The Grant Park Village Board has lost another trustee under the leadership of Village President Ben Detloff — Julie Quinn’s departure marks the fourth person to leave since Detloff took the helm in April 2025.
“It has become increasingly clear that not all residents and their opinions matter, and this is a source of frustration for me,” Quinn wrote in her resignation letter.
When The Vedette initially requested a copy of the resignation letter, Secretary Kerry Zizic advised she needed to confer with Detloff. After that, the letter was “not available.”
After filing a FOIA request, the village’s attorney furnished a notarized copy the same day. Quinn’s resignation letter was dated April 17, though Zizic’s notary seal was not stamped until May 27.
No announcements were made until the end of the June 15 board meeting, when Detloff mentioned he was interviewing candidates for the vacancy.
Prior to Quinn’s departure, Steven Brower left in October 2025, with Dennis Martz and Morgan Whorrall following suit the following month.
Quinn served Grant Park for approximately one year, having been appointed in May 2025. She said it was “her pleasure” to serve the residents of Grant Park, and she intended to find other ways to serve the community.
Detloff said he was already interviewing candidates at the June 15 meeting and expected to fill the vacancy left by Quinn by the first meeting in July.
Police News
The Grant Park Police Department has hired a new full-time police officer, Marco Paramao, Jr., after the board voted in favor and swore him in.
The second-floor air conditioner went out. It, along with the furnace, was replaced at $9,175.00.
Police Chief Aberto Castillo announced the Police Department is partnering with Wick’s Bicycle Shop and Traxx Bar and Grill for the “Helmet Hero” award, which rewards kids for wearing bicycle helmets while riding through town. Those awarded will get a free kid’s pizza and a soft drink from Traxx.
Artisan Market Brings Traffic
During the building and grounds committee report, Trustee Jason Martin also raised the issue of people parking on the grass during the Artisan Market, as ruts remained after the last event.
Trustee Angie Nowak, who heads the law enforcement committee, raised for discussion the idea of adding an extra police officer to patrol during the Artisan Market for up to 6 hours.
Castillo said six hours would include the four hours of the market and the hour before and after, when vendors are setting up and breaking down. It would help with ensuring people are parking in the right areas and help with traffic control with the volume of pedestrians.
Castillo explained the budget impact could be as much as $270 per day if a full-time officer takes the job, which they would have first pick. However, it may not be consistent as they may pass on the extra work, leaving it for part-timers to pick up.
“I don’t think it’s a horrible idea. I know, like the first and second week especially, were really hectic. Nobody knew where to go. Nobody knew where to park. It was very crazy,” Trustee Jodi Wackerlin said, though she wasn’t sure they would need a full six hours.
Martin added that he felt there was a need for it.
Castillo added someone ran over the “internet box,” which cut off internet for residents and the police station.
Trustee Gerry Morgan said he wasn’t opposed but wasn’t totally in favor, as he felt it was good for safety but was a little concerned about the financial impact. He was going to run some numbers and see what it would cost for the duration of the event.
Additional discussion was held regarding the market, including the logistics with parking and space, the finances of it being in the village with regard to extra police and public works participation. Castillo suggested it could be held in a different part of the village, and Detloff suggested it might be possible to move it to the school’s parking lot.
Budget Appropriations Approved
The board held the second reading of the appropriations ordinance, which approves budget expenditures for the upcoming fiscal year. The board approved Grant Park’s budget appropriation at $2,980,613.
Previously, the appropriations included the fest account, but the newest version does not, because the fest is not an appropriation, as it does not rely on taxes, Trustee Gerry Morgan reported.
Downtown Construction Update
Detloff asked for everyone’s opinions on the construction.
Nowak said it was messy, and noted there have been a lot of complaints from those in the village. She encouraged people to be proactive, attend and listen to village board meetings so they would know what was going on and when.
Wackerlin said she wasn’t against the town updating, but was dissatisfied with how the construction has been thus far. She said there were a number of things the contractors advised her and Detloff, like only pulling out the concrete they could replace in a day, and how they would handle traffic, which had not been the case.
Nowak asked if some of the concrete work was delayed by the rain or if the contractors were being negligent.
Wackerlin acknowledged weather could cause delays, but when it does happen, the contractors aren’t blocking off the unfinished street appropriately, which creates a hazard.
Martin said he ran into issues accessing the bank and the post office.
Morgan said he hadn’t experienced the access issues, though it could have been when he wasn’t there. He said he’s used to construction and explained he wasn’t too concerned about it.
“I think it was a misfortune that they broke the water main that time. I think that was something that they should not have been doing, that they should have known where it was and not done that. But it happened, and they fixed that, too. So, it’s moving, and it’s unfortunate, but it’s about the best we can be. So, move ahead,” Morgan added.
Clerk Scott Dillman said he wasn’t sure why no work was being done for three days.
From the residents who attended the meeting, Valgene Raloff said he felt the construction was going well. They have plates over big holes in the road, which is to be expected due to the extent of the construction.
“We’re trying to get through this the best we can. We started this project in the first week of April and we expected this project to take about a year before completion. We’re eight and a half, nine weeks, into this project, so we still have a long way to go,” Detloff said.