Former Alderman Files for St. Charles Mayor, Citing Overdevelopment Concerns

Former St. Charles 4th Ward Alderman Ray Montoya filed a nominating petition Friday afternoon to run for mayor in the April 2027 consolidated election, setting up the first competitive mayoral race in the city since 2019. Montoya, who served two terms on the city council before declining to seek a third in 2021, said the primary motivation for his campaign is opposition to what he calls the current administration's permissive stance on high-density residential development.

"In the last three years this city has approved more apartment units than in the previous decade combined," Montoya said outside City Hall after submitting 347 signatures — well above the 200 required for ballot access. "I have nothing against housing growth in principle. But approving seven-story buildings on Second Street without the infrastructure plan to support them is not growth — it is wishful thinking with other people's neighborhoods."