DECATUR - City councilwoman Betsy Stockard announced she will seek re-election in April.

Stockard said she is seeking a fourth term on the city council in part to finish with issues that have come before the council and have not yet been resolved.

"I believe there are still issues that I would like to work on as a city council member," Stockard said.

Stockard named the city's water supply and the ongoing struggle to move economic development forward as some of the problems she would like to see solved during her next term.

Stockard said she anticipates a difficult race due to the large number of candidates that have stepped forward and says she is expecting a primary race.

"I do believe it is going to be a tough race," Stockard said. "With the number of people that I've seen picking up petitions, if they all turn theirs in, definitely there will be (a primary)."

Stockard said her experience on the council has shown her how difficult the job can be and how easy it is to criticize the council's actions.

"When I ran the first time, I thought a lot of things weren't being done right, either," Stockard said. "Until you're sitting there, you can't begin to get a scope of what all is involved in making decisions. Government is not the same as personal business or your for-profit business. It's a lot more involved."

The city must run a primary election in February if the number of candidates for city council reaches 13 or the number for mayor reaches five - an increasingly likely scenario. Up for election are three seats with four-year terms, a two-year term seat, and the mayor.

Stockard said she expects the city council to have some new faces after the April election. Despite the competition, Stockard said she plans to run on a modest budget.

"I don't intend to run it any differently than I've run before," Stockard said. "Every time I've run before it's been on a very low budget."

A resident of Decatur for more than 30 years, Stockard ran for her first term on the city council in 1997, becoming the first female African-American ever to hold the position. Currently, Stockard is the only female and the only African-American on the city council.

Stockard received a bachelor's of science degree in special education from Illinois State University in 1989 and an associate's degree in sociology at Richland Community College in 1986. She led anti-violence efforts in the 1990s prior to serving on the council.

The election is April 7.

klowe@herald-review.com|421-7985