Peoria City Council
At-Large Candidates
April 4, 2023

Mike is an attorney with the Peoria law firm Dorian B. LaSaine and Associates and an assistant Peoria County public defender.

Clara is the pastor of The Potter's House International in South Peoria.

Benjamin has served as the pastor of St. Luke Missionary Baptist Church since 2019. He is a veteran of the United States Navy.

John was first elected to his council seat in 2019 after an unsuccessful campaign for the position in 2017. Kelly worked as a financial adviser at Morgan Stanley before retiring.

Demario is the director of school safety at Peoria Public Schools District 150. He previously worked as a patrol officer in the Peoria Police Department.

Lawrence a writer, and progressive activist previously ran an unsuccessful campaign against Timothy Riggenbach in the 2021 City Council election. He also ran in 2018 for an at-large seat but was removed from the ballot after a successful challenge to his candidacy petitions.

Kiran is a cancer researcher and assistant professor at the University of Illinois College of Medicine in Peoria who is also an at-large member of the Peoria City Council. Velpula is running for re-election to continue his work on the council, where he has focused on talent development in Peoria and creating a biotech corridor in the city.

Anu is a supply chain contract administrator at OSF HealthCare. She has also worked as a pro bono attorney for Prairie State Legal Services, which provides legal aid to low-income Illinoisans.

Bernice works as a psychotherapist at OSF Saint Francis Medical Center. She is also the founder and president of It Takes a Village of Peoria, a nonprofit organization providing clothing, food, and school supplies to needy children.

Zach is a real estate agent, and former Caterpillar employee have served on the council since 2017.