By Jeff Vorva

Former Manteno Village Board Trustee Sam Martin was honored at the August 19 board meeting more than a month after he resigned, and Mayor Tim Nugent presented Martin with a plaque. Martin did not make any public comments, except to say “thank you,” and Nugent said Martin did his talking as a trustee. 

“He said everything he needed to say in his 11 years here,” Nugent noted, as he praised Martin for his service and expertise. “I just wanted to acknowledge his time on the board. Sam served on the board from May 6, 2013, to July 2, 2024.

“Sam spent a lot of hours here. He was involved very heavily with all of the activities that have taken place in the village. He walked in the town every morning…he helped make sure things were looking nice, and that things were taken care of.”

Nugent said Martin was a great landscaper, and the village often sought out his advice.

Martin was also the lone voice on the board against the bringing of the Chinese-based Gotion battery factory into the area.

Martin never gave a reason for leaving the board but, in his final meeting on June 17, he and a resident got into a verbal altercation during the public comment period of the meeting, and the resident threatened Martin. 

Martin was replaced by C.J. Boudreau.

New officer

For the second time in a little over a month, a new police officer was sworn in. Jeremy Mrazek, a New Lenox native and Marine veteran, was sworn in at the meeting.

“He still had a strong desire to serve and got involved in law enforcement,” Manteno Police Chief Alan Swinford said. “Through discussions with one of his friends, he became interested in serving the Village of Manteno.”

“I’m grateful for the opportunity to serve and I look forward to meeting everyone soon,” Mrazek said.

In early July, Joshua Spengler was sworn in as a new officer on the Manteno force.

Moment of silence

The board held a moment of silence for former superintendent of public works Brian O’Keefe, who died August 12, at age 64. After leaving the village job, he became a distribution manager for Aqua America.