It’s two steps up and two steps back for the Kankakee County Board.

The board approved two new members to fill vacant seats at Tuesday’s meeting before two more board members announced their resignations. All of the seats are held by Republicans, and three prospective candidates were interviewed for each vacancy.

The board unanimously approved the appointments of Roger Koerner Jr. to fill the unexpired term of Christopher Tholen in District 10 and Kenneth Lewellen to fill the unexpired term of Joseph Swanson in District 14.

“I think we had two fantastic appointments today, and I guess we’re looking for two more,” County Board Chairman Matthew Alexander-Hildebrand said just before the two new members were sworn in.

Announcing their resignations from the 28-member board were Peggy Sue Munday in District 21 and Amanda Armer-Irps in District 28.

Alexander-Hildebrand joked that he’s losing some hair after the two recent announcements.

“I’m just happy that people that are moving out of the district are resigning,” he said. “So, I guess that’s just a testament they’re conscious [of that]. And all these people that we’ve had turnover with have either moved out of the district, with the exception of one that didn’t do that, so I’m happy to get some new blood in here.”

Koerner is filling the vacancy created when Tholen decided to resign after failing to file the state-mandated verified statement of economic interest by May 1. Koerner said he’s long had an interest in a board position.

“Chris Tholen and his family have been a friend of ours for a long time, and I didn’t want to step on his toes,” Koerner said. “So I visited them and made sure that there was no conflict with them.”

Kankakee County Republican Party Chairman Nick Africano, who also is county treasurer, asked Koerner to consider filling the vacancy. Koerner said he went through the interview process and then initially decided against accepting the position for family reasons.

“My wife [Nina] and I reconsidered, and I’m glad to be here,” Koerner said. “I’d like to do my part, so to speak. We’ve been in this community for a long, long time. We’ve enjoyed the community and the people in it.”

Koerner, 69, has helped run the family business, Koerner Aviation, and he’s been teaching welding at Kankakee Community College for the past 16 years. He’s also a licensed pilot.

District 10 covers most of west Kankakee and rural areas. Koerner lives about a mile from the family business at 1520 S. Route 115.

“I think he’ll be a great addition to the board,” Alexander-Hildebrand said.

Lewellen, 67, is retired from Panduit in Tinley Park as a global demand planner.

“Panduit was the original inventor of zip ties,” he said. “I’ve always been involved in politics, and I wanted to continue that. Now that I’m retired, I have a lot of free time, so I figured I’d get back involved and see what I can do to help out.”

District 14 covers parts of west Kankakee and areas northwest of the city.

Lewellen, who lives on Arapaho Way in Kankakee, previously served as the president of the Bourbonnais School District 53 Board and was a member of the Bourbonnais Township Park District board. He’s also a member of the Kankakee County Museum board.

“He has a long line of [public] service to everyone in the community, and I think he’ll be a great addition as well,” Alexander-Hildebrand said.

Moving out of district

Both Armer-Irps and Munday are moving out of their respective districts. Both were first elected in November 2022.

In an email Armer-Irps sent to Alexander-Hildebrand on Sept. 3, she wrote that she is relocating outside the area. Her district encompasses parts of Bourbonnais.

She continued: “It has been a privilege to serve on the County Board, and I’m grateful for the experiences and contributions we have shared. I encourage my fellow board members to continue their dedicated efforts in enhancing our community.”

Munday, who was at the meeting, had emailed Alexander-Hildebrand that she was moving to Aroma Park and Sept. 10 would be her last day living in Bradley.

“You all had been great to work with, and even though we maybe always didn’t agree on something, we still were able to work through it in a professional way,” Munday said. “And I appreciate you all.”