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Mayor Jeff Hendricks resigns from Benld City Council
Lynn Fraelle and Gloria Sidar join the Council
Gloria Sidar, Jim Kelly, and Lynn Fraelle were all sworn in during the special meeting on August 1.
The announcement came late in the meeting during the special council meeting on Wednesday, August 1. Hendricks has been mayor since the death of Matt Turcol. He was appointed mayor from the council in January of 2011 and was up for reelection in April of 2013.
Jim Kelly sworn in.
“There is a lot on the plate for this little town,” Hendricks opened as he addressed the council of his resignation. He went on to confess that he did not abate the taxes this year for the sewer grants. “That has given the council an opportunity to pay off the sewer bonds virtually immediately. I know it was a hard pill to swallow, I included, but I sat here many months ago with an elderly lady that had 6 feet of sewage in her basement. I looked her in the eye and told her, ‘I will do anything possible as soon as I can.”
Now, the sewer bonds will go away and the council will have funds to direct toward a grant. The council needed $75,000 for the matching grant if the grant comes through. If it does not come through, they will need a lot more. “This council will have to act by resolution and probably a new ordinance from whatever tax money is left from not abating those taxes toward a fund for the sewers,” Hendricks explained. “You have to find a way to fund these sewers. Half of the town drowns when it rains and that has to stop.”
Mayor Hendricks went on to say that the water meters need to be moved on quickly as well after Bernot explained that he filed for an extension on the water grant. He also said the reader for the radio read meters has arrived.
Lynn Fraelle sworn in.
Finally, Hendricks said he never had any intentions of being mayor. “I tried to do the best I could with the time I had, I hope I did not wrong anyone. Every individual has one obligation: the City of Benld. There will be times when you have to tell citizens ‘no’, but do not ever lie to them and tell them you will when you won’t and don’t every make anything your personal agenda.” He went on to leave the council with one last note: finances and reality will dictate decisions, so make your decisions accordingly.
Effective immediately, Jeff Hendricks resigned his position as Mayor of Benld. Community members that were public at the meeting gave Hendricks a standing ovation while Lynn Fraelle and Cathy Petrak personally thanked Hendricks from the Build Benld Committee and the Senior Center. He will be relocating in the next few weeks and can no longer serve as mayor. If that was not the case, Hendricks would have “gladly” finished out his term.
Before Hendricks made his announcement, he announced that two other aldermen had resigned from the council. Dave Chiardo resigned on the July 9 meeting, but Mike Hedrick and John Grewe resigned after the meeting was over. The council “reluctantly” accepted both resignations leaving three vacancies on the council. In the July meeting, Mayor Hendricks appointed Jim Kelly to take over Ward #3. Kelly was officially sworn in during Wednesday’s special meeting.
Mayor Hendricks still had the power to appoint new aldermen in both vacancies for Ward #1 to replace Mike Hedrick and John Grewe. He first appointed Lynn Fraelle to fill Mike Hedricks vacancy. The council stalemated the nomination 2-2 after Jim Tilashalski and Peyton Bernot voted ‘no’ and Mickey Robinson and Jim Kelly voted ‘yes’. Hendricks then nominated Gloria Sidar to the vacancy and the same outcome happened again. According to the Illinois Statute 65ILS5/3.1-10-15 paragraph E, Hendricks has the power to appoint one of the two nominations to the vacancy. He appointed Lynn Fraelle to the position.
Gloria Sidar sworn in.
To fill the second vacancy left by John Grewe, the mayor appointed Gloria Sidar to the position. The council approved Sidar to the position with a 3-2 vote, Tilishalski and Bernot voting ‘no’ while Robinson, Kelly, and Fraelle voting ‘yes’.
Without the resignation of mayor on the agenda, the council was unable to appoint a new mayor to the position Wednesday evening. Mickey Robinson motioned to have a special meeting Saturday, August 4 to nominate a new mayor to replace Jeff Hendricks. The motion passed 6-0.
