Mayor Chris Koos of Normal has won a 6th full term in office, defeating challengers Kathleen Lorenz and Chemberly Harris. Though both those candidates have been on the town council for years, they called for change. Koos has been mayor since 2003.
“I think the takeaway is I had a great campaign team. We did what I call a classic campaign. We did it right and built broad support in the community. I was worried because it was a three-way race, and it’s very hard to predict what’s going to come of that,” Koos told WGLT after the result became clear.
He won with nearly 46% of the vote. Lorenz gathered just over 40%, and Chemberly Harris had less than 14%. Koos garnered 3,914 votes, 470 votes more than Lorenz, though some mail-in ballots may remain to be counted.
“We’ve been on the right track. We’re going to continue on the right track. There’s a lot to happen for the Town of Normal. There’s a lot we have to deal with in the Town of Normal that’s coming out of Washington, D.C., that’s going to make it challenging, but this is the right group of people to get it done,” said Koos as he thanked supporters at Medici in Uptown.
Lorenz, in particular, waged a well-funded and active campaign, though questions arose a few days before the election whether she had violated state election law by accepting $28,000 from a donor who concealed their identity and potentially circumvented giving limits by passing the money through the McLean County Republican Party. Lorenz admitted the plan in comments to WGLT.
“I do have to say some of the things that happened in the last week changed some of the dynamics of the race in terms of the issue of financing. That definitely had an effect on this race,” said Koos.
Koos said he will not file a complaint with the State Board of Elections. No one had filed a complaint as of Tuesday afternoon.
“A complaint should be filed. I’m pretty sure somebody is doing that. It needs to have, as they say, some transparency and understanding of what really happened and how that happens in the scope of what state law is on elections,” said Koos.
Kathleen Lorenz
Lorenz told supporters she came close and ran a great campaign.
“We threw everything at it. We left it all out on the field. We had great graphic designs. We threw the positive at it, and the kitchen sink,” said Lorenz.
She said she has no regrets. She said she had once posed a question to her daughter, “When you are thinking about doing something, what would you do if you were not afraid?” Lorenz said that came back to her as she considered whether to run.
She thanked those who voted for her.
“I hear you. I hear your frustrations. I will be a voice for them,” said Lorenz. “I am going to wake up tomorrow and I’m still Kathleen and I am still on the council for two more years.”
She said she remains passionate about her issues.
“Trying to find tax breaks where we can and make things more affordable for our residents and make things more business friendly, fight for affordable and accessible housing, fight for accountability and transparency around the funding for mental health,” said Lorenz.
She commended Chemberly Harris on a well-run race and congratulated Mayor Koos, though Lorenz also said even the week before the campaign finance stories broke, his campaign had lowered the tone with a social media campaign.
“Down the stretch my opponent went low and gave me a gut punch. I learned a lot about myself and the people who are my supporters, and I’m grateful for that lived experience,” said Lorenz.
Some social media ads portrayed Lorenz wearing a MAGA hat and tried to paint her as a right-wing candidate, a perception she possibly stoked by accepting contributions from donors that the county Republican Party passed along.
Chemberly Harris
Chemberly Harris faced an uphill battle, keeping a relatively low profile compared to the other challenger. Harris relied on small donations. She failed to earn a single endorsement.
“I don’t take orders from people, and I don’t let ego drive me,” she said. “For whatever reason, I was supposed to do this race. My job is done.”
Harris unsuccessfully ran against Dan Brady for the Illinois House of Representatives in 2020. She was elected to the town council in 2017, creating a youth advisory council to engage high school students in local government. Harris would have been Normal’s first Black mayor, had she won. She gave up her council seat to run for mayor, something she said wasn’t hard, but her future in politics is unclear at this point.
“I’m a woman of faith first,” she said. “My steps are ordered by God. Whatever I do is what he wants me to do—maybe in politics, maybe not. But I’ve never sat in the corner of any community. I’ve always fought the good fight, and I’ll continue to do so.”
Harris had focused on enhancing community engagement, and six principles (an acronym) called THRIVE, which stands for technology, housing, reimagine cultural diversity, intentional community engagement, vibrant community development, and economic development.
“No regrets,” she said. “Our world could use someone who’s pushing for us to be together and no longer divided. That’s going to be my mission."
Transparency
During the campaign, both Harris and Lorenz emphasized the values of transparency and taking opposition viewpoints into considerations. This is not the first election cycle in which an opponent has used that issue against Koos.
WGLT asked Koos why he thinks that critique is still being leveled. He said it was difficult for him to answer, though he does wait until issues are ripe before moving forward. He says he thinks he is transparent and open.
“I do take things and look at them in terms of talking about them publicly when there is something to talk about publicly and not just a concept or a vacuous idea,” said Koos. “Once things start to gel, then I have to talk about it to get community buy-in, and that has been my approach always.”
Looming issues
Koos said he looks forward to returning to work on the issues of the day, including the underpass, the housing shortage, and uncertainty at the federal level.
"It's going to be some tough times ahead, very tough times in terms of what's going to happen to communities, whether that is transportation and public works infrastructure. The problem is two-sided. It appears there will be a lot less tax dollars coming back to our community, and what is also happening is there is going to be a lack of talent to administer those dollars at the federal level," said Koos.
Koos said the underpass in Uptown will happen, though the precise shape of the project remains unclear.
He said the economic forces creating the housing shortage are difficult to address and may require flexibility from citizens.
"In terms of the local community I think they're going to have to be a little bit more open as to what happens in housing in our community," said Koos.
Historical context
At 22 years in office before this year’s election, Koos was already the longest serving mayor of the town of Normal, though he would have a long way to go to set a state record.
The current mayors of Chicago suburban Batavia and Palos Hills took office 44 years ago. And Robert Butler had served 54 years as mayor of Marion in southern Illinois when he retired in 2018.
An incumbent mayor of Normal has not lost a race since 1968 when Charles Spear was defeated by Charles Baugh in a three-way race that included Hal Riss Jr.
