Belleville alderman stepping down, union leader tapped to replace him
Ed Dintelman is resigning as Ward 5 alderman on June 1 after serving 11 years on Belleville City Council.
In an interview after Monday night’s meeting, Dintelman, 71, said health problems are prompting him to leave now instead of waiting until his four-year term ends in April.
“I was in the hospital at least five times last year, and my memory’s not very good anymore,” he said. “... I came here to do a job, and I did it.”
At the meeting, Mayor Jenny Gain Meyer recommended appointing union leader and community volunteer Jeff Collier to fill Dintelman’s unexpired term. The City Council approved the appointment 15-0, with Ward 3 Alderman Scott Ferguson absent.
Collier, 43, said he looks forward to serving Belleville residents.
“Being a union representative all these years, I’ve learned that people need information and resources, and if they have that, it can solve a lot of their problems,” he said.
From Little Devils to City Council
Dintelman is a retired electrician. He volunteered 27 years with Little Devils football, wrestling and cheerleading programs and 19 years with Belleville Parks and Recreation.
That community involvement led Dintelman to run for alderman in 2015, and he was reelected twice.
Dintelman said one of his favorite parts of the job was serving on and leading the City Council’s Master Sewer Committee, which wasn’t glamorous but was important.
“At one point, they wanted me to go to finance, and I said, ‘I don’t want to go to finance,’” he said, laughing.
Dintelman plans to continue playing golf twice a week and spend more time with his four grandchildren.
Collier started as Schnucks bagger
Collier graduated from East St. Louis Senior High School in 2001 before earning a political science degree from Eastern Illinois University. He later found his niche as a union leader.
Collier joined United Food and Commercial Workers Local 881 while a bagger at Schnucks. By 2009, he was the union’s business agent, a position he still holds today.
Collier also is a member of the Belleville Crime-Free Housing Committee, a trustee for the Southwestern Illinois Central Labor Council, a United Way of Greater St. Louis board member, a member of the East St. Louis School District 189 financial oversight panel and a former Democratic precinct committeeman.
“It keeps me busy,” he said.
Collier lives in Belleville with his wife, Sharrye, and three daughters, Kellise, 12, Kha’rynn, 10, and Kinley, 8.
Collier plans to run for a full term on the City Council next year. In the meantime, he said one of his goals as an alderman is to get more people involved in their community.
“I want to connect with citizens who have not had any communication with the city government,” Collier said. “People who have never voted ... They need to know that local elections are as important or more important than any other elections.”
