WEST CHICAGO – Incumbent Mayor Ruben Pineda, who became West Chicago’s first elected Hispanic mayor over a decade ago, is set to face competition in the upcoming April 2025 mayoral election. Local residents Daniel Bovey and Joseph Sheehan have both filed paperwork to challenge Pineda, marking the first time in several years that Pineda will have opponents on the ballot.
Pineda, a long-time community advocate, reflecting on his years of service recently told The Daily Herald, “I’ve been dedicating my life to this community since high school,” he said. “I’ve always been involved one way or another. If I can do something to help this community, I’m going to do it.”
Under Pineda’s leadership, West Chicago was recently recognized by Fortune magazine as one of the top 20 places to live for families. “We’ve accomplished a lot, and I want to continue that progress, especially with our downtown redevelopment,” Pineda told the Herald.
Challenger Daniel Bovey, a bilingual pastor and a West Chicago resident of 25 years, has been involved in a legal dispute with the city over his family’s backyard geodesic dome greenhouse. Bovey believes his experience with the city has highlighted a need for more customer-focused service at city hall and a fresh perspective on downtown revitalization.
“One of our priorities is to make city hall a more friendly and customer-service-oriented place,” Bovey said. “Some of the downtown strategies haven’t worked for a long time, and we believe a fresh look is needed.” Bovey and his supporters plan to launch his campaign with an event downtown on November 23.
Bovey emphasized the importance of fostering unity within West Chicago’s diverse community. “We really want to lead West Chicago to be a unified community,” he told the Herald. “West Chicago has unique diversity in DuPage County, and we believe that’s something to celebrate and strengthen.”
Pineda, while refraining from commenting on Bovey’s greenhouse case due to its legal nature, welcomes the competition. “It’ll be the first time somebody has run against me in a while,” he said. “I’m a competitor, and I hope they know this community as well as I do, because I know its history.”
With the 2025 election approaching, West Chicago voters will have the opportunity to consider different visions for the future of their community.
