By Jason Crane
Mayor of Aurora, Richard Irvin’s appointment of Dan Barreiro as the new Ward 1 alderman was approved 10-1 by the Aurora City Council Tuesday, Aug. 13.
Ward 8 alderwoman Patty Smith was the dessenting vote, without explanation. A swearing-in ceremony is planned for 7 p.m., Tuesday, Aug. 20 at Two Brothers Roundhouse, 205 N. Broadway, Aurora. The community is invited and an RSVP is required.
Barreiro’s term will be until the next general election in April 2025.
Barreiro, a 45-year resident of the First Ward, was the mayor’s choice to fill the seat vacated by former Ward 1 alderman Emmanuel Llamas.
Barreiro was a City Hall staff member for 35 years, beginning in 1986 as an intern, transitioning in 1988 to administrative assistant in the Mayor’s Office, and retiring in 2021 as chief Community Services officer, a position he held for 15 years. Throughout the decades, Barreiro held other roles as assistant director of personnel, assistant finance director, and assistant chief of staff.
Barreiro is the vice president of the East Aurora Board of Education, first elected in 2017 and then reelected in 2021. His term expires in 2025, and he will resign from the School Board to assume the duties of Ward 1 alderman.
Barreiro has held many community leadership positions over the years, including on the boards of the Aurora East Educational Foundation, the East Aurora Alumni Association, El Centro Pan Americano, the Community Foundation of the Fox River Valley, the Fox Valley Girl Scouts Council, the Fox Valley Park District, the Fox Valley Symphony, the Fox Valley United Way, the Salvation Army, and Sci Tech.
He serves with the Knights of Columbus, the Three Fires Council of the Boys Scouts, and Project Safe Aurora.
After graduating from East Aurora High School, Barreiro earned his Bachelor of Political Science with an emphasis in local government and a Master’s in Public Administration with an emphasis in Urban Management from Northern Illinois University.