Madison County Board approves retired teacher to fill empty seat for now

The new Madison County Board member will not be one of the three candidates currently running for the seat.

Chairman Alan Dunstan nominated William Gushleff of Granite City on Wednesday to fill the vacancy in the 19th District created when Terry Davis resigned. As Davis was a Democrat, only a Democrat could be nominated to fill the seat. However, there are three Democrats running in the primary election, and a Republican has filed to face the winner in the November election.

So instead, Dunstan nominated Gushleff, who is not running for election. Dunstan said he felt it was up to the voters to decide among the candidates. “I felt it was only fair to recommend an individual to fill the vacancy whose name will not be on the primary ballot,” he said.

Gushleff, who was not present at the meeting, was born and raised in Madison and has lived in Granite City for more than 25 years. He is a graduate of Southern Illinois University with a dual major in political science and history and masters in history. He taught American government and history for more than 30 years and has served on the Nameoki Township Board and as an alderman in the city of Madison.

“Bill is very qualified to serve on the Madison County Board and I expect he will make significant contributions during his tenure,” Dunstan said.

Gushleff will serve through December 2016, and then the election winner will take over. His nomination was unanimously approved by the county board. While Gushleff was not present at the meeting, he issued a statement through Dunstan that he considers the appointment “a true honor.”

Democrats Harry Briggs, Donna Davis and Michael Charles Parkinson are running for the 19th District in the primary election. The winner will face Republican Kathy Goclan. All are Granite City residents.

This story was originally published January 21, 2016 at 12:02 PM with the headline "Madison County Board approves retired teacher to fill empty seat for now."