Democratic Alderwoman Diane Marlin will be Urbana’s next mayor after netting more than 42-hundred votes Tuesday. Republican opponent Rex Bradfield finished with 680. Marlin will be sworn into office on May 1.

Next week’s mayoral election in Urbana marks Rex Bradfield’s third bid for the office. He’s twice lost to current mayor Laurel Prussing (in 2009 and 2013), but this time, the Republican engineer and land surveyor faces Democratic Alderwoman Diane Marlin. Bradfield says if he’s elected next week, his top priority is expanding Urbana’s tax base.  He says there’s been no stability in what developers can expect when they pitch projects to the city council in recent years. 

Urbana Police Chief Pat Connolly has resigned, effective April 14. Connolly made the announcement at Monday night's city council meeting. In an emotional statement, he thanked city officials for their support and said the city is in good hands under the remaining police leadership. 

The candidates for Urbana mayor aired their agreements and disagreements at a debate Thursday night at the City Building.

Republican Rex Bradfield and Democrat Diane Marlin agree on some issues, like wanting to hire a city administrator and increase the size of Urbana’s police force.

But they disagree on some others, such as the city’s role in a legal battle over the tax-exempt status of healthcare provider Carle.

Urbana’s Republican candidate for mayor says he made an honest mistake when he cast a ballot in this week’s Democratic Mayoral primary. Rex Bradfield says he thought signing the form provided by election judges on Tuesday only confirmed his identity, and not that he was affiliated with the Democratic Party. "It never occurred to me that I was putting myself in a position of perjuring myself," he said.