Rock Falls – In April’s Rock Falls City Council election, just two incumbent alderman will face challengers for their seats.
Brian Snow, who has served in the 2nd Ward for over two decades, will face former 4th Ward Alderman Marshall Doane in a four-year term.
Snow was originally elected to the 2nd Ward seat in 2005 and has been reelected four times.
In 2021, Doane ran against Violet Sobottka for a four-year term in the 4th Ward. Doane lost the election, but he was appointed to a two-year term as the second 4th Ward representative, alongside Sobottka. In an interview with Shaw Local, Doane stated that he resigned in 2022 after purchasing a home outside of the 4th Ward limits.
Doane has spent practically his whole life in Rock Falls and currently works as a logistics coordinator for Riverside Logistics in Sterling. He also runs his own business, Phoenix Wicks Candle Company.
In the 3rd Ward, incumbent Steve Dowd will compete for a four-year term against newcomers Mary McNeill and Austin Zink.
Dowd, a retired Northwestern Steel and Wire employee, was first elected in 2021, ousting 12-year incumbent Jim Schuneman.
Zink, 25, is a newcomer who wants to get more young people active in the city. Zink told Shaw Local that he will graduate from Northern Illinois University in May and work at Anne’s Garden Center in Dixon.
He grew up in Rock Falls and graduated from both Rock Falls High School and Sauk Valley Community College.
Candidates run unopposed.
Rock Falls Mayor Rod Kleckler is running unopposed for re-election. His term on the council began in 2015, when he was elected to the 3rd Ward seat, upsetting 24-year incumbent Dave Hand. Kleckler was re-elected to the seat in 2019, going unchallenged.
In addition, incumbent 1st Ward Alderman Bill Wangelin, who is seeking a four-year term, is running unopposed. Vickey Byrd, 2nd Ward Alderman, is standing for a two-year term, while Violet Sobottka, current 4th Ward Alderman, is running for four years. Cathy Arduini is running for a two-year term in the fourth ward.
Wangelin was originally appointed to his first Ward seat in January 2019 for a two-year term. His current four-year tenure began in 2021, when he was elected.
Byrd was appointed in January 2024 to the 2nd Ward seat that had been vacant since the April 2023 election, when former Alderman Casey Babel did not seek reelection. Byrd is presently running for re-election to serve the remaining two years of his four-year term.
Arduini was appointed to her 4th Ward seat in January 2023 and, like Byrd, is running for a two-year term to fill the remaining four-year tenure.
Sobottka was elected in 2019. She was first appointed to the 4th Ward seat in May 2017. In 2021, she was reelected for her current term.
Other elected offices in the city include Kay Abner, who is running unopposed for reelection as municipal treasurer after serving since 2013.
Pam Martinez, the city clerk, is running unopposed for re-election. Martinez was initially appointed to the role in October 2021.
Election Day is April 1. Early voting began statewide on February 20. The Whiteside County Courthouse, located at 200 E. Knox St. in Morrison, serves as the venue.
