No stranger to community involvement, Hemann set to take over Highland mayoral post
The election hasn’t happened yet, but the mayoral race is pretty well decided: Kevin Hemann is running unopposed to replace Mayor Joe Michaelis.
Michaelis opted not to run for re-election after 16 years as mayor of Highland. Hemann said that decision coincided with his impending retirement and a desire to return to public service.
“This is my last full year working at Highland Machine after 45 years,” Hemann said. “It’s a good time for me to stay active in the community.”
Hemann, 64, is the senior vice president for sales at Highland Machine. A 1974 graduate of St. Paul High School in Highland, he attended what is now Southwestern Illinois College before earning a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. He earned his degree primarily in night classes while working full-time at Highland Machine.
He has been part of a number of civic organizations, including the Highland Booster Club, Business Education Alliance, Knights of Columbus, the St. Joseph’s Hospital Advisory Board, the Optimist Club, Highland Area Community Foundation and a Relay for Life team for the American Cancer Society, among others. He’s a former president of the Highland Chamber of Commerce and an inductee in the Highland Illinois Area Alumni Association’s Hall of Fame.
He’s also no stranger to public governance, having served one term as a city councilman in the early 1990s and co-chaired efforts to pass five bond issues for school construction in District 5, including a renovation of Highland High and the construction of Highland Middle School.
Hemann said even though it was one term on the city council, he ended up serving under three mayors after one passed away, an interim served for a while, and then the city elected a new mayor.
One thing he said he learned from those efforts: It’s very difficult to get them passed, and public response is not always going to be positive.
“You’re not going to make everyone happy with the decisions that you make, but ultimately you’re looking at the betterment of the community,” Hemann said. “You want something positive to come out of it, so if it’s a good thing for the city, that’s what I’m going to work for.”
The obvious priority for Highland will be recovering from the economic impact of the pandemic, Hemann said.
“There’s going to be challenges from the state to local governments to get the local economy back in order,” he said.
In addition, he said the city needs to continue its progress on the peripheral route and funding downtown revitalization to encourage businesses back to downtown, as well as support for existing businesses. The city also faces a decision on the city manager position: Longtime city manager Mark Latham retired last year, and police chief Chris Conrad has been serving as interim city manager.
Marijuana dispensaries
An issue of high interest in Highland has been the postponed decision on whether to enact ordinances regulating marijuana dispensaries, should one decide to come to Highland. Hemann said that is ultimately a city council decision.
“Speaking for myself, I don’t want to see it come to the city of Highland, but it’s legal in the state of Illinois,” he said. “Everyone thinks (a dispensary) is a big economic win for the city, but I’m not sure if it’s the case.”
Either way the council decides, Hemann said, so far he’s not aware of any companies actually showing an interest in opening a location in Highland.
Leaning on Michaelis
With no opposition in the election, Hemann said he has met a few times with Michaelis and is trying to get up to speed on city issues.
“My door is always going to be open, and (constituents) can talk to me about issues,” he said. “(Michaelis) said the main thing we can do is keep communication open with our citizens and respond as quickly as possible, even though it may not be the decision they want to hear.”
The election takes place April 6.
This story was originally published March 22, 2021 at 10:55 AM.