Nathan Benoit was appointed to fill the Kankakee County Board District 28 seat formerly held by Amanda Armer-Irps, who had resigned following a move out of her district.
Benoit, a mortgage broker, was the sole applicant for the seat.
Chair Matthew Alexander-Hildebrand spoke briefly before the vote, noting that when he came to the board, he felt there was a need for more youthful representatives in government.
“The experience of some on this board being able to mentor young people and get them involved, I think that’s just what we need for the future of this county and future of this country. So, I couldn’t be happier to appoint this young man,” Alexander-Hildebrand said.
Alexander-Hildebrand called attention to Benoit’s qualifications, including his financial knowledge and goals of bringing transparency and accountability to county government, stating it was “everything that we embody here.”
The board voted unanimously to approve the appointment.
The District 21 vacancy resulting from Peggy Sue Munday’s resignation is yet to be filled; though it was discussed at the previous meeting, the vacancy was formalized at the October meeting.
The board also approved a slew of committee and commission appointments and reappointments, as well as to the River Conservancy Board, and the Exline Creek Drainage District.
Additionally, the board announced a number of openings, mostly in various drainage districts.
Several Kankakee County employees reached milestones and were recognized, including: Frederick “JR” Meyer for 10 years with the highway department; Timothy Billings for the same; Dr. Jeffrey Long for 20 years with the Kankakee County Sheriff’s; and Neal Currier and Chinyere Edwards, each for 25 years with the probation department.
Also honored at the meeting was Dow Chemical for hosting an emergency response exercise.
In other news, the board approved a Resolution in Support of the Local Health Protection Grant Expansion and a resolution approving Allone Health employee assistance. The board authorized Chairman Alexander-Hildebrand to sign agreements for healthcare and dental insurance.
An amendment was made to the Animal Control Ordinance to update the fee schedule to raise fees associated with animal care; the last time fees were raised was in 2018.
The board also approved the State’s Attorney’s Appellate Prosecutor Program.
Several members of the public came to address the Kankakee County Board, with comments ranging from concerns about Gotion to alleged issues with corruption and voter fraud.
Robert Snipes attended the Kankakee County Board meeting on October 14 to state he has always lived within Kankakee County and his address had not changed in more than 31 years, refuting the statement made by former board member Peggy Sue Munday, who made a quip about Snipes’ residency during her resignation statement in September.
“Stop your defamation and slander on my character and name simply because I choose not to participate in your lies or the fraud. Be honest and transparent and stop lying and defrauding the public. To state that I don’t live in my abode suggest to the people of this county that I was lying and deceiving the people and defrauding them when the real culprits did it and hid it before your very eyes,” Snipes said, later levying his own allegations of corruption in the county board in his statement.
Next, Brian Jones, of Winnebago County, spoke to alert Kankakee County board members of potential voter fraud after the organization he volunteers for, Unite for Freedom, discovered “not all votes counted were valid and accurate under the law. These findings are substantial and warrant careful consideration.”
Jones exceeded the three-minute public comment rule and was cut off; however, Jody Zipco came to the podium and continued his comment, which included making requests to secure the election process in 2026. She, too, exceeded public comment, with Ken Zipco carrying on the statement.
The final public commenter, Babe Paukstys, spoke and asked the county board to support the work of Unite for Freedom.
On a positive note, any veteran can visit the Dental Group of Bourbonnais on November 7, between 9 a.m. and noon, for a free dental cleaning, extraction, or filling, resident James Wasser informed the Kankakee County Board. Wasser said if noon arrives but a veteran has not yet been seen, they would receive a voucher to make an appointment.
Wasser also inquired as to whether the Kankakee County board would issue a moratorium or whether there would be so many acres of solar farm allowed in the county and brought up Gotion Industries and his concerns regarding delayed contractor payments; Alexander-Hildebrand advised they would look into it.
Stephanie Irvine is a freelance reporter.