Lockport Mayor Steven Streit is seeking a fourth term in the April 1 election, but faces a challenge from 3rd Ward Ald. Darren Deskin, whose City Council term does not expire until 2027.
Deskin said he felt the time was right to run for mayor, a position he has had his eye on.
“Lockport is my hometown and and I wanted to be mayor for several years,” Deskin said. “It’s just the timing was never right, and now the timing is right.”
Deskin was first elected alderman in 2013, and served two terms before taking a break during redistricting to allow the 3rd Ward Ald. Christine Bergbower to serve a second term, he said. Deskin, who returned to the City Council in 2023, has been a chiropractor for 40 years and operates his own clinic in Lockport.
If he wins the mayoral seat, Deskin said he will appoint someone to take his council seat to finish out the term. He said his top reason for challenging Streit now is his belief in term limits. He said Streit previously agreed to step down after his third term.
“Win or lose, we’re going to impose term limits on all elected officials in Lockport. Nobody should, including myself, make it a career,” Deskin said.
Streit, Lockport mayor since 2013, did not return messages left by the Southtown.
Streit is the CEO of OH Design Group, a marketing and custom design company in Lockport. He is a U.S. Navy veteran who served on the USS California and USS Truxton as a machinist, according to the city’s website. After his service, he moved to Lockport in 1990 and attended college at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.
Streit listed public safety, water quality improvement, infrastructure and revitalizing the downtown as top priorities on a previous campaign website. Lockport won the national Strongest Town competition in 2021 that recognized the transformation of the city’s once-abandoned downtown, that took place under Streit’s leadership.
Deskin said he considers improving Lockport’s infrastructure a top priority and aims to attract developments to strengthen the city’s standing.
When he first ran for alderman, Deskin said the city’s aging infrastructure was a major concern, as he believes previous officials had failed to prioritize needed upgrades.
“We had some elected officials that didn’t want any progress in town. They wanted to keep Lockport in 1975, but we had issues,” Deskin said. “And the biggest issue was the infrastructure in town was 60, 70 years old, and the town was falling apart.”
Deskin said he and other aldermen worked hard to replace the town’s infrastructure, spending about $175 million in the last 10 years to upgrade water mains and add storm sewers.
Deskin touts other accomplishments such as driving roughly $3.5 billion in new developments in the last 12 years and reducing the city’s reliance on residential property taxes from 41% in 2013 to 31% in 2024.
“The streets in town 12 years ago were just basically falling apart, and now we have become the envy of surrounding towns,” he said.
Deskin ran for District 85 state representative in 2017 and ran as part of the Republican slate for Lockport Township supervisor in 2021.
In the 3rd Ward, Bergbower faces a challenge from Timothy Russ, director of buildings and grounds for Homer Elementary District 33C and a member of the Lockport High School District 205 Board.
First Ward Ald. Susan King, appointed to fill the seat of Patrick Sheehan in June, will run for a full term against former 3rd Ward Ald. Mark Lobes. Second Ward Ald. Patrick McDonald will run against Joseph Fracaro.
Fourth Ward Ald. Renee Saban is not seeking reelection in 2025, and Steve Cardamone is running unopposed for her seat.
City Clerk Kathleen Gentile and Treasurer David Palya are running unopposed for reelection.
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