Richard C. Irvin

Irvin was born and raised in Aurora, Illinois, the son of a single mom.[2][3] He is a graduate of East Aurora High School.[2][3] After high school, he enlisted in the U.S. Army and served in the Gulf War.[2][3] Irvin graduated with a B.A. from Robert Morris College and in 1998, he received a J.D. from the Northern Illinois University College of Law.[2][3] He served as a substitute teacher in the East Aurora School District and as an adjunct professor at Robert Morris College and Northern Illinois University, worked as an assistant State’s Attorney for Cook County and Kane County, and founded his own law office operating out of Aurora, Illinois.[2][3]

In 2007, he won election as Alderman At-Large on the Aurora City Council, the first African American elected to the position.[2][3] On April 4, 2017, he won election as the 59th mayor of Aurora, narrowly defeating Richard "Rick" Guzman, assistant chief of staff in the mayor's office, by 7,574 votes to Guzman's 7,404.[4] He is the first African-American mayor of Aurora,[2] a highly diverse city which is roughly 43% Hispanic, 36% White, 10% African-American, and 9% Asian (2019 U.S. Census 5-year average).[5] On May 9, 2017, he was sworn in as mayor.[4] On April 6, 2021, he won reelection to another 4-year term[2] defeating Alderman Judd Lofchie and union carpenter John Laesch with over 55% of the vote.[6][7] While mayor, he spearheaded the redevelopment of downtown Aurora[3] and managed the city through the Henry Pratt shooting and the Covid-19 pandemic.[1]