Following the April 1 election, a new face has appeared among the Waterloo City Council, planning to keep his door open and looking to take care of the city’s present while preparing for its future,

Jordon Riley took the four-year Ward 4 seat earlier this spring, winning a fairly tight race against Ryan Hirsch for the position left open by the departure of Russ Row, who opted not to run.

As Riley recalled, he’s lived in Waterloo for roughly 30 years, having moved to the community back when he was 11 years old.

He graduated from Waterloo High School in 2003 and stayed in the community while he was attending Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, graduating with a bachelors in business administration.

After college, he worked at Allsup in Belleville and TD Ameritrade before settling into his current position as a compliance officer at Edward Jones, where he’s worked since 2019.

With a background in financial service, Riley explained that his professional experience has helped him develop a particular focus when it comes to serving those who depend on him.

“With my role being in compliance, particularly at Edward Jones, we do what’s best for the client regardless of the firm,” Riley said. “A lot of times they go hand in hand, what’s good for one is good for both, but I have a mindset of the clients – in this case the residents of Waterloo – they’re who hired me, who elected me to this position, so I want to make sure that the city continues to work in the best interest of residents.”

Riley also discussed what got him interested in pursuing a position in city government to begin with.

As he recalled, his involvement in city politics really began back in 2020 and 2021 when he began attending meetings to voice his thoughts on Country Club Road, which he said was in need of repairs as it had turned into a busier road.

His regular meeting attendance persisted and increased as he found himself wanting to contribute more to the community. The news that Row didn’t plan on running for re-election solidified his interest in pursuing a seat on the board.

“That was the gateway into working with the city, and I’ve gone to meetings since then and voiced my concerns on things,” Riley said. “I’ll ask questions when something comes up. What that led to was I knew that I could be a representative for where I live currently, and I know I can do it well. I know I want to do it. I have a desire to make sure that Waterloo stays great, that we grow appropriately and that we have a conscious mind to make sure we’re doing everything right for the citizens that are here now and planning for future growth and how that’s going to change.”

Around a month since he was sworn in, Riley spoke positively about his experience on the board as he’s attended several meetings now in a new chair, though he noted that the alderman position involves much more than just attending meetings.

“It is definitely different being on the other side,” Riley said. “You’re very conscious of how things work. You’ve always gotta make sure we see the bigger picture on everything. Every decision that is made by the council, how will it be taken down the road?”

He remarked that, for being a part-time job, it’s already pulling him in many directions while keeping him plenty busy alongside his fellow aldermen.

Riley was positive about the current state the city is in and the direction it’s moving, commenting that his fellow council members have the best interest of Waterloo’s residents in mind.

“The city has a good footprint on wanting to not move to fast,” Riley said. “We don’t want to make decisions too rash. We’d rather think about them a little more than we need to than not enough.”

Riley also stressed communication as a key part of his plan for his aldermanic career.

He invited folks to reach out to him and his fellow aldermen with their concerns, saying he wants to always be available for residents.

“I want to keep the lines of communication open between not only residents and the city but also with the city employees as well,” Riley said. “I want to make sure that they’re aware that I’m available any time.”