September 24, 2026
Dear editor;
Please Vote “No” on the Aurora Mayoral Recall Referendum
Aurora voters will decide on the November ballot whether to support a referendum to allow the recall of an incumbent mayor. A recall would not even require the mayor to have committed an illegal act, which State statute already covers.
If the proposal passes in November and becomes part of Aurora’s election structure, any group seeking to trigger a mayoral recall would have to gather signatures equal to 20% of the total votes cast in the last mayoral election, or about 4,000 signatures. This represents only about 5% of all registered voters in Aurora.
This is a bad idea, and we urge you to vote no on this referendum.
First, Aurora voters elect mayors by a majority, and mayors should not be subject to recall simply because a small group is unhappy with the election outcome. This would disenfranchise the majority of voters who elected the administration and expect the winner to serve a full term.
Second, elected officials need time to govern. The constant threat of a recall could keep elected officials in a permanent state of campaigning, leaving little or no time for policymaking.
Third, this would not be a “one and done” event. It would open the floodgates and make every future mayor subject to a recall if a minority is not happy with an election outcome
Fourth, we should consider the high cost of conducting an election. A recall of a mayor would require holding a special election. This would add unnecessary expense funded by our tax dollars.
Our democracy is built on majority rule. The candidate who wins a majority of votes wins the election and serves their term. If any Aurora voters are unhappy with a mayor or their administration, there are ways to make that known without a recall. City Council meetings are open to the public, and any citizen can sign up to voice their opinion. Residents can work with their alderpersons to express their views and advocate for change. And voters can vote for someone else in the next election. That is how our elections are structured.
To protect our democracy, we should vote “no” to recalls. The people have spoken. We don’t want a small minority of signatures and special elections to overturn our decisions.
Mavis Bates, Kane County Board member, District 4
Dr. V. Elaine Ross, American Association of University Women
Kathy McBride Yarbrough, educator
David L. Pierce, former Aurora mayor
Helen Ratzlow, vice chair, Working Families Aurora PAC
Deb Fisher, chair, Aurora Democrats
Marilyn Weisner, former first lady (Aurora mayor Tom Weisner)
Edward Bugg, Aurora alderman
Linda Cole
Rena Church, retired director, Aurora Public Art Commission
Jeanne Norris
Frank Patterson
Bonnie Kunkel, Aurora Township trustee
Myrna Molina, Kane County Board member, District 1
Sonia Garcia, Kane County Board member, District 6
Shirley Flaherty, retired union pension administrator
Jane Regnier, former Waubonsee administrator
Saul Olivas, educator
Kristina Murphy