Important Issues

I look forward to working together to find solutions to these and other important issues facing St. Charles now and in the future.

As we face pivotal decisions that will shape the future of St. Charles for generations to come, Clint’s guiding principle will be clear: to do what is in the best interest of all citizens and the City of St. Charles, both today and in the years ahead. 

The redevelopment of Charlestowne Mall

As your mayor, one of my top priorities is redeveloping the Charlestowne Mall property. A redeveloped site will provide the City with much-needed property and sales tax revenue, welcome people to our community, and make the eastern gateway an attractive entrance to our beautiful City of St. Charles.

  • The Charlestowne Mall opened in 1991. Over the years, the retail market shifted, and online sales grew dramatically. Like the Charlestowne Mall, malls built in the 1980s struggled to maintain profitability. The mall saw its anchor stores close, impacting the viability of the remaining stores on the mall's interior. Despite various efforts, the Charlestowne Mall property closed its doors permanently in 2017. Except for Von Maur and the Classic Cinemas, the mall property has remained empty without generating significant tax revenue as the property gradually falls into disrepair. Multiple plans to redevelop the mall property have stalled, and potential buyers have withdrawn their proposals. More recently, the development company Urban Street Group withdrew their proposal to redevelop the site. The City is back to square one.

  • Yes. Redeveloping the Charlestowne Mall is complex but is essential to the future of St. Charles. Surrounding cities such as Aurora (Fox Valley Mall), Bloomingdale (Stratford Square Mall) and West Dundee (Spring Hill Mall) have all attracted developers and approved mixed-use plans to redevelop their aging malls, bringing new life to the properties and prosperity to their communities.

  • As your mayor, I will host in-person and virtual community-wide meetings inviting all St. Charles residents to be updated on the project’s status. The meetings will give residents the opportunity to ask questions and provide input.

    I will provide monthly updates on the City's website for the project. Like the dashboard I worked on developing for the 16th Judicial Circuit to provide transparency to Kane County residents, I would create a dashboard to keep St. Charles citizens updated on the various issues impacting the redevelopment project.

    I will schedule meetings with local mayors to learn more about what they, their city councils, and city staff did to bring their successful mall redevelopment plans to fruition.

The former St. Charles Police Station redevelopment

The St. Charles Police moved into their new station on Main Street in September 2019, leaving the property on Riverside Avenue available for potential redevelopment. Any redevelopment of the site must consider the impact on the surrounding neighborhoods, the needs of the community, and protecting access to the riverfront for walkers and bikers. The riverfront land belongs to the people of the City of St. Charles, and any redevelopment must not impede or obstruct that use.  

  • The former St. Charles Police Station is located at 211 Riverside Avenue, and the property surrounding it is unique and special to the City of St. Charles. The entire piece of property runs along the Fox River. 

    As the City grew, it became clear that the police department had grown out of the building and needed more space. In February 2017, the St. Charles City Council voted to move the police station from the Riverside site to its current location at 1515 W. Main Street.The new police station was opened in September of 2019, allowing the old station to be torn down and the property to be repurposed in a manner that respected its history and unique location.

    In October 2021, the City sought proposals from developers to redevelop the site. After receiving proposals and selecting two for further consideration (Frontier Development and Murphy Development), the City held public hearings.

    In December of 2022, after public hearings, the City rejected the proposals and returned to the drawing board.

  • I support the City Council's decision to hire consultants to conduct a feasibility study. The study will provide important information about the site and help all parties decide the best path forward. The feasibility study was approved in May 2024, and the City expects to receive the results sometime in January or February 2025.

  • Relying on the experience I gained as Chief Judge of the 16th Judicial Circuit during COVID, opening the lines of communication with stakeholders as soon as possible and being transparent throughout the process is critical to a successful outcome.


    I will immediately contact and seek input from the various stakeholders on which the redevelopment project will impact. Regardless of the feasibility study results, understanding the concerns of the affected neighborhoods, businesses, and other governmental agencies about the site's future is critical to ensuring the site's redevelopment is one that the City can be proud of.