The position will be based on nominations from the council. If there is only one nomination among the council, that alderman is the predetermined mayor. If there is more than one nomination, the council will vote on every nominee. Whichever nominee has the most “yes” votes will become the new Mayor of Benld. If the council is at a stalemate with a 3-3 vote on all nominees, they continue to vote until some forges to the opposite side.
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Another major winter storm is forecasted to blanket the BenGil area in heavy rains, flooding and snowfall starting Wednesday night through Thursday.
The mixture of precipitation and rapidly changing weather likely will produce the potential for sudden icing on roads, with high winds leading to blowing snow and reduced visibility.
“The Illinois Department of Transportation’s snow-and-ice teams will be prepared and out in force, but the public needs to be ready for conditions to change quickly and worsen if they are out on the roads,” said Illinois Transportation Secretary Omer Osman. “As always during periods of extreme weather, the safest option is to postpone any unnecessary trips and stay home. If you must travel, prepare for very slow and potentially hazardous conditions. And please slow down around our plows and other emergency vehicles, giving them plenty of room to do their jobs.”
The National Weather Service is predicting a wintry mix of precipitation to start with thunderstorms and heavy rain in much of the state this evening, converting to freezing rain overnight before turning to snow Thursday morning. In addition to localized flooding, ice and sleet accumulations are likely, creating extremely slippery surfaces and slick conditions.
Due to the rainy conditions ahead of temperatures falling overnight, the effectiveness of pretreating and salting surfaces in advance of significant snowfall will be limited. The public should anticipate icy conditions even when roads appear clear and greatly reduce speeds.
“As the Illinois State Police plans to take on the unpredictable Illinois weather, we would like to remind motorists to do their part in keeping the roads a safe place,” said Illinois State Police Director Brendan F. Kelly. “ISP, alongside IDOT and other agencies, will be working in hazardous weather conditions. Please remember to slow down, stay vigilant and move over for ANY vehicle on the side of the road.”
Statewide, IDOT has available more than 1,800 trucks and equipment to plow, treat roads and respond to weather emergencies. If you encounter a plow or any maintenance vehicle during your travels, please slow down, increase your following distance and remain patient. Do not attempt to pass – conditions in front of the plow will be worse than behind it.
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Police are investigating the death of a Bunker Hill woman who was found dead at the end of her driveway near the roadway on Monday morning, January 31.
Nancy Blycker, 91, had multiple injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene, according to police. The Macoupin County Sheriff’s Office received a 911 call to the 2900 block of Wood Hill Lane around 7:40 a.m. on Monday.
The initial suspicion was homicide, according to a release by the Major Case Squad of Greater St. Louis who said approximately 20 investigators were working the investigation, but the autopsy contradicted that suspicion.
The Major Case Squad said on Tuesday it is “highly unlikely” Blycker’s death was the “result of homicidal means.”
The Major Case Squad turned the case back over to the Macoupin County Sheriff’s Department. The official cause of death is pending further lab analysis.
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The National Weather Service has issued a Winter Storm Warning for the BenGil area, southwestern Illinois, and the St. Louis area.
The warning was issued early Tuesday taking effect at midnight tonight until noon on Thursday, February 3 calling for a “wet, heavy” snow. The forecast also calls for ice prompting a warning about possible power outages.
“All indications continue to point to a disruptive, impactful, and dangerous winter storm impacting the region starting late tonight and lasting through Thursday night,” the National Weather Service said in its Area Forecast Discussion.
The BenGil area is expected to receive heavy mixed precipitation including snow accumulations between 6 and 10 inches, sleet accumulations around three-quarters of an inch, and ice accumulations around two-tenths of an inch. Wind gusts will be as high as 35 mph on Thursday.
The storm is expected to start with rain most of the day today before transitioning into a mixture of freezing rain and/or sleet Tuesday night, then all snow Wednesday morning or as late as Wednesday afternoon continuing until about noon on Thursday.
