Three-term Normal Town Council member Kathleen Lorenz won’t seek re-election. That creates a second open seat heading into the April 6 election.
In a Facebook post late Monday, Lorenz said serving on the council has been one of the “great privileges” of her life, and that she'll continue public service from a “different angle.” She said her early vote in support of economic incentives for Rivian was one of her more consequential actions on council. Rivian is now McLean County’s second-largest employer.
Lorenz said she’ll continue her advocacy for changes to Normal’s fire and EMS services as a private citizen. Lorenz has been an ally to the Normal firefighters union, which endorsed her during an unsuccessful campaign for mayor in 2025. The union has clashed with other town leaders on staffing, station locations, and resource needs.
“Looking ahead now, I’m thinking about what I want the next chapter to look like: more travel with my husband, more time visiting our grown children, and of course continuing the work I love at Home Sweet Home Ministries,” Lorenz wrote.
Lorenz has dissented from several council votes in recent years, repeatedly voting against tax and fee increases. Most recently she voted against the long-delayed Uptown underpass project, which ballooned in cost to $42.8 million.
Lorenz, first elected in 2015, challenged incumbent Mayor Chris Koos in the 2025 election. In that race she was accused of breaking campaign-finance laws by accepting money funneled through the McLean County Republican Party. The state elections board later dismissed the complaint.
More recently, Lorenz clashed with town leaders after allegedly yelling and swearing at town workers about town leadership during an incident in June in Uptown. Lorenz disputed the allegation she used profanity and told WGLT her recollection of the events “differs materially” from other accounts.
Lorenz joins Andy Byars as the second current council member not seeking re-election in April. The only other incumbent up for re-election is Karyn Smith.
