Thursday Feb. 25, 2016 Vol. 3, No. 50
The Weekly Post
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Mum’s the word on Brimfield superintendent search By BILL KNIGHT
BRIMFIELD – The Board of Education on Wednesday (Feb. 17) rejected jobsearch assistance for a new superintendent in silence, but the vote made a statement. “We don’t need outside help,” the majority seemed to say. After a closed session of about 90 minutes, the seven-member board returned and promptly defeated a motion to hire a consultant for the search to replace Superintendent/High School Principal Joe For The Weekly Post
Early voting offered for 2016 primary By BILL KNIGHT
In less than three weeks, Illinois voters can cast ballots in the 2016 Primary Election, but early-voting opportunities are abundant for people in The Weekly Post area. First, there are some contested races and a couple of referendums. On the Democratic ballot, six choices remain in the race for the presidential nomination, including Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders (and also Martin O’Malley, who withdrew from the campaign), plus candidate delegates to the convention from the 17th or 18th Congressional Districts; three candidates for the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senator and Jodi Hoos and Sonni Williams running fo fill Judge Michael Brandt’s seat on the bench. Knox Democratic voters also can choose between two candidates for State’s Attorney at the March 15 primary. On the Republican ballot, 11 names appear for president, including Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio, Donald Trump,
Blessman, who’s resigning effective June 30. Scott Bauer and Constance Johnson supported the move; Maribeth Dura, David Harmon, Dan Heinz, Mark Hoerr and John Moon opposed it. There was no debate, public explanation or comment from board members. “They’re going to do it on their own,” Blessman said. The Board had heard two presentations about the search, from Tom Leahy of the Illinois Association of School Boards (IASB) in Springfield, who helped Brim-
field with its 2012 search, and Farmington Superintendent John Asplund, who consulted with Elmwood and ROWVA school districts for superintendent searches in the last few years. Leahy and the IASB in executive searches would offer a nationwide effort for a fee of $6,400; Asplund’s approach is more focused on a 12-county area and would charge $3,800. Explaining their services – ranging from screening applicants according to Board criteria and staff/community input
MR. CLEAN
Window washer clears up the work
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Area townships prepping for less assistance By BILL KNIGHT
For The Weekly Post
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– both men stressed how significant the process should be, and also mentioned scheduling challenges and pitfalls to avoid, such as common but illegal interview questions. “This [search] is your most important task,” said Leahy, whose service includes board training and a community survey. “The person in that role is key. We suggest moving quickly.” Asplund said that instead of a survey, he’d convene a community-engagement
People who use roads and bridges want them smooth and safe, but nobody wants to pay more taxes than necessary, so Peoria County townships may face a dilemma as financial reality sinks in like a tire in a pothole. Township Road Commissioners and Trustees are working on budgets that won’t receive the level of county aid to which they’d become accustomed. Peoria County has stopped offering seal-coating services to townships and cut back assistance for joint bridge repair and replacement projects from 75 percent of the costs to 50 percent. “Higher costs to the townships will result in higher taxes or lower services,” said Jubilee Township Supervisor Steve Garnett. “Clearly, it can’t be an advantage in that we were happy with the county seal-coating and could utilize the funds there in the past but can’t in the future.” “For a variety of reasons the county no longer offers seal-coating services to the townships, nor do we subsidize the purchase of materials like aggregate or salt,” said County Administrator Scott Sorrel. “The most prevalent reasons are financial and risk For The Weekly Post
By BILL KNIGHT
FARMINGTON – Whether an IT tech or a chimney sweep, some jobs can be overlooked even if they seem almost indispensable. A window washer is one, and that’s the vocation of 54year-old Truman Schuck. Arriving in a cloud of gravel dust one morning last week, Schuck parks his dark blue Chevy S-10 pickup, folds out of it like a Swiss Army knife, adjusts his sunglasses, gathers his tools and gets to work. “Hey, boss,” he greets a homeowner and a visitor. “Great day.” Working throughout central Illinois, Weekly Post readers may have seen him on the job in BrimFor The Weekly Post
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Window washer Truman Schuck of Peoria is a familiar figure in many area towns. Photos by Bill Knight.
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