Election Day is April 1, 2025. VOTE to keep the momentum going in Kankakee!

BUILDING REAL MOMENTUM

FOR KANKAKEE

In the past few years, Kankakee has proven its resilience once again.  We battled through a pandemic and came out with lower unemployment, fewer violent crimes, and more growth on the immediate horizon.  I truly believe our City is headed in the right direction.


And do you know how we did it?  By coming together as a community and as a City Council to get things done – both big things and small things.

 

TOGETHER, we eliminated the vehicle sticker tax and dropped the property tax rate every year.  We stabilized our underfunded police and fire pension funds in a way that will save tens of millions for our residents.  We improved our bond rating and brought several new businesses and jobs back into City limits.  And we retained our home rule authority to ensure we have the best tools available to improve our town. 

 

TOGETHER, we also continued to look out for each other.  As a Council, we allocated funds to help rehab the YMCA, modernize the emergency rooms of our two hospitals, provide our low-income seniors with free meals, rehab hundreds of moderate- and low-income homes, open an emergency shelter for the unhoused, and restore walking paths and playgrounds in parks throughout the City.

But there’s still so much more to do – particularly with respect to improving and diversifying our housing stock, ensuring safety and peace-of-mind in our neighborhoods, and building up our economy for all.  It is only together that we will drive inclusive growth that opens doors of opportunity for everyone.

 

That is why I’m running for a second term as your Second Ward Alderman – to be a part of the collaborative, progressive climb happening right now in our community.

 

I am always open to hear from you on the priorities and issues that you think we should tackle during the next four years.  Join me as we work to create even more momentum here in the Key City.


Dave

Tangible Results

for Our Community...

  • New Youth Programs

    We've funded youth summer employment programs that offered substantive experience for the future, both within City departments and with State's Attorney Jim Rowe's Justice Academy

  • Cap on Gaming Cafes

    Ald. Baron led the fight to enact a moratorium and eventually a cap on the number of video gaming cafes that drain resources away from our community.

  • No More Vehicle Stickers

    After securing our Home Rule status in 2022, we eliminated the vehicle sticker tax, doing away with a regressive, unpopular burden on our residents.

  • First Nano-Brewery

    After amended our zoning code to permit nano-breweries, we welcomed Knack Brewing & Fermentations in 2022, the City’s first and the first brewery of any kind since Raedke closed in the early 1900s.

  • Jobs Returning Downtown

    Kankakee recently attracted an industry-leading company, Gardant, to establish its HQ within City limits at the Executive Centre, bringing more than 40 full-time employees into our Downtown.

  • A Future for our Library

    We solidified a lasting future for our Kankakee Public Library in the Executive Centre, which remains the most prominent office building in the region.

  • Embracing Innovation

    Ald. Baron voted to open up our market to AirBNBs, VRBOs, and other short term rentals shown elsewhere to be an effective strategy for attracting new visitors.

  • Dropping Tax Rates

    For each of the past four years, we have lowered the City's property tax rate, dropping it below 5% this year for the first time in a decade.

  • Breaking the Cycle of Violence

    Recognizing that public safety requires more than arrests, we established the Office of Violence Prevention to address root causes of crime, intervening early to interrupt disputes.

  • Countywide Collaboration

    As Vice-Chair of the Visit Kankakee County board, Ald. Baron fought to keep the organization intact, vibrant, and able to deploy shared resources to promote beyond its borders.

Read More Results in Kankakee