KANKAKEE — It is an event which takes place every two years. Sometimes the process offers little emotion, other times it is filled with it.
At Monday’s Kankakee City Council meeting, it was a little more on the emotional side as two long-standing aldermen — 7th Ward Alderman Carl Brown and 3rd Ward Alderman David Crawford — attended their last meetings in their official capacity.
And while the two men were honored with words of praise and some gifts and bid farewell to Mayor Chris Curtis, fellow council members and city employees, the evening was also marked with new faces.
As Brown and Crawford departed the council chambers with gifts in hand and the nameplates which had marked their location within the council room, a pair of new elected officials was sworn into office.
The new arrivals are:
• Dale Tolly, 67, a Republican who was unopposed in the April 4 election to fill the seat being vacated by Crawford, a two-term alderman.
• Lenora Noble, 71, a Democrat who ran unopposed to fill the seat being vacated by Brown, a 7th Ward alderman since 2001.
Tolly, the 17-year pastor for the Braidwood Presbyterian Church, also worked 27 years in the construction and remodeling department for Riverside Medical Center. Tolly noted he was born and raised in Kankakee. He moved away for a time and then returned to the city in 2009.
Noble worked nearly 35 years for Illinois Bell and then AT&T before her retirement. The 50-year Kankakee resident has spent the past eight years as an administrative assistant for the Kankakee Area YWCA child care program.
In addition to taking the oath of office, the newly-elected council members are also part of some city history.
For the first time since Kankakee was established, the city council’s mayor pro tem, the person who handles the council meeting in the absence of the mayor, will be a woman.
The pro tem position goes to the most-senior Kankakee council member and that designation falls to 4th Ward Alderwoman Danita Grant Swanson. Swanson has been a 4th Ward alderwoman since May 2003. Brown had served as the mayor pro tem since 2013.
Prior to the newly-elected council members being sworn into office, Kankakee Mayor Chris Curtis thanked Brown and Crawford for their dedicated service to not only their wards, but the entire city.
Brown, who had served as the council’s chairman of the Public Safety Committee for many years, was also given a crystal retirement award by Kankakee Police Chief Robin Passwater, the same honor given to retiring police officers, and a firefighter’s helmet from Kankakee Fire Chief Bryan LaRoche.
Curtis also presented Brown with a restaurant gift certificate as well as a bottle of Patron Silver Tequila. He then gave Crawford, an avid golfer, two dozen golf balls.
With the reshuffled city council, the assignments to the various council committees also needed to be adjusted.
Budget Committee: Mike O'Brien, D-2, remains chairman. Kelly Johnson, D-6, appointed vice chairwoman.
Public Safety Committee: Larry Osenga, R-3, a retired Kankakee Police Department commander, appointed chairman. Reggie Jones, D-7, appointed vice chairman.
License & Franchise Committee: Johnson appointed chairwoman. Michael Prude, D-1, appointed vice chairman.
Ordinance Committee: Lance Marczak, R-4, appointed chairman. Mike Cobbs, D-6, appointed vice chairman.
Environmental Services Utility Committee: Curtis is chairman. Grant Swanson is vice chairwoman.
Economic Development Committee: Cobbs remains chairman. David Baron, D-2, appointed vice chairman.
Community Development Agency: Baron appointed chairman. Grant Swanson is vice chairwoman.
Code Committee: Cherry Malone-Marshall remains chairwoman. Carmen Lewis, D-5, is vice chairwoman.