Tyler Thompson eyes role as La Salle mayor, shares his goals

La Salle resident Tyler Thompson will be running for mayor in 2025, saying he wants to help residents.

“I want to not only work to improve my home city of La Salle if elected as mayor,” he said, “but to also inspire those aged 18 to 25 to become engaged in the community in the hopes of a revitalization to the city.”

Thompson will challenge incumbent Jeff Grove for the mayor’s seat in the April election. Thompson and Grove will be joined by candidates Jamie Hicks and Gary Hammers on the ballot. An announcement article was published Jan. 8 for Hammers and Nov. 18 for Hicks.

Thompson, 26, was born and raised a La Salle resident and has had an interest in politics and running for office since high school.

“The mayor position has been lacking any competition for a few terms now, and I fear compliance and ego could start to become a serious issue for the city going forward,” he said. “I’m hoping I or my fellow candidates can remedy this before any problems are formed.

“La Salle is in need of some serious love, care and improvements if the city is going to excel, let alone compete with surrounding cities. We need to get our basic systems – utilities, infrastructure, sanitation, etc. – repaired and updated. Our air and water should be clean, roads maintained, power grid ready for anything, and the city be clean and safe.”

Thompson said that if elected, he will dive deep into any and all possible ways to bring financial support to the city to get its basic systems to a higher standard. He added that the city can’t have temporary fixes to these amenities but requires long-term plans of preventive measures and corrective maintenance for long-term solutions.

“The ideas I want to lead with for the future of our city cover topics such as solar, beautification and community outreach,” he said. “The city itself should acquire solar panels and utilize them on city-owned buildings and properties. We should be making this move to not only cut the city’s own power expenses, but use this to show their effectiveness to our local businesses and homeowners.”

Thompson said he would like to focus on the beautification of La Salle, with a heavy focus on the community by giving local artists, schools, groups and individuals opportunities for public art displays and adding creativity to existing infrastructure.

“A few things we can work with the public on are tree-planting programs and support for modern victory gardens to build self-sufficiency and a larger farmers market culture in La Salle,” he said.

He said expanding current parks with the addition of benches, public trash cans and stormwater gardens where possible are only a few examples of where the city could assist in beautifying the community.

Thompson said transparency is a concern that needs to be addressed, and more ways for the public to communicate to their government need to be established, even if it’s something as simple as livestreaming meetings to allow people to interact and ask questions if they can’t make it in person. The city currently livestreams its meetings.

Thompson said he also will be working to create more donation drives and projects to help and build relations with as many people within the community as possible.

He said he will focus on economic development, as he believes the city is in desperate need of economic development, and he believes reviewing the current administration’s methods of outreach is in order.

“Working with cities in our county and surrounding ones on how they perform in this field will be a strong focus going forward,” Thompson said. “I’m building my policies with the idea in mind that if it costs the taxpayer it should give worthwhile benefits, whether it be in the short term or long term.”

Thompson said that if he is elected, the voices of the people will be heard, the systems that work will be maintained and improved upon, and the city will be streamlined as much as possible. Transparency and accountability will be core ideals, he said.

Thompson said his most lofty idea involves the unincorporated communities surrounding the city by means of unification.

“If elected mayor, I will offer the opportunity to the unincorporated communities surrounding La Salle, if they so choose, to reach out and discuss the matter to unify as one city,” he said.

Thompson said the process is unorthodox and rare, but if done – and deals and agreements made – it can make a “greater La Salle city,” bringing new momentum along with businesses and development.

“More benefits of this includes the increase of available services such as police, fire and road maintenance and more,” he said. “Government representation will be made available, allowing citizens to voice complaints and petitions for projects more effectively. Authority over zoning and land use along with other local issues will be brought to the city instead of county-controlled policies.”

Thompson said he knows the idea will be complex and full of negotiations, but he said it could become something amazing.

“I’ll use every avenue possible to find support to build up the city of La Salle,” he said.