Urbana contains four wards, with the fourth ward consisting of the northern part of the city.
Stephanie D. Truelove
Stephanie Truelove has always called Urbana home.
“I like the atmosphere: it’s small, you get to know people, the neighbors are great,” she said. “I love the pace in Urbana.”
Truelove, a graduate of Urbana High School and Community Hospital School of nursing, worked as a nurse for 31 years and an employee of the Champaign County Board of Elections for 12 years.
She said she became interested in what’s going on in her city and began attending city council meetings to see how decisions are made and what issues the community faces, and when she saw the open council seat for the fourth ward, she decided to throw her hat in the ring.
“I just wanted to see if I could help us here in the fourth ward,” she said. “We need representation. And you can tell from my career: all of my jobs have been service, providing for, caring for others.”
If elected, Truelove said she would want to focus on infrastructure in the fourth ward. To start, she would want to look into ways to address condemned homes in the area.
Ultimately, Truelove said she wants to serve as a “strong voice” for her community.
“I just want everybody here to feel they have somebody who’s going to stand by them,” she said.
Holly Powell Curnutte
Holly Powell Curnutte said she entered the race for the fourth ward seat because she wants to follow her family’s legacy of community service: her grandfather, served as assistant fire chief for more than 20 years, and many of her other relatives also have served as firefighters and emergency workers.
“Given my family’s public service, I also wanted to get involved and give back.” she said.
Curnutte, a graduate of Urbana High School, is a lifelong resident of the area. She currently works as a risk advisor for State Farm insurance, but she has also trained horses for years. She has two adult children and several step-children, she said.
Curnutte said that if she’s elected, she would focus on infrastructure efforts, as well as ensuring the city has an adequate number of firefighters and other service workers. She feels the fourth ward is sometimes the “forgotten” area of the city, and if elected, she’d want to serve as a voice for those residents.
“The fourth ward has a lot to offer,” she said, pointing to landmarks such as the Champaign Aviation Museum and Pointe North nature park.
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