Heyworth has a new mayor— and he wasn’t even on the ballot in the April 1 election.
Incumbent mayor Todd Zalucha decided not to run again for village president of the McLean County village 10 miles south of Bloomington. Village trustee James Lauterberg was the only candidate on the ballot and the presumptive winner.
“I’ve known Jimmy for decades,” mayor-elect Eric Moore said on WGLT's Sound Ideas. “I knew his wife. I’ve coached his kids. Jim’s a good guy. But when I looked at that, I thought, well, he’s the only one on the ballot. That doesn’t sound like choices. And it doesn’t really sound like democracy.”
Moore was born and raised in Heyworth. He spent his young adulthood in a more tropical climate as a scuba and marine science instructor, but moved home to raise his children closer to family. Moore works in innovation at State Farm. He's a deacon at his church, coaches youth sports and serves as a volunteer firefighter for Randolph Township that serves Heyworth.
And on May 1, he’ll be mayor.
“I felt like I ran a really positive campaign,” he said. “There was nothing malicious about it. But it was fun to go and try something new.”
Moore met the deadline to run, but not to be listed on the ballot by name. He’s a political outsider who had no previous aspirations of serving in government. His campaign manager, Joe Harr, didn’t have any experience either. They built a website and social media presence, getting his name out there enough to win by more than 100 votes.
Another write-in candidate, Rob Wholf, registered one vote. Moore said Harr didn’t tell him how slim the odds were of a write-in candidate winning until the election was over.
Hearing from constituents throughout his campaign, Moore said people’s main concern — apart from typical grievances about roads, taxes and schools — was a lack of transparency.
“I don’t think that’s really the case,” he said. “But it’s that relationship with the village, the communication between the two. A lot of those things are already in place. If they’re in place, but people feel like they’re not being directly connected— how can we do that?”
Moore’s background in education and communication might be one way. He envisions leveraging social media, possibly with a weekly “Mayor’s Minute” video and portal to communicate directly with village leadership. But Moore said there’s a lot going right in Heyworth.
“The board members, they’re all making great decisions,” he said. “If really all it is is finding new communication messages and methods to better engage more of the community, I think we can get to that one pretty quickly."
Among Moore's top priorities are bringing more visibility and strategic growth to Heyworth, including attracting new businesses. On the campaign trail, he heard a lot about how much residents value their independent school district.
“As most of the community would say, we don’t want to consolidate if we don’t have to,” said Moore. “In a lot of situations, those other towns that have consolidated, it might not be their first choice. It might just come down to being purely logistical and financial.”
Moore said the school system is a draw to Heyworth that attracts new residents looking for “that small town feel.”
As a newcomer to government, Moore said he has a lot of homework to do, but he’s excited to work with the village board and get things done.
“My level of optimism is through the roof,” he said. “The vast majority of those that are on the board and employed by the village — those are people that I know and people that I’ve had conversations with previously. I think’s going to make that transition a lot easier."
As mayor, Moore won’t vote on measures put before the village board unless a quorum or tiebreaker is needed.
“I can’t go in assuming that this is my way, or this is the way it’s going to be done,” he said. “That resonates with no one. So, going in with an open mind and open arms.”
