New Boone County chairman makes committee selections

By Bob Balgemann

REPORTER

Newly elected Boone County Board Chairman Karl Johnson has made his choices for seats on the seven standing committees of the board.

Each of those committees is made up of five county board members. They meet monthly and consider various issues facing the county. After those considerations, they make recommendations to the full board.

The administrative and legislative committee now is made up of Marshall Newhouse as chairman, Jessica Muellner as vice chairman, and members Sherry Giesecke, Carl Larson, and Denny Ellingson.

Newhouse is a former longtime board member who was elected to a fresh four years on Tuesday, Nov. 8. Giesecke is the only holdover from 2016. She became chairman following the retirement of another longtime board member, Paul Larson. Denny Ellingson and Larson are new.

The city-county coordinating committee has a total of 10 members, five who serve on the county board with the other five from the Belvidere City Council.

Still another longtime county board member, Cathy Ward, who was re-elected Tuesday, Nov. 8, moves up from vice co-chairman to co-chairman. The new vice co-chair is Raymond Larson; the other county representatives are Sherry Branson, Jeff Carlisle, and Brad Stark. Branson is the only new committee member.

The committee co-chairman, representing the city, continues to be Alderman Dan Snow; Alderman Clayton Stevens is the vice co-chair. Members are Mayor Mike Chamberlain and Aldermen Daniel Arevalo and Wendy Frank. A possible change in city membership could come after the April 4, 2017, municipal election.

Giesecke returns to the finance, taxation, and salaries committee, this time as its chairman. Newhouse (new) is the vice chairman. Members are Dr. Bernard O’Malley (new), Carlisle (returning), and Jessica Muellner (new).

Carlisle is back as chairman of the health and human services committee, with newly elected O’Malley the vice chair. Members are Branson (new), along with Ward (returning), and Raymond Larson (returning).

Another returnee is Ellingson, as chairman of the planning, zoning, and building committee. He is joined by Newhouse as the new vice chair with holdover members Stark and Raymond Larson, and newcomer Muellner.

Raymond Larson moves up from vice chairman of the public safety committee to be its new chairman; O’Malley is the vice chair. Ellingson is a holdover member while Giesecke and Ward are new.

Stark was reappointed chairman of the roads and capital improvements committee, while Ellingson, a holdover member, stepped in as vice chairman. New members are Branson, Raymond Larson, and Ward.

Chairman Johnson attends committee meetings in an ex-officio capacity. County Administrator Ken Terrinoni regularly attends those meetings as an important source of information.