Curtis overwhelms Walters, gains 2nd term

KANKAKEE – There will be no moving truck needed at the Kankakee mayor’s office.

First-term Mayor Chris Curtis overwhelmed his challenger, former Kankakee schools Superintendent Genevra Walters, in Tuesday’s mayoral race to claim his second four-year term.

The new term will officially begin at the council’s May 5 meeting, but there will be little fanfare as Curtis will simply carry on with the direction he has been helping take the city.

Curtis, a Republican, collected nearly 69% of the vote, turning back Walters, who served 10 years as school superintendent before retiring from that position at the end of the 2023-24 school year.

“Sixty-eight percent is a statement,” Curtis said shortly after addressing campaign supporters at a party at the Knights of Columbus hall. “People like what we are doing.”

During a victory speech in which Curtis had to pause to fight back tears as he attempted to thank his family for their support and work on the campaign trail, he said his victory was simply a team effort.

He thanked Kankakee City Council members for working together. He thanked city employees for doing good work. He thanked Police Chief Chris Kidwell and Fire Chief Bryan LaRoche for their dedication to improving public safety.

What the 2,252-1,041 vote states, Curtis said, is that residents are largely in agreement with the direction the city is moving in.

“This validates not only me, but all the city employees,” he said.

The vote states, he said, that the residents simply did not believe there is a need for change.

“Kankakee is a city rising,” he said.

Curtis’ win was across the board. He collected more votes in early voting, 696-435; absentee voting, 237-123; and election day voting, 1,319-483.

The mayor said these votes indicate the city is heading in a direction the residents want.

“We are going to double what we did the past four years,” he said. “What I want people to say is ‘I’m from Kankakee.‘”

If people step forward with that simple statement, he said, that means they are proud of their home and like what is taking place in their home.

While his vote percentage was strong, Curtis said it was due to hard work from a dedicated group of supporters who knocked on doors to spread the word.

“We worked our butts off,” Curtis said to supporters.

The mayor said he was encouraged throughout the campaign. He said throughout the city, he and his team heard positive feedback from residents.