After a little more than an hour on the job, new Manteno Mayor Annette LaMore was feeling frustrated.
The new board of trustees was sworn in on April 21, and the scoreboard reads 4-2 in favor of Gesky’s Choice Party over LaMore’s Freedom Party.
The first major vote of the new administration saw the Choice Party winning a decision to retain Chris LaRocque as village administrator, Alan Swinford as police chief, and Jim Hanley as public works director and give them one-year at-will contracts.
LaMore’s running mates – Mike Barry and Peggy Vaughn – joined the mayor in requesting more time to gather information before making a huge decision. They said they had nothing against the trio, but wanted to be better informed about their job duties.
Trustees Joel Gesky, who lost to LaMore in the April 1 mayoral election, CJ Boudreau, Todd Crockett, and newly appointed Annette Zimbelman argued these contracts were temporary and could be changed by the mayor and board at any time, but with paying a three-months severance to the employees.
When trustees said they were worried that if the three were not under contract, other towns could “poach” them, that caused some members of the crowd to yell.
After the 4-2 vote to not table the decisions and the 4-2 votes for each contract, LaMore was exasperated with the process.
“It’s obvious to me we have no voting power tonight,” she said. “If everything is going to stay the way it is, I guess we’re just going to have to see what happens.
“I just feel like there is something here that is not quite fair, because we don’t have a choice. I’ve only been your mayor for, what, an hour and a half, so what do I know about the whole scope of everything? We wanted some time. We just didn’t want to push this through tonight.”
During the board comments section, LaMore and the six trustees all vowed to work together and, despite the animosity of the two slates during the election, vote on what’s best for the village.
During Boudreau’s speech, residents yelled that his side had complete control of the board, and he was a part of ‘Nugent’s Mafia.’ He said, “Thank you very much for showing your class.
“Again, I’ve been called the ‘mafia,’ and I’ve been called everything. I’ve lived here all 26, almost 27, years of my life. I’m really open. If you have anything negative to say about me, say it to my face. I can take it like a man.”
He added he did want to work with everyone on the board, even during the disagreements.
LaMore knows there will be more arguments ahead and hopes they will be constructive.
“It’s a good thing we’re not all the same,” she said. “If we were all the same, what a crummy board we would be. If everybody votes ‘yes,’ or everybody votes ‘no,’ that’s not good.
“We want people from different walks of life with different ideas, and that’s what we are working at. Our differences are what’s going to make our community better.”
Gesky not resigning
During the public comment section of the meeting, a resident took exception to Gesky not defending the public in an email exchange with Gotion representative Andy Wheeler, and said that Gesky threatened a veterans organization on Election Day.
He asked for Gesky to resign on the spot.
Gesky denied the threat to the veterans group and declined to resign.
Motel plans on running again
Paul Motel, a Freedom Party member who was narrowly beaten for the final trustee spot on the board, said he accepts the public’s vote, but he plans on running again in two years and targeted Gesky, Crockett, and Zimbelman.
“I can assure you I’m going to continue to stand up and speak up for what is right,” Motel said. “With that being said, I’m putting you three on this side of the room on notice and, in 2027, I’m coming for one of those seats.”
Gotion supports Trump
During and after the presidential election, anti-Gotion residents gleefully predicted Donald Trump would get rid of the China-based vehicle battery company – and others – during previous public comment sessions. Gotion is opening a plant in town.
But there are reports Gotion officials donated $1 million to Trump’s inaugural committee, so there’s speculation Trump won’t be involved in shutting it down.
Gov. JB Pritzker, a Gotion supporter, addressed it during a recent speech in Jacksonville. On this issue, it appears Pritzker and Trump could be on the same page, and that’s not good for the anti-Gotion residents in the village.
“I think it’s ironic, perhaps there are other words to use, that there were people who criticized us bringing 2,600 jobs and billions of dollars of investments to the State of Illinois by this company and yet those same people are supporters of the president who has accepted a $1 million contribution from them,” Pritzker said.