Jonathan is deeply involved with his community, as a teacher, an Army infantry officer, and has served as 2nd Ward Alderman since 2017.

Currently, Jonathan is a business and career teacher at Auburn High School, and his wife, Sarah, is a newcomer teacher at East High School, helping refugee families and students transition to Rockford and the United States.  Both are proud and involved union members with the Rockford Education Association, working on behalf of students and teachers to improve education in RPS205.

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Jonathan serves as a Company Commander in the Illinois Army National Guard, 33rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team.  Jonathan is a veteran of Operation Freedom's Sentinel in Afghanistan.  He has served as a political activist with REA-IEA.  He has also coached JV baseball at Auburn High School and 7th Grade basketball at Kennedy Middle School.  Jonathan is a member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, American Legion, Military Officers Association of America, and the National Guard Association of the United States.

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Jonathan serves on the Finance and Personnel, Housing, and Labor Negotiations Committees to City Council.  He lives in the Highland neighborhood of Rockford with his wife, Sarah, and two daughters, Eleanor and Maya.

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Who are you?

First, I am a proud Rockfordian and helpful neighbor to all our city’s residents.  I am a business and economics teacher at Auburn High School, an infantry company commander in the Illinois Army National Guard, and a proud member of Rockford Education Association and former Grassroots Political Activist with the REA.  My wife, Sarah, is a newcomer teacher at East High School, helping refugee students and families transition to Rockford and the United States.  We have two wonderful daughters, Eleanor and Maya, named for Eleanor Roosevelt and Maya Angelou.

I have served as 2nd Ward Alderman since 2017 (with a brief hiatus while I was serving in support of OFS in Afghanistan), and I’ve loved serving our residents in this capacity, as neighborhood representative to City government, as well.
 

Why are you running? 

I love working to serve my neighbors in my city.  I think my values are shared by the vast majority of our residents, and I want to work on behalf of all of us to continue to improve the city we all call home.
 

What led you to this point in Rockford and your career? 

I’m a teacher at heart.  I love helping and supporting people.  I figured I had more to give to my community.  Additionally, It’s good for our students to see their teachers involved in improving their community.
 

What do you see as major issues in the 2nd Ward?

In speaking with our neighbors, a few main issues emerge: neighbors simply want a decreased property tax burden, improved public schools, sound infrastructure, decreased neighborhood blight, and safe neighborhoods for their families and children.
 

What do you hope to accomplish if you win?

We’re going to continue the momentum we have been building as a city and capitalize on the opportunities available to us after we emerge from COVID-19.  I’m excited to see the Rockford Promise develop to support our families and children as our RPS205 school system continues to become the #1 choice for all Rockford families.  I’m excited to see the economic development spur from the construction of the Hard Rock Casino as we look for more opportunities to expand economic activity and job opportunities for our workers.  We’ll continue our efforts in community policing, especially with the ROCK Houses and United Way Strong Houses in the neighborhoods in and around Central Rockford to ensure all families and children feel safe in their neighborhoods.  The Family Peace Center will continue to grow and develop to support domestic abuse survivors in our community.  I want to work to continue to expand the land bank that City Council approved in early 2019 as a main tool that can fight blight in our neighborhoods.  We’ll continue with responsible oversight of all our City departments to ensure resources are allocated equitably.  I’ll continue advocating for improvements to the Keith Creek corridor, and am excited to see plans take shape in the areas surrounding the Keith Creek neighborhood.

Rockford has a real opportunity to emerge from the pandemic stronger if the City of Rockford team continues to think proactively and creatively and continues to engage our residents.  As leaders, we will ask how we can all support each other to make Rockford a dynamic city of opportunity for all our residents.