For the first time in several years, the Pulaski County Council has a new president. Ken Boswell was elected council president Monday, after two rounds of voting.
The first vote ended in a three-to-three tie with longtime council president Jay Sullivan, as Sullivan himself voted for Rudy DeSabatine. The election was settled when Sullivan switched his vote to Boswell. DeSabatine was then elected vice-president, defeating Brian Young by a vote of five-to-two.
Meanwhile, Council Member Mike Tiede was reappointed as the council’s representative on the Kankakee-Iroquois Regional Planning Commission. Young also wanted to make appointments to the other board and commissions with open seats. “I think we should appoint tonight because some of these boards have already met for the year, potentially, and we lose at least one meeting if we don’t make appointments before the end of this month,” Young said. “Last year, we missed four months.”
Council members ended up holding off, since they didn’t have a list of the seats up for appointment, but Boswell promised to have one ready for next month’s meeting. Council Member Kathi Thompson also suggested requiring the appointees to give annual reports on what they’re doing on the council’s behalf. The rest of the council generally agreed that it would be a good idea.
