Madison County Board Chairman Kurt Prenzler plans to present nominations by Jan. 20, 2021, for two Republican seats on the county board left vacant when Tom McRae was elected Circuit Clerk and by the subsequent appointment of Ray Wesley as his chief deputy.
According to a press release, Prenzler, who was re-elected board chairman on Nov. 3, is tasked with filling the vacant seats at the start of his new term. He has 60 days to fill the positions.
Prenzler said he plans to interview candidates for the seats and will bring the nominations before the full board for confirmation no later than its Jan. 20, 2021, meeting.
According to state statute, the seats must be filled by applicants from the same political party as the previous office holders and live within the district. McRae is a Republican from District 14, Bethalto. Wesley is a Republican from District 6, Godfrey.
The seats became available after McRae was elected Madison County Circuit Clerk over Democratic opponent Amy Gabriel in a vote of 54 to 46 percent. In his first act of business, he appointed Wesley as his chief deputy.
Madison County Republicans saw many victories in the Nov. 3 election, and the county board was no exception. Republicans gained Madison County Board seats resulting in a stronger majority of 18-11 after the two new appointees are confirmed. The new elected board members include Stacey Pace, R-District 2; Bill Meyer, R-District 3; Bobby Ross, R-District 4; Aaron Messner, R-District 19; Denise Wiehardt, R-District 20; and Ryan Kneedler, R-District 29.
The new board members join existing members Judy Kuhn (R), Mick Madison (R), Mike Walters (R), Doc Holliday (D), Jim Dodd (D), Bruce Malone (D), Dalton Gray (R), Robert Pollard (D), Matt King (D), Chrissy Dutton Wiley (R), Chris Hankins (D), Victor Valentine (D), Jack Minner (D), Eric Foster (R), Nick Perrillo (D), Gussie Glasper (D), Jamie Goggin (R), Chris Guy (R), Erica Conway-Harriss (R), Heather Mueller-Jones (R) and Liz Dalton (D).