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MANTENO – For Annette LaMore, becoming mayor of Manteno wasn’t something she thought about six months or even a year ago.
It’s something she’s wanted for a long time – 12 years to be almost exact.
“I’ve been very excited about this,” said LaMore after being sworn in Monday night at the village board meeting.
“I thought about running a long time ago in 2013,” she said. “And when I finished my first term in office [as a trustee], but it just wasn’t the right time for me. I love being in a position like this. I’m comfortable here, except I did make a lot of tiny mistakes tonight, but I’ll get better on that.”
LaMore’s mistakes were minor in getting the feel for running the board meeting, following the sequence of items on the agenda and knowing when a motion is needed and when to call for a vote.
“I’ll get better on that,” she said. “I’m not too worried about it, but I think together, we’re going to do good things in Manteno, and I think people are going to notice change. They will notice change.”
LaMore was sworn in along with new trustees Mike Barry and Peggy Vaughn along with newly-elected clerk Keri Rolniak. It signaled a beginning for the four – all members of the Manteno Freedom Party.
Also sworn in was CJ Boudreau, who was appointed last summer to fill the unexpired term of Sam Martin, and was re-elected April 1.
Boudreau, a Manteno Choice Party candidate, sits with fellow party members Todd Crockett, Joel Gesky and Annette Zimbelman. Zimbelman was selected two weeks ago by outgoing Mayor Tim Nugent to replace Wendell Phillips, who resigned due to health reasons.
The Choice Party will hold a 4-2 edge on any votes before the board.
“I’m glad we have a little bit of diversity here, because before we didn’t have much at all,” LaMore said. “Everybody always voted for everything. So this is what makes a board good, when you have people with different ideas coming together and talking and giving different opinions.”
LaMore is well aware of the majority that the Choice Party maintains. It bothers her a little, but she’s not deterred.
“So I guess I have to work hard, communicate with the people who don’t want to vote my way, and maybe we’ll come to an agreement sometime,” she said. “That’s what I’m hoping for.”
LaMore also said her goal is to be fair, honest and “absolutely” be transparent.
“All the things I said [Monday night], I tried to say in a nice way,” she said. “I don’t want anybody’s feelings to get hurt, because I’m not in a hurry to hire somebody. But so far, we haven’t been allowed to make very many decisions, because we’re so outnumbered.”
LaMore also noted there’s a wide range of age groups among the trustees, and they’re not always supposed to think alike.
“We’re supposed to see the things that we see and vote our hearts so our differences are what’s going to make our community better,” she said. “Because we’re going to pick and choose, and we’re going to vote for what’s good and come out with the best solutions, because together we’re better than we are separately.”
Barry also learning
Monday’s first board meeting was also a learning experience for Barry.
“We’re new, and I just feel that I want to work together with everybody,” he said. “... I’m an open-minded individual. I’ve been doing construction for a long time. I’m pretty knowledgeable about a lot of stuff. I just feel like [Monday night’s] meeting, there was a lot thrown on our plate, a lot of big decisions thrown on our plate.”
Once the nearly 90-minute meeting came to a close, Barry said he appreciated the assistance from the longtime board members and village administrator Chris LaRocque, who answered a couple of his questions about agenda items.
“I’m looking forward to working with everybody here, and hopefully we can work together,” he said. “We’re not going to agree to disagree all the time, but that’s what makes government good, the best. Transparency is huge for me. So if anybody would ever need anything, please reach out to me.”
During her time to speak at the end of the meeting, Vaughn said winning the election was not just a personal dream, but a collective victory.
“I’m deeply honored to have your trust and support,” Vaughn said. “First and foremost, I want to thank each and every one of you who believed in us, supported our campaign and cast your vote. Your confidence in our vision, our leadership is profoundly humbling.”
Vaughn said they need to move forward together and make the village the best it can be.
“It’s a good village,” she said. “We all live here. We all love it, and I think we can build a bright future. I want to see our town safe, ... and I just hope that we can all work together to make this a great town.”
Boudreau said he was thankful for the opportunity to serve as trustee again, and he’s committed as a lifelong “Mantenoan.”
“I didn’t know anybody 10 months ago who was on the board, and now I do,” he said. “... I just met Mike [Barry] tonight. I really find that this could be a really good thing again.”