John Rabchuk Enters St. Charles Mayoral Race

The field of candidates who want lead St. Charles broadened again this week with the announcement by John Rabchuk that he is entering the mayoral race.

The 4th Ward resident will face 3rd Ward Alderman Raymond Rogina and 5th Ward resident Jotham Stein in the race for the city’s top elected post. Mayor Donald DeWitte announced in August he would not seek a third term.

Candidates have until 5 p.m. Dec. 24 to file their completed nomination packets with the City Clerk's Office. Also at stake in this year’s municipal elections are the positions of city clerk, city treasurer, and one seat in each ward. The election is in April 2013.

Rabchuk, a 37-year St. Charles resident, announced his candidacy in a release emailed to St. Charles Patch on Wednesday night.

“I believe that there will soon be a window for commercial growth in St. Charles and I know I can lead the city in creating a revitalized growth plan that takes advantage of that opportunity,” he said. Rabchuk noted in the release that St. Charles is ripe for responsible commercial growth.

“I’m an entrepreneur to the core,” he said in the release, “and I’ve spent a lifetime successfully building and managing businesses. I know what it takes to attract and maintain retail, commercial and industrial enterprises that will lower the tax burden on our citizens and create a renewed sense of vitality to our city.

“St. Charles has a number of valuable, yet underutilized resources, including two mall sites and a downtown redevelopment project that is only halfway completed,” he continued in the release. “These and other assets need to be actively providing benefits to our entire community. I have consistently proven that I have the unique combination of business acumen and civic responsibility to make that happen.“

He describes himself in the release as a committed civic volunteer in Saint Charles for more than three decades. He is chairman of the St. Charles 708 Mental Health Board, a board member of the Downtown St. Charles Partnership,, treasurer of the St. Charles River Corridor Foundation, vice chairman of the St. Charles Comprehensive Plan Task Force and has served as a member of the city’s Long Range Strategic Planning Task Force.

“Having raised a family here, I’m keenly aware of how the civic infrastructure works and how it contributes to making St. Charles such a very special place to live,” he said in the release. “I’ve also served as the chairman of the special committee that designed the First Street Plaza and surrounding streetscape.”

“My wife, Cheryl, and I have lived in the same St. Charles house for 36 years while raising our two children and welcoming in three granddaughters,” he added. “We’ve been very active participants and supporters of such local organizations as LivingWell Cancer Resource Center, Special Olympics, the American Cancer Society and numerous youth sports organizations.”

Rabchuk earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Illinois-Champaign and is a graduate of the Center for Entrepreneurial Development at the University of Illinois-Chicago.