Troy City Administrator and former Edwardsville Police Chief Jay Keevan announced today that he is running on the Republican ticket for Illinois’ 112th House District against Democrat incumbent Katie Stuart.
District 112 covers portions of both Madison and St. Clair Counties.
Keeven announced his campaign on Monday during a press conference outside the Madison County Administration Building.
“I’ve watched what happens in Springfield and I know we need better representation at the Capitol, we simply must do better,” Keeven stated in a press release. “The concerns of my neighbors and our citizens here in Madison and St. Clair Counties will be the focus of my campaign. We need an accountable government, we need safe communities, and most of all we need to lower the cost of living.”
Keeven served as an Illinois State trooper for 27 years and then more than eight years as the chief of police in Edwardsville. He currently serves as the city administrator for Troy.
Keeven said that if elected, his work in the legislature would be guided by his experience in local government and law enforcement.
“As the city administrator for Troy and police chief in Edwardsville, I saw what good and accountable government looks like. Taxpayers and citizens get better results from their government when they can knock on the mayor’s door or speak to their local officials at the grocery store. There is true accountability at the local level. That’s the kind of accountability we need in Springfield.”
“As a lifetime law enforcement officer, I know safe communities are the result of a high level of trust and accountability between the public and law enforcement,” he continued. “The anti-police and pro-crime agenda in Springfield is eroding that trust and letting criminals off the hook. Police officers call this new system, under the so-called SAFE-T Act, ‘catch and release,’ and I can tell you it is disheartening when those who commit crimes are back on the street before arrest paperwork is completed by the police officer. That makes families throughout the state less safe.”
Keeven noted that high taxes and the increase in cost of living are particularly on voters’ minds.
“Ironically, today is Tax Day,” he said. “Illinoisans know that the cost of living is out of control and it’s even higher in Illinois due to our high taxes. We must focus on fiscal responsibility. Anyone running a household knows you cannot spend more than you earn for very long before you will go bankrupt. However, our state officials have not yet learned that lesson. Instead, they propose tax hikes to bail out their overspending. We have to get our deficit under control, without balancing the budget on the backs of the Illinois families. If elected, I will work with anyone willing to work with me to balance our budgets, lower our deficit and bring down the cost of living for families in Illinois.”
Keeven is a life-long resident of the Metro-East and has raised his family in Highland and Edwardsville with his wife Shelly “on the values of community, service, and giving back.”
“When I see what I pay in taxes to the State of Illinois and what we as taxpayers receive in return, I’m concerned, not just for me but for my children and grandchildren - and you should be too,” he said. “ I'm here to do something about it.”
Keeven’s opponent, Katie Stuart, took office in 2017. Most recently, she defeated Republican challenger Jennifer Korte in 2022.