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player ready...Naperville Mayor Steve Chirico won’t be seeking reelection to a third term in 2023.
Chirico’s surprise announcement was made Monday morning but is something he’s been thinking about since midway through his second term, he said.
“I liked being mayor. I felt like I was really being part of something, contributing to the community,” he said. “I really set out to do a number of things, partly financial. … I feel like I’ve checked all the boxes.”
In his statement, Chirico, 62, said he was proud of his accomplishments.
“I’m proud to have worked with hundreds of people — my colleagues on the council, city staff, community leaders, residents and businesspeople — to make significant strides that will leave our community in good standing for years to come,” he said.
“That includes implementing one of the lowest property tax rates in the last 50 years, rebuilding our cash reserves and lowering our debt, balancing our budget, and focusing on putting dollars towards infrastructure projects, which saves money in the long run instead of fixing costly breaks.”
But he acknowledged the job could also “be a grind,” especially during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, when businesses took a hit during the shutdown and recovery and residents were divided over how the city should proceed with reopening and mask usage, Chirico said.
“Not just me but all mayors were going through this,” he said.
The city also faced some difficult issues, including George Floyd protests, one of which turned into a violent attack on downtown Naperville; several situations involving racial incidents; and a social media storm involving the proposed appointment of two people to city commissions.
What he’ll miss are the “victories,” like luring a new business to town or bringing in a new development, he said.
“It’s really fun to be able to acknowledge when you have one of those successes, like filling one of those empty buildings,” he said.
During his tenure, the successes included the construction of a second Costco store, two Amazon Fresh stores, the Mall of India, the Patel Brothers grocery store, the Urban Air and Trampoline Park, Solemn Oath Brewing, 2 Fools Cider and the huge Central Park Place residential/commercial development downtown.
The decision to make his election announcement now was intentional, Chirico said. He wants to give those who might run time to put campaigns together before having to final nominating petitions, he said.
Although he’s aware of a few people who might be interested in running, he declined to offer any names.
A Naperville native and Naperville Central High School graduate, Chirico served one term as a Naperville City Council member before being elected to succeed longtime Mayor George Pradel in 2015.
He’s the founder of Great Western Flooring, with locations in Naperville and St. Charles, which is now run by his daughters. While he won’t be returning to running the business on a day-to-day basis, he does plan on being involved in its expansion, including a new store that’s to be built in Geneva, he said.
He also plans to spend more time with his wife, Julie, and their seven children and seven grandchildren, with an eighth on the way, Chirico said.
Having to take time away from family for his government responsibilities has been hard, he said. “No doubt about it,” he said.
He has no plans to seek any other political office, Chirico said. Local government is where you can get things done; he’d find higher office too frustrating and partisan, he said.
Chirico is a Republican but made headlines in 2016 when he refused to endorse Donald Trump for president and four years later backed Joe Biden over Trump. He said he’s not sure he could win a Republican primary for that reason.
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At the city level, these things are not issues, Chirico said. “We can get things done,” he said.