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Arduini won’t run again in 2014
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WHITESIDE COUNTY, A3
SPORTS, B3
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Tuesday, November 5, 2013
SERVING DIXON AND THE SURROUNDING AREA SINCE 1851
DIXON
Closure wasn’t issue in talks But superintendent says teachers were ‘aware’ of Lincoln possibility Superintendent Michael Juenger asked Director of Buildings and Grounds Kevin Schultz to look into the feasibility of closing a school, and the decision to propose the closure of Lincoln Elementary, in an effort to reduce the district’s budget deficit, was “cemented�
BY MATT MENCARINI mmencarini@saukvalley.com 800-798-4085, ext. 529
DIXON – Publicly, talks about closing Lincoln Elementary School weren’t known until Oct. 16, but the idea had been discussed within the school district for more than a year.
after all schools were visited earlier this year, Juenger said. During a school board meeting Feb. 20, Dixon Education AssociaMichael tion President Juenger Sandra Sodergren-Baar asked Juenger, during the public comments portion of the meeting, whether
rumors of Lincoln’s potential closing were true. Juenger said they weren’t and that “we’ve had no talks about that.� On Monday, he said he was referring to rumors about Lincoln closing for this current academic year, and he said the board had not had formal talks about it closing in the future. “I had asked him that publicly because I had really wanted to know,� Sodergren-Baar said
Monday. “I had heard that was a possibility.� That question came just 8 days before the start of the teachers union strike, which lasted 9 days before it ended March 13. Among the results of the strike is a contract with nearly $290,000 in raises for next school year: about $246,000 for certified staff and $40,000 for support staff, Juenger said. CLOSURE CONTINUED ON A2
DIXON
ANGLERS TRY THEIR LUCK IN DIXON
Nord contract revealed Deal with administrator would run through May 2015; public meeting set BY MATT MENCARINI mmencarini@saukvalley.com 800-798-4085, ext. 529
Alex T. Paschal/apaschal@saukvalley.com
As Mother Nature fires up her fall colors, two men and a dog try their luck fishing on the Rock River on Monday afternoon in Dixon. It likely was a good day to get out, as rain is in the forecast for today and Wednesday.
LEE COUNTY | POLITICS
Fiscal conservative leaving county board Most members poised to seek re-election
Candidates collect signatures People have been picking up petition forms at the Lee County clerk’s office to run for county offices, including County Board, sheriff, treasurer and clerk. For County Board, candidates are required to have a certain number of signatures, depending on a formula based on past elections. No board candidate needs more than 20, according to the clerk’s office.
Candidates must file their petitions between Nov. 25 and Dec. 2. The seats for half of the County Board’s 24 members are up for election next year: District 1 s $AVID 'USSE 2 $IXON s 6ERN 'OTTEL 2 RURAL 3TERLING s -ARILYN 3HIPPERT 2 $IXON District 2 s $ICK "INDER 2 #OMPTON s 'ERALD ,EFFELMAN 2 3UBLETTE
Call the county clerk’s office at 815-288-3309.
fund. And he has called for more consistency in approving the filling of county jobs, persuading his colleagues to vote for a resolution to that effect. At the end of his current term, he will have served 14 years on the board. Another member, Ryan Marshall, R-Dixon, also said he wouldn’t seek a full 4-year term on the County Board, which appointed him earlier this year to replace Dave
Chandler, R-Dixon, who had resigned. Marshall said he was leaving because he needs to focus on his business. “When they asked me to fill the seat, I was interested and gave it a shot,� he said. “I have learned a lot, but it is such a large time commitment. A year and a half I can do, but after that, I can’t.� Board Chairman Rick Ketchum, D-Amboy, said he had heard that all but a few board
members had picked up their petition forms from the county clerk’s office. Candidates have from Nov. 25 to Dec. 2 to file their forms. Of the board’s 24 members, only four are Democrats. But the Republican majority looked past that last year when it elected Ketchum, a staunch Democrat with a union background, as its chairman. “Our party is trying to encourage people to run,� Ketchum said.
BY DAVID GIULIANI dgiuliani@saukvalley.com 800-798-4085, ext. 525
DIXON – Nearly all Lee County Board members up for election next year appear to be seeking re-election. But at least one key member is not. Dick Binder, R-Compton, said Monday he wants to leave, in part, for personal reasons. The 74-yearold joked he wouldn’t be Dick able to vote Binder for himself if he did run because he doesn’t support anyone 75 or older. Binder has been one of a small band of fiscal conservatives on the 24-member board. He has routinely warned his colleagues of shortfalls in the county’s main
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TODAY’S EDITION: 24 PAGES 2 SECTIONS VOL. 163 ISSUE 132
INDEX
BUSINESS ......... A12 COMICS ............... A9 CROSSWORD....B11
DEAR ABBY ......... A8 LIFESTYLE ........... A7 LOTTERY ............. A2
s !LLYN "UHROW 2 !SHTON District 3 s "ERNIE "UCKLEY 2 $IXON s )SAAC -ERCER $ $IXON s 4OM +ITSON 2 $IXON District 4 s *IM 7ENTLING 2 $IXON s "ILL 0ALEN 2 $IXON s -ARVIN 7ILLIAMS 2 $IXON s 2YAN -ARSHALL 2 $IXON
OBITUARIES ........ A4 OPINION .............. A6 SPORTS ...............B1
DIXON – The public will have about 7 days to review David Nord’s contract before the Dixon City Council votes on whether to hire him as city administrator. The contract was placed on file during the City Council meeting Monday night. Nord, the former Cherry Valley village administrator, is the finalist for Dixon’s city administrator position. There will be a special council meeting at 6:30 p.m. Nov. 12 to vote on his hiring. Police Chief Danny Langloss led a 10-person hiring committee that included Commissioners Dennis Considine and Jeff Kuhn. They reviewed the rÊsumÊs of 40 applicants before reaching a consensus on Nord. A verbal agreement was reached Oct. 25, Langloss said. Nord would be the city’s first administrator. CONTRACT CONTINUED ON A4
To attend The public meet-and-greet for David Nord, the finalist to be Dixon’s city administrator, will be from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at The Next Picture Show, 113 W. First St. The Dixon City Council next meets in regular session at 6:30 p.m. Nov. 18 at City Hall, 121 W. Second St., on the second floor in the council chambers. 'O TO WWW $ISCOVER$IXON org or call City Hall at 815288-1485 for an agenda or more information.
Online extra O TO SAUKVALLEY COM TO VIEW ' the proposed contract with City Administrator candidate David Nord.
Today’s weather High 58. Low 48. More on A3.
Need work? Check out your classifieds, B6.
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