closed.

Of the four wards up for election in the April 4 election – Wards 1, 3, 5 and 7 – two seats will be contested this spring and two will go unopposed.

Third Ward Alderman Tracy Smith, 5th Ward Alderman Scott McAdams and 1st Ward Alderwoman Carolyn Morris filed to retain their seats.

John Hadley, a longtime resident who works in aviation maintenance, Thomas Boken and John Walker, a UPS employee who also runs a tenant advocacy office, are newcomers.

Boken and Walker both filed papers to run in Ward 7. No candidates filed to run against incumbents McAdams, in the 5th Ward, and Morris in the 1st Ward.

Hadley, who is running for Ward 3, said the reason he’s running for City Council is simple.

“Democracy thrives on people and their choices,” Hadley said. “I’m wanting to give the voters a choice.”

Smith, who is seeking reelection in the 3rd Ward, said he’s motivated to run for office again because he has some “unsettled business” to address.

“DeKalb’s in a better place, and I just want to continue moving that forward,” Smith said. “I really plan on running. I think we’ve made a lot of leaps and bounds and we have more to do.”

Smith touted the fact that he is a lifelong DeKalb resident.

“I know a lot of people,” Smith said. “I live in the ward, obviously, where I’m at. I’ve been there all my life, with the exception of a few years. All my brothers and sisters are in town. There’s six of them. … I worked in DeKalb for 30 years at the police department. Prior to that, I was at the sheriff’s office of DeKalb County for five years. So, I’ve been here. I’ve seen the ups and downs throughout DeKalb. So, I think knowing the people who are here is really positive.”

Hadley said he’s campaigning on lower taxes, but is open to opportunities that will allow him to hear more about the top issues facing residents.

“The plan was to open up some type of a meeting and if I have to, go to door-to-door and try to figure out what the people want,” he said.

Hadley acknowledged the pockets of crime and concentrated development that appear to divide DeKalb’s north and south sides and NIU.

“There are certain areas that have more crime and less crime,” he said. “With any population in the world, you’re going to have people who don’t do things correctly or they want to do their own thing and not what the community wishes them to do. … Places that need to be torn down or up to code should be brought up to code to help people. As far as crime and stuff goes, there’s always going to be that element and you’re never going to get rid of it unfortunately. But we can look at that and see what’s going on and say, ‘hey, how do we approach this as a community?’”

Boken did not return a request for comment.