SAVOY — The election for Savoy’s Village President is April 1. Incumbent Village President John Brown is running for reelection against current Village Trustee Jan Carter Niccum. Both sat down at a candidate forum to discuss their plans for the village.
The forum was sponsored by the League of Women Voters of Champaign County and the NAACP Champaign County branch.
Village President hopefuls bullish on creating a downtown Savoy
As Village President, Brown has been pursuing the long-term goal of creating a downtown. The village has been working with a developer to create a walkable village center with businesses and public green space.
A portion of land at the intersection of Dunlap Avenue and Church Street is being considered for the project.
A July 2024 survey conducted by the Downtown Development Group emphasized that there’s also public demand for the initiative.
The survey received nearly 500 responses, with 96% saying they wanted more cafés and restaurants and 75% looking for more parks, green space and walking or biking paths in the downtown area.
Brown said the village is making progress behind the scenes.
“I’m very impressed with the developer and the amount of public input that they have sought to see what our citizens want,” Brown said.
He said the new downtown would be a public-private venture, meaning part of the land will stay public and will potentially feature bike path connections.
Niccum said that the process hasn’t been simple, and that despite developer interest, there is still more work to be done on the committee level.
He said with most of the property cleared, he’s hopeful that the development will start in short order — with the goal of creating a walkable community center with small shops and entertainment spaces.
“I’m hoping that target becomes a fixed target here pretty soon,” Niccum said.
Candidates agree on improving transportation infrastructure
Both candidates discussed the Curtis Road Grade Separation and Complete Streets Project, a nearly $40 million project to improve safety around the Canadian National tracks and access for pedestrians and cyclists Curtis Road to First Street.
Brown said under his leadership, the village has been able to secure nearly $29 million in grant funding for the project, which he said is tentatively set to begin construction in 2026.
With the changing presidential administration, attendees pressed Brown on what changes in federal funding could mean for the project. He said he feels that the project won’t be affected, but he acknowledged it could be derailed with a loss of funding.
“If we were to lose that project or lose that grant, I don’t see how we’d be able to continue with the [Curtis Road] underpass project,” Brown said.
Niccum said he shares Brown’s desire for a more walkable Savoy — though he put a greater emphasis on his goal of providing tax relief for residents and local businesses.
“The parks and bike paths and everything, yes, those are very nice,” Niccum said. “It’s a nice amenity, but I also want to protect the pocketbooks.”
Shared policy goals, with differing priorities
Brown said he was proud to have cut down response times for the fire department by nearly 60%. He said his goals also include continuing to implement the village’s stormwater master plan.
Niccum focused his remarks on fiscal policy and cited a need to rein in village property taxes.
Consolidated municipal elections are on the first day of April, but in-person early voting in Champaign County starts on March 12 at the Brookens Administrative Center. County-wide locations open March 24.