A Galesburg alderwoman halfway through her third term on the City Council is the fourth candidate to declare her intentions to run for mayor in the spring. Alderwoman Karen Lafferty, Ward 5, on Monday joined incumbent Mayor Gary Smith; Salvador Garza, senior account manager for the state Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity; and Nathan Rockhold, president of R Cubed Technologies, as the announced mayoral candidates in the April 2009 election. Lafferty earlier said whether she ran depended on Smith’s intentions. She initially felt she would not run if the mayor sought a second term. In a prepared statement, Lafferty said she had pretty well decided to run before Smith, who had privately told some individuals it was unlikely he would run, changed his mind. “By the time that Mayor Smith decided to run, I had already made my decision to run and this does not in any way mean that I think Gary has done a bad job,” said Lafferty, who ran unsuccessfully for mayor in 2001. “I think he has performed his role as mayor in an excellent manner, except that he and I have different visions for our community.” With jobs and the direction of economic development shaping up as the No. 1 issue in the campaign, it’s not surprising that Lafferty said she and Smith take different paths when it comes to Logistics Park-Galesburg. “His direction is China and mine’s not,” she said. Lafferty has made no secret of her displeasure about trips taken ...
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A Galesburg alderwoman halfway through her third term on the City Council is the fourth candidate to declare her intentions to run for mayor in the spring. Alderwoman Karen Lafferty, Ward 5, on Monday joined incumbent Mayor Gary Smith; Salvador Garza, senior account manager for the state Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity; and Nathan Rockhold, president of R Cubed Technologies, as the announced mayoral candidates in the April 2009 election. Lafferty earlier said whether she ran depended on Smith’s intentions. She initially felt she would not run if the mayor sought a second term. In a prepared statement, Lafferty said she had pretty well decided to run before Smith, who had privately told some individuals it was unlikely he would run, changed his mind. “By the time that Mayor Smith decided to run, I had already made my decision to run and this does not in any way mean that I think Gary has done a bad job,” said Lafferty, who ran unsuccessfully for mayor in 2001. “I think he has performed his role as mayor in an excellent manner, except that he and I have different visions for our community.” With jobs and the direction of economic development shaping up as the No. 1 issue in the campaign, it’s not surprising that Lafferty said she and Smith take different paths when it comes to Logistics Park-Galesburg. “His direction is China and mine’s not,” she said. Lafferty has made no secret of her displeasure about trips taken ...