Lydia Spottswood, a longtime Kenosha civic leader and public servant, will run to become the city’s 51st mayor.
Spottswood
Spottswood officially announced her candidacy Wednesday morning. She hopes to succeed Mayor John Antaramian, who recently announced he will not seek another term as the leader of one of the state’s largest cities.
“I feel really good about it. Folks have been asking me to do this for quite a while, and I took my time thinking it over and figuring out how I would go about things as mayor, and it has sort of come together. I feel very good about this,” Spottswood said.
Spottswood served the public in various roles over the decades and was appointed by Antaramian to various committees over his last two terms. She currently serves on the Plan Commission, Redevelopment Authority and Community Development Block Grant Committee, among others.
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Spottswood also previously served as alderperson of the city’s Third District, president of the City Council and a Democratic Party nominee for the state’s First Congressional District in 1996 and 1998.
A graduate of the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University and University of Virginia, Spottswood worked as a nurse after graduation and became the head nurse in the Department of Surgery at the University of Virginia Hospital.
Spottswood, who moved to Kenosha in the 1980s with husband Paul, has advised numerous nonprofit boards and served as chair of the Kenosha Community Health Center Development Task Force and was the founding executive director of the Kenosha Community Health Center.
“I would say I’ve got considerable experience in both the public and private sectors,” Spottswood said. “I don’t think anyone is fully prepared for the job of mayor. I know there’s going to be a lot to learn to do the job but I think if you go at it with a spirit of humility and excitement about the opportunities I think it’ll settle and not take too long.”
If elected, Spottswood said she will continue building on the progress and working on the projects set in motion by Antaramian in the last several years, including transformational development in both Uptown and Downtown.
“I’ve been a strong supporter of the Kenosha Innovation Neighborhood project and I’m a very strong supporter of Downtown development projects in the works,” Spottswood said. “These are visions that many people have had, including me, in our city for almost a generation. The work that we did back in the 1990s on the marina envisioned the kind of change that is now in the works for Downtown.
“When Chrysler announced they were leaving our community we knew we would have to find a good use for the property and I think Mayor Antaramian has done a wonderful job of staying true to the idea that this should be a place where family-supporting jobs can happen. The idea that this is happening in conjunction with new housing and educational institutions I think portends well for the future.”
Spottswood, a longtime Democrat, is running for the non-partisan office.
“This is a non-partisan office,” Spottswood said. “The work you’re doing at City Hall has much less of a partisan kind of feeling I think than you see at the state or national level. The focus is on addressing concerns about property, property management and partnerships in our city that are going to make a difference to the long-term goal.”
Spottswood could become the city’s first female mayor.
“An awful lot more women hopefully will be encouraged to get involved,” Spottswood said. If elected, Spottswood said she would highlight public safety, economic development, city beautification and affordable housing.
“I think all of these things matter,” Spottswood said. “To me, the guiding philosophy or the values that I think we need to bring to bear is envisioning Kenosha as a place that’s welcoming, inclusive and sustainable. I think I’m going to bring those values and that kind of vision and hopefully the right experience for that.”
Candidates for mayor can begin circulating nominating papers later this year. If required, a primary would take place in February 2024 before the spring election.
Spottswood will run against Ald. David Bogdala, who announced last month that he is running for mayor.
