By Jeff Vorva
Ulcers and Gotion and many other tough issues were a byproduct of Ryan Marion’s tenure in Manteno.
Marion survived some tough times and was lauded for his near decade of service to Manteno. The 34-year-old village’s director of building and zoning is stepping down after seven years in that role and nine years of work total in the village, reportedly to spend time on a business venture.
At Marion’s final village board meeting on May 20, Village Administrator Chris LaRocque paid tribute to him, and said: “I want to say how much I’ve enjoyed working with him and what a great job he’s done for the village. He came in as a fairly young man, and he obviously cared a great deal about the village and the job, and for his 30th birthday, the village gave him an ulcer.
“That just showed how much he cared about what he was doing. We will certainly miss him. He’s been a great asset to the village, and we really appreciated all he has done.”
Marion, however, won’t be completely out of the public eye. In April, Marion was appointed to the Kankakee County Board as Manteno’s representative in District 6. The Republican was voted in by a 19-4 count. One of the dissenting votes came from John Fetherling of District 7, citing a conflict of interest because of Marion’s affiliation with the village, but that is now a moot point.
Marion replaced Ray Fairchild on the board, as Fairchild resigned in February.
Marion has been a key player in trying to bring Gotion EV battery factory to town and at least one group – No Go On Gotion – urged the board not to appoint Marion and supported Ryan McHeffey for the position.
Trustee Todd Crockett praised Marion at the May 20 meeting.
“Ryan, you are going to be greatly missed,” Crockett said. “The years you have been here, you’ve done an outstanding job. I’ve loved working with you. I know it’s kind of a thankless job, and you are put in some tough positions – positions that many of us in this room would not want to be put in. But you did it professionally, and I’m proud to say I had the opportunity to work alongside of you.”
Marion did not publicly speak at the meeting.
Mayor Tim Nugent was absent from the meeting, but Mayor Pro Tem Joel Gesky also had parting words for Marion.
“We have big shoes to fill,” Gesky said. “We have a few job postings out there, and I don’t know if we have anyone yet who can fill your shoes, but we will wait and see, and time will tell.”
Tenco tizzy
During the normally lively public comments at the beginning of the meeting, some residents angrily complained about the village’s use of Bourbonnais-based Tenco Excavating for its park projects. Some accused the board of nepotism in awarding Tenco the projects.
Later in the meeting, the board voted to award Tenco a $595,100.14 bid for the first phase of improvements to Legacy Park.
“The next closest bid was $105,000 higher,” Gesky said. “And two more were substantially higher.”
Some members of the audience interrupted the meeting, while the board was trying to explain the process.