Patrick Barry named Oglesby city attorney

Patrick Barry is Oglesby’s new city attorney.

Tuesday, the Oglesby City Council bade goodbye to Jim Andreoni, who served about eight years as city attorney. Andreoni will be sworn in March 1 as a Bureau County associate judge. A judge cannot moonlight as an attorney, so the council tabbed Barry to take his place.

“He’s going to do a wonderful job for Oglesby,” Andreoni said.

Barry is a partner in the La Salle firm of Aplington Kaufman McClintock Steele & Barry. He has municipal experience including a stint in the late 1970s as assistant Oglesby city attorney under Gerald Hunter.

The vote was 3-1, with Commissioner Jim Cullinan voting no and Commissioner Tom Argubright abstaining. Cullinan and Argubright said there were conflicts of interest with retaining Barry and the Aplington firm. Barry’s law partner Tom McClintock represented a ballot challenge against Cullinan before the 2019 election.

Separately, Mayor Dom Rivara said he was notified by Green Thumb Industries, the cannabis grower, that the expansion is progressing and that 250 jobs will have been added by the third or fourth quarter.

Also, the city is seeking bids to fix another portion of the roof at the Dickinson House. Rivara noted the city had replaced part of the roof last year, but now the portion over the bowling alley has weakened.

Finally, the council voted 5-0 to rename Roebuck Street to Sunset Boulevard. Commissioner Jason Curran had proposed the renaming to clear up confusion, noting some maps don’t show Roebuck, which extends west from where Sunset terminates. Argubright dropped his previously stated objection after learning the associated costs (new signage, legal fees) totaled about $200.

In other matters, the council:

• Approved the purchase of a new police vehicle using impound funds. Commissioner Carrie Lijewski said several existing police vehicles are deficient and/or failing.

• Advised city residents to watch for a survey on the need or desire for broadband services. The costs, Curran said, have not been determined yet.

• Granted a raffle license to the Dickinson House Foundation.