Jim Ardis (born May 25, 1959) is an American corporate executive and politician who served as
mayor
In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well a ...
of
Peoria, Illinois
Peoria ( ) is the county seat of Peoria County, Illinois, United States, and the largest city on the Illinois River. As of the United States Census, 2020, 2020 census, the city had a population of 113,150. It is the principal city of the Peoria ...
from 2005 to 2021. Prior to becoming mayor, he had previously served on the Peoria City Council from 1999 through 2005.
Ardis is the second-longest serving mayor in city history behind
Edward Nelson Woodruff.
Background
When Ardis was 10, his father, Jim Ardis Jr., became a Peoria
city council
A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, rural counc ...
man, serving from 1969 to 1973. His grandfather, John Bulger, had been
Peoria County
Peoria County is located in the U.S. state of Illinois. The 2020 United States Census listed its population at 181,830. Its county seat is Peoria. Peoria County is part of the Peoria, IL Metropolitan Statistical Area.
History
Peoria County was ...
clerk
A clerk is a white-collar worker who conducts general office tasks, or a worker who performs similar sales-related tasks in a retail environment. The responsibilities of clerical workers commonly include record keeping, filing, staffing service ...
.
Ardis graduated from high school at
Spalding Institute
Academy of Our Lady and Spalding Institute were Catholic school, Catholic high schools across the street from each other in downtown Peoria, Illinois.
The Academy (AOL), a girls' school, traced its lineage back to 1863. The Spalding Institute (SI) ...
in 1977 and from
Illinois State University
Illinois State University (ISU) is a public university in Normal, Illinois. Founded in 1857 as Illinois State Normal University, it is the oldest public university in Illinois. The university emphasizes teaching and is recognized as one of th ...
with a
Bachelor of Science
A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years.
The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University of ...
in
industrial technology
Industrial technology is the use of engineering and manufacturing technology to make production faster, simpler, and more efficient. The industrial technology field employs creative and technically proficient individuals who can help a company ach ...
in 1982.
Ardis owned O'Leary's Restaurant from 1994 to 1997. From 1999 to 2006, Ardis worked in sales for
Univar
Univar Solutions Inc. is a global chemical and ingredients distributor and provider of value-added services. The company was founded in 1924 as Van Waters & Rogers. It was also formerly known as Vopak, Royal Vopak and later Univar. The company ...
;
from 2006 to 2010, he was Midwest Vice President of ELM Locating.
Since 2010, he has been Executive Director of Corporate Strategies for Peoria-based Axis, Inc., part of Jupiter Strategic Technologies Pvt. Ltd. of
Bangalore
Bangalore (), officially Bengaluru (), is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Karnataka. It has a population of more than and a metropolitan population of around , making it the third most populous city and fifth most ...
.
Political career
Ardis sold O'Leary's Restaurant in 1997 and was appointed to the Peoria city liquor commission.
He was elected a Peoria city councilman
at-large
At large (''before a noun'': at-large) is a description for members of a governing body who are elected or appointed to represent a whole membership or population (notably a city, county, state, province, nation, club or association), rather than ...
in 1999, and remained a member of the council until 2005.
Ardis was elected as
mayor
In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well a ...
in 2005, defeating incumbent Dave Ransburg. He won re-election in 2009 against General John Parker.
In 2021, after 16 years as mayor, Ardis chose not to run again and was succeeded by
Rita Ali.
In 2011, Ardis sought appointment to the
Illinois State Senate
The Illinois Senate is the upper chamber of the Illinois General Assembly, the legislative branch of the government of the State of Illinois in the United States. The body was created by the first state constitution adopted in 1818. Under the I ...
seat vacated by the retirement of
Dale Risinger.
Darin LaHood
Darin McKay LaHood (; born July 5, 1968) is an American attorney and politician serving as the U.S. representative for Illinois's 18th congressional district since 2015. A member of the Republican Party, he was the member of the Illinois Senate ...
ultimately received the appointment.
Twitter controversy
On April 15, 2014, at the request of Jim Ardis, Peoria police investigated Jon Daniel, the operator of a
Twitter
Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...
account parodying Ardis, on suspicion of the misdemeanor crime of false personation of a public official. After obtaining a warrant, police sent a SWAT Team to raid Daniel's home in
West Bluff, seizing electronics and detaining three people for questioning. Police charged one man with possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia following the raid, though no arrests were made in connection with the Twitter account. On April 23, 2014, the Peoria County State's Attorney's Office announced that no charges would be filed against the creator of the original parody account after explaining that current law regarding impersonation of a public official does not include the use of electronic media.
On June 11, 2014, Daniel, through the
American Civil Liberties Union
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is a nonprofit organization founded in 1920 "to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed to every person in this country by the Constitution and laws of the United States". T ...
of Illinois, filed a federal lawsuit against the City of Peoria, Ardis, and several city employees, claiming violation of the
First Amendment
First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1).
First or 1st may also refer to:
*World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement
Arts and media Music
* 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and rec ...
and
Fourth Amendment. Ardis responded with a press conference on June 12, in which he said the controversy "caused harm to our great city and serious threats against me and my family" and that "I will protect my rights and the rights of my family at all costs. I am exploring false light and defamation as well as other actions against those responsible for the placing and hosting of the libelous comments."
On September 2, 2015, it was announced that the lawsuit was settled with $125,000 being awarded to Daniel.
The
Jefferson Center for the Protection of Free Expression The Thomas Jefferson Center for the Protection of Free Expression is a nonprofit, nonpartisan institution devoted solely to the defense of the First Amendment rights guaranteeing freedom of speech and of the press. The center was founded in 1989, un ...
gave Ardis one of its annual
Jefferson Muzzle Awards
The Jefferson Muzzle Awards are an award given in the United States by the Thomas Jefferson Center for the Protection of Free Expression to people who are perceived to undermine freedom of speech. The award categories are: Censorship of Students, ...
for "the past year’s most outrageous and ridiculous affronts to free speech and press", declaring that he had "abus
dthe power of his office to intimidate and silence a harmless parodist".
Electoral history
City Council
Mayoral
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ardis, Jim
Living people
Illinois State University alumni
Illinois Republicans
Mayors of Peoria, Illinois
21st-century American politicians
Peoria, Illinois City Council members
1959 births