Milschewski steps down from Yorkville City Council

YORKVILLE – Jackie Milschewski remembers times when the Yorkville City Council was not quite as harmonious as it is today.

When Milschewski was elected city clerk in 2001, she found herself taking the minutes of meetings that often involved a lot of infighting among the council members, she said. That’s changed.

“It’s gotten to be a very cohesive group to work with,” Milschewski said. “I think we’re the best we’ve ever been.”

After serving 10 years as city clerk, Milschewski was elected to the city council in 2011.

Now she has stepped down from the council in the middle of her third term because husband Ted Milschewski has taken a job with the city.

Jackie Milschewski represented Ward 2, which straddles both sides of the Fox River and includes much of the old downtown area.

“You do have to fight for your ward, but you also have to be there for all of Yorkville,” Milschewski said.

Asked if she has any advice for her successor, Milschewski said: “Try to use common sense. Think things out and be logical. Do what’s practical.”

The city is taking applications from Ward 2 residents seeking to fill out the unexpired aldermanic term, which runs to 2023. Mayor John Purcell is expected to name a replacement before the end of November.

Milschewski, who was the lone woman on the 10-member council, hopes that women apply for the post.

The start of Milschewski’s career in public service began when then-mayor Art Prochaska asked her to run for city clerk.

“I don’t like politics,” Milschewski said. “I got into this because it was a job opening.”

Milschewski found the work challenging.

“Being the clerk is a lot of work; more than being an alderman,” Milschewski said candidly. “There’s a lot of paperwork.”

Through her service as city clerk and alderman, Milschewski has served with four mayors and believes Purcell is doing a good job.

“The mayor communicates well,” Milschewski said. “With him you can agree to disagree and he doesn’t hold a grudge.”

At her last Yorkville City Council meeting on Sept. 28, Milschewski’s desk was graced with flowers and Purcell read a proclamation recognizing her service.

Purcell announced that a park bench in Riverfront Park will be named in honor of Milschewski.

In addition to serving the city, Milschewski also worked for 12 years as a school secretary, first at Grande Reserve Elementary School and then at Circle Center Elementary School, both in Yorkville. Milschewski has three grown sons.

For the past three years, she has been employed with Schoppe Design in Oswego, serving as the office manager for the land planning and landscape architecture firm.

“I multi-task really well,” she said.

When Ted, a pipefitter by trade, told his wife that he was interested in applying for a new maintenance post with the city, she encouraged him to do so but in the knowledge that she would need to resign from the council.

Ted Milschewski is now on the job with the city, classified as a Maintenance Worker II, City Administrator Bart Olson said.

Milschewski was selected from numerous applicants for the new post, and is responsible for maintaining city facilities.

Olson said the position pays $54,475 per year.