Ex-Pekin City Council member to run next year for Bloomington City Council seat

Posted on September 2, 2022

*Ward 6 City Council candidate Cody Hendricks. (Photo courtesy Cody Hendricks)*

BLOOMINGTON – High school history teacher and former Pekin City Councilman Cody Hendricks announced Thursday he wants to become an alderman in Bloomington.

Cody Hendricks is running for Ward 6 alderman in the 2023 municipal elections. The redrawn Ward 6 covers much of the downtown area and parts of Blooomington’s west side.

Hendricks was 18 when he was elected to the Pekin City Council in 2011. He served a four year term, and currently teaches history at Olympia High School in Stanford.

Hendricks calls Downtown Bloomington the “heart and soul” of the city. Its revitalization is one of his priorities, while also preserving its historic features.

“We have a real opportunity to revitalize and help enhance our downtown’s accessibility and growth while keeping the historic charm that makes it unique in the local area,” Hendricks said in a news release.

“Study after study shows that strong downtowns produce even greater returns that can then be used to support other parts of the city – namely areas of west Bloomington and the downtown surrounding communities,” Hendricks said.

In Bloomington, Hendricks has served on the Sister City and Beautification Committees.

Current Ward 6 Council member De Urban has said she’s not running for the seat next year. She was appointed in 2021 to replace Jenn Carrillo, who moved out of the ward.

Blogs

Labor Day – Expanding voting rights for all

By Mike Matejka Because of COVID, there is no Labor Day Parade this year. It’s always a great event for our everyday workers to march proudly down the street and enjoys the festive crowd. If there had been a parade, this year’s Labor Day theme was to be “150 years of struggle: your right to vote.” …

Is federal mobilization the answer?

By Mike Matejka As President Donald Trump threatens to send federal marshals into Chicago, over the objections of Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker, recall another Illinois Governor who protested the incursion of armed federal personnel into the city. Those federal troops, rather than calming, escalated the situation, leading to deaths and violence. Illinois poet Vachel Lindsay…

In these troubled times, to my fellow white Americans

By Mike Matejka Our nation is at a unique watershed in human relations. African-Americans have been killed too many times in the past before George Floyd, but the response to this man’s death is international and all-encompassing. I was a grade-schooler during the Civil Rights 1960s. I watched Birmingham demonstrators hosed and the Selma – Montgomery…

Workers’ Memorial Day – Remember those whose job took their life

Looking around our community, when we say employer, most will respond to State Farm, Country, or Illinois State University. We too often forget those who are building our roads, serving our food, or our public employees. COVID-19 has made us more aware of the risk. Going to work every day for some people means…