Early Renewal of the IMEA Energy Contract

The City of St. Charles is currently evaluating a proposal from the Illinois Municipal Electric Agency (IMEA) to extend their energy contract through 2055, ahead of the original renewal date set for 2030. In response, Clint Hull opposes this early renewal, believing the City should take additional time to fully explore all options before committing to such a long-term agreement. Hull suggests hiring an independent energy consultant to assist the City Council, staff, businesses, and residents in making an informed decision that best serves the community’s long-term interests.

  • The City of St. Charles has a contract with Illinois Municipal Electric Agency (IMEA) that runs through 2035. When the original contract was signed, both parties agreed that a decision to renew the contract would be made in 2030. In April of 2024, IMEA approached the City of St. Charles and its other members and asked the City of St. Charles to extend the current contract through 2055. IMEA has given the City of St. Charles until April 30, 2025, to decide whether to extend the contract.  

  • I am opposed to early renewal of the contract with IMEA through 2055. Because the City has no responsibility under the signed contract to make a renewal decision until 2030, they should not feel pressured to do so. The City should take the time it needs to make sure it exercises its due diligence before making such an important decision. 

  • I believe the City of St. Charles should follow the same path recently approved by fellow IMEA member the City of Naperville and hire an energy consultant to assist the city council, city staff, businesses, and citizens in understanding and evaluating all available options before making a decision on early renewal. 

    Peter Suhr, Director of Public Works, and his staff have appeared in front of the Government Services Committee on multiple occasions and have done an excellent job of providing the city council with a comprehensive overview of the IMEA contract, including the different alternatives available to procure power, and options to consider when making its decision. However, despite their comprehensive overview, I still believe there are additional steps that can and should be taken to ensure the City of St. Charles is making a decision that is in the best interest of all its residents, present and future, before deciding whether to extend IMEA’s contract until 2055.  

    Hiring an energy consultant will supplement and enhance the information and recommendations already provided by city staff, and put the City Council in a better position to understand its options when procuring energy and the ancillary services for the City of St. Charles for generations to come.

The future of the St. Charles Dam

The Fox River has and will continue to play an essential role in the life of St. Charles residents. Whether walking its banks, canoeing or kayaking, fishing, or cruising the river in a motorboat, people of all ages enjoy the Fox River. The St. Charles Dam, initially built in the 1800s and located between the St. Charles Municipal Building and the historic Hotel Baker, has been instrumental in developing St. Charles and providing its citizens with recreational and economic opportunities.

  • In September 2023, the future of the St. Charles Dam was the subject of an Army Corps of Engineering Report. The Army Corps of Engineers released a draft of an environmental assessment. For environmental reasons, they recommended removing the St. Charles dam and eight other dams along the Fox River throughout the far western suburbs. 

    The Army Corps and the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (the dam’s owner) incentivized St. Charles and surrounding communities if they committed to removing the dams. If the City of St. Charles committed to removing the dam, they would pay 100% of the cost of the dam’s removal. However, if the City opposed the removal of the dam, it would be expected to take over its ownership, maintenance, and liability in perpetuity.

    The City of St. Charles and the St. Charles Park District formed the St. Charles Dam Task Force in February 2024. The Joint Task Force gathered information about the dam’s economic, environmental, and recreational impacts on the City, Park District, residents, and businesses. Initially, the Army Corps gave the City until March 2025 to inform them of the decision. The Army Corp has recently extended the deadline to Spring 2026. It is unclear if the Army Corps will move forward with its plan requiring St. Charles to decide whether to remove or take ownership of the dam.

  • I believe it is in the City’s best interest to continue to monitor the actions and requests of the Army Corps and Illinois Department of Natural Resources before taking any position or action on the dam’s future. Additionally, the City should prioritize working collaboratively with the River Corridor Foundation to consider the different initiatives they have put forward for consideration.

    Unless future studies demonstrate that maintaining the dam "as is" is cost-prohibitive or endangers the safety of our residents, I am in favor of keeping the dam operating as it has been since it was initially built. As a lifelong resident and elected member of the Park Board from 1996-2004, I understand the importance the dam has played in our City's history.  The dam has and will continue to provide recreational and economic opportunities for our residents.