Monday, Nov. 02, 2009

O'Fallon mayor to announce alderman replacement pick

O'FALLON -- Mayor Gary Graham is expected to announce today who he will appoint to replace an alderman who recently resigned.

Graham did not reveal the names of the pair who applied to fill the spot opened when three-term Alderman Allen Medford resigned effective at the end of the Oct. 19 City Council meeting.

"(Medford) recommended one of them, and the other guy has been very active in the community, too," Graham said of the hopefuls. "They're both extremely qualified candidates."

Graham said he didn't know for sure why more people weren't interested in the position.

"I don't know if it is the time of year or the weather or what," Graham said. "But it is a big commitment, and when you sign up to do something like this, you open yourself up to a lot of scrutiny, so maybe that is part of it.

O'Fallon has seen quite a bit of City Council turnover in the last six months.

John West resigned his Ward 7 seat in April to accept an appointment to the St. Clair County Board. He was replaced by Tom Faulkner, who resigned two months later amid allegations that he embezzled $250,000 from his employer, St. Louis-based Ralston-Purina Petcare. David Cozad was chosen to fill the seat after Faulkner's resignation.

In addition to the mid-term changes, incumbent Alderman Mary Schmidt was defeated in the April election by Gene McCoskey for a Ward 1 seat.

Medford announced his resignation last month, citing a desire to live closer to his family in South Carolina. Medford has a progressive form of multiple sclerosis which requires him to use an electric wheelchair.