Bradley resident Steve Taden was appointed to the District 21 seat on the Kankakee County Board.

Taden, 57, will fill the unexpired term of Peggy Sue Munday, who resigned in September when she moved out of the district.

Taden, a Republican, was the only one to apply for the open seat.

He said the reason he sought the seat was to work hard for people in the district and to have a better understanding of the day-to-day activities within the county.

Taden’s appointment was unanimously approved by the board on Wednesday, and he was sworn in by County Clerk Dan Hendrickson.

“I think he’s going to be a great board member,” County Board Chairman Matthew Alexander-Hildebrand said.

Taden is the fourth new member appointed to the board since the beginning of September. Three of the four changes were due to board members moving out of their districts.

Previously, Nathan J. Benoit replaced Amanda Armer-Irps in District 28, Roger Koerner replaced Chris Tholen in District 10, and Kenneth Lewellen replaced Joe Swanson in District 14.

Armer-Irps and Swanson moved out of their respective districts, while Tholen decided to resign after failing to file the state-mandated verified statement of economic interest.

“I’m happy that people in our community are stepping up,” Alexander-Hildebrand said. “And I know there’s been a lot of new faces, but I think that could potentially be a good thing.”

Taden is a director in sales for TBC Corporation which is a subsidiary of Michelin Tire Corporation. This is his first foray into holding a public office. He has filed to run in the General Election in 2026 for the seat.