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New leadership in Pecatonica working to restore trust, supporting commnity
The current climate in our society is rife with anger, violence, and confrontation. Pecatonica’s newly elected Village Board President Tom Heister is very aware of these turbulent times and his recurring message that he conveyed to me as we spoke recently was the need for all of us to take care of our people and neighbors.
“There is so much bad stuff happening in the world, but we as a village can open up our arms to help our citizens in their time of need” Heister expressed. I asked him how do you plan to go about that.
“We have to get the civic organizations, churches, and our schools working together for the common goal of prosperity for our village,” he continued. “It’s a great community with supportive citizens. We need everyone to lend a hand and that doesn’t mean financial.”
Heister used examples like the Memorial Day Parade, and Winnebago County Fair as ways for everyone to get involved.
“We need to be a part of all of the activities,” he said. “Volunteer wherever and whenever you can. Embrace the activities like the Demo Derby and Monster Truck events. If we assist even outside of our village the back and forth will catch on.”
Another stepping stone in this process was the creation of the Pecatonica Business Advocates established by downtown business owners.
“We are hopeful that this will be a positive force in our town,” said Alex Thayer, owner of Rosie’s Coffee Company located on Main Street. “They have already done a lot of leg work working together to keep businesses thriving where not only residents, but people from the surrounding cities and counties would want to come and enjoy.” Heister added.
Heister’s foray into his current position originally started as a trustee on the Pecatonica board and after former Village President Bill Smull stepped down amid accusations of wrongdoing, Heister was appointed by the board last November in an interim basis. In the most recent elections held April 4, Heister easily defeated his opponent Greg Hachmeister 326 to 100 votes respectively. He admitted that his continued mission is to gain back the trust of the residents. “A few individuals have put a black eye on our leadership and we are working hard to establish transparency and get the trust back.”
In his own way when he was appointed in November, Heister figured out a simple, yet effective way to reach the 2,100 residents of the village. He started sending out small notes that went out with the monthly water bills.
“I put a calendar with upcoming school and village meetings, or church dinners inside the envelope, trying to make people aware to make it easier to get involved,” he explained. “I also wanted them to voice their concerns. I got a lot of good feedback, so now it’s kind of turned into a newsletter. I believe that the little things make a difference and helps with building trust.”
Another such action after a year where the top two Police Officers resigned after getting charged