The Complaint
When Dr. Guiyou Huang took over as the new president of Western Illinois University on January 1, 2021, he already faced some serious challenges, including falling enrollment and unreliable state support.
But then he began hearing from business and government leaders in the Quad Cities, who were quite unhappy with WIU and thinking about possible replacements.
Stephanie Acri
Moline Mayor Stephanie Acri was the most vocal critic. She said after meeting with President Huang, that his plans focused on Macomb and not enough on the Quad Cities.
“When I look at the strategy, I see some components of some kind of feeder courses for finishing at Macomb, and then some adult courses, but that s not our vision for that campus,” she said.
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What Moline s new mayor has planned for her first 100 days
Moline Mayor-Elect Sangeetha Rayapati has big plans for City Hall openings, infrastructure and accessibility. She ll be sworn in on Tuesday, April 27. Author: Shelby Kluver (WQAD) Updated: 2:21 PM CDT April 27, 2021
MOLINE, Ill. Moline will induct its second woman as mayor in just as many terms on Tuesday, April 27th. Mayor-Elect Sangeetha Rayapati will be sworn in, along with four new aldermen, Alvaro Macias, Pat O Brien, James Patrick Schmidt and Matt Timion, at a socially-distanced city council meeting at the Moline High School Bartlett Performing Arts Center at 6pm.
Rayapati says when it comes to her first 100 days in office, filling open government positions, infrastructure, and accessibility are all at the top of her list.
Looking to the future: Newly elected officials weigh in on key changes for Moline
News 8 spoke with each newly elected Moline official. Here s what they had to say about the future of the City. Author: David Bohlman (WQAD) Updated: 6:02 PM CDT April 7, 2021
MOLINE, Ill. On Tuesday, April 6th, 2021 three people running for Aldermen unseated their incumbent challengers. On Tuesday, Moliners voted to unseat their incumbent challenger Mayor, Stephanie Acri, as well.
So what s next for the City of Moline? The top issue is just not having the key staff in place that we need. I mean we cannot continue to not have a fulltime economic development director. that is key . Said Sangeetha Rayapati, Mayor-elect for the City of Moline.
By Chris Turner
Apr 7, 2021
Over 14,000 voters cast a ballot in many different races across Rock Island County for this year s General Election.
Sangeetha Rayapati defeated incumbent Stephanie Acri in the Moline mayoral race, winning 61.21% to 38.79%.
Rock Island Mayor Michael Thoms will retain his seat against challenger Thurgood Brooks, holding on by a 52.20% to 47.80% margin.
You can find all the results from Tuesday s elections here.