After a distinguished 24-year tenure on the Peoria City Council and three bids for the mayor's office, Second District Councilman Chuck Grayeb has conceded the 2025 mayoral primary election. Grayeb's decision came after preliminary results indicated he would not advance to the general election.
In the February 25 primary, incumbent Mayor Rita Ali secured a decisive lead with 51.66% of the vote. At-large Councilman John Kelly followed with 24.67%, while Grayeb garnered 23.67%, trailing Kelly by 127 votes.
Initially, Grayeb expressed a desire to await the counting of all ballots before making any decisions. However, as additional votes were tallied, it became evident that the outcome would not shift in his favor. Acknowledging this, Grayeb chose to concede and extend his congratulations to both Ali and Kelly.
