Urbana alderman drops out of mayoral race, leaving one candidate left

URBANA, Ill. (WCIA) — The race for Mayor of Urbana is down to one candidate after Alderman James Quisenberry announced he is dropping out of the race.

Quisenberry said he had a change of heart after a cancer scare and his wife retiring. The demanding job of being mayor was more than he wanted to take on.

“Running the City of Urbana is a full-time job,” Quisenberry said. “It would be a career change for me, and I realize that I’m not sure I’m going to be working four or five years from now.”

He said he has since recovered from his bout with cancer, but that experience left him with a new perspective on the race for mayor.

Now, Quisenberry is throwing his support behind the one candidate left: Champaign County Deputy Chief Treasurer Deshawn Williams, who started his campaign in December of 2022.

“We are going to, again, continue to campaign as though we have a challenger,” Williams said. “Because I never want to take anyone for granted.”

He said he has great respect for the alderman.

“We made sure to let each other know that we would ensure that we kept things cordial,” Williams said.

Quisenberry is considering the next phase of life now that his wife has retired, but said he will continue his role in the city council. For Williams it’s business as usual on the trail.

“I am excited and still encouraged by being out and just getting a closer look at folks within the community that may have not had the opportunity to interact with [me] prior to this announcement,” he said.

Williams said he wants to give a voice to everyone in Urbana.

“Transparency is going to be key. And as far as I’m concerned, I’ve never been one to duck a conversation,” he said. “And I think that that is a lot of what we are seeing. Folks just want to be heard.”

Quisenberry said his decision was alleviated by the fact that Williams is a solid candidate.

“We decided early on that we would be two candidates that talk to each other in case I ran,” Quisenberry said. “And over that time, I got to know him and I have confidence that he’s a great candidate for mayor, which made it a little easier for me to make my decision.”

Urbana’s primary elections are next year on Feb. 25. The general election for mayor will be on Nov. 4, 2025.

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