Peter Schwartzman knocked on doors, answered calls, and stayed focused on the people of Galesburg.
He says this approach earned him four more years as mayor.
“I like to walk and talk and knock on doors,” he said. “I also want people to know they can call the mayor. Everyone should have my phone number.”
Schwartzman topped former mayor John Pritchard in last week's balloting. It's the second consecutive election he defeated Pritchard. But Schwartzman doesn’t consider himself a politician.
“I am just a person who tries to speak for the people,” he said.
Schwartzman hoped his work in his first term would speak for itself but he realized “a campaign isn’t so much about what you accomplished but it’s about what you say at the last minute, and that’s unfortunate.”
Schwartzman was significantly outspent in the race by Pritchard, who previously served two terms as Galesburg mayor and owns 11 radio stations in Illinois and Iowa.
Schwartzman credits his team of volunteers for their dedication.
“I had a pulse of about 8 to 10 people who didn’t really work on my previous campaign, but they really wanted to inject their time, and they did. Some of them made reels with me, some of them put signs up for me. Others took to social media to spread messages that I had been sharing. So that was powerful,” Schwartzman said.
Pritchard’s campaign materials, including mailers and text messages, were critical of the incumbent. Schwartzman believes he won by steering away from his opponent's negativity.
“I wasn’t going to let his incessant desire to expose me, to lie, to misrepresent, to stretch the truth about me, to change my approach. I was going to maintain a positive approach,” he said. “I know so much about this good old boy network, and this good old boy network just spent well over $100,000 to defeat me as mayor and they failed.”
Schwartzman acknowledged he will have both allies and adversaries on the city council, including two new members who will be seated next month.
In a Facebook post, Schwartzman put forward his interests of creating opportunities, improving quality of life, building a community of mutual respect, and setting aside ideological differences for the betterment of the city and all residents.
"I reached out to two of my adversaries on the council and I’ve extended an olive branch. I hope they receive that. If they choose not to do so, I am forced by virtue of this election and the overwhelming support that I have received that it is critically important that I speak up for those interests,” he said.
Schwartzman believes he has enough experience and years of service on the city council to serve as a competent and driven mayor, as the end of this month marks 14 years of service as an elected official. He previously served as the Ward 5 council member.
“I will do my best to help anyone with a business plan, with an investment, with a housing issue, with a permit issue, with any issue,” he said.
Schwartzman said there were key developments in Galesburg under his leadership in the last four years. That includes completion of the $20 million public library, a $50 million investment from Western Smokehouse in the former Maytag factory, a federal grant of $25 million for improvements to the Business Park, and the National Railroad Hall of Fame securing funds to move forward.
In his second term, Schwartzman plans to focus on housing, the building of a community center, and improved public transportation.
And he said he is committed to representing every voice in Galesburg.
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