Officials will appoint temporary township supervisor after Bob Shipley’s death
Officials were expected to appoint a temporary replacement for township supervisor Bob Shipley, who died over the weekend.
Shipley, 62, worked as the Granite City Township supervisor for two decades. Before that, he had also been a Granite City alderman, Madison County Board member and executive director of the Metro East Sanitary District.
“There’s a lot of people in Granite City that he’s done something for in a positive manner,” township attorney Tom Schooley said.
The board was expected to meet Tuesday night to consider the appointment.
Schooley and Shipley had known each other since they were students at Granite City High School. They stayed close, going fishing and golfing and coaching their kids’ teams together.
“We raised our families together,” Schooley said. “That’s why he loves this community. It’s because of the people.”
Shipley had been in the hospital for the last week and a half because of heart issues, according to Schooley. He died Sunday at Gateway Regional Medical Center in Granite City.
A visitation is scheduled for 2-8 p.m. Feb. 21 at Irwin Chapel, 3960 Maryville Road in Granite City. A funeral mass will take place at 10 a.m. Feb. 22 at Holy Family Catholic Church in Granite City.
The city clerk’s office confirmed Tuesday that the Feb. 19 meeting agenda was amended to include the temporary appointment of a township supervisor.
Shipley had been re-elected to the position in the April 4, 2017, election by a wide margin. In a candidate questionnaire he filled out before Election Day, he wrote about what he believed the township supervisor’s job description should include.
Along with overseeing the board of trustees and the town funds and services, Shipley said the township supervisor should also be “a personable leader who can make decisions that are for the greater good of the township and…have a strong love for his/her community.”
“It has been an honor to have served my community and to be apart of the Granite City Township,” Shipley wrote.
This story was originally published February 19, 2019 at 12:56 PM.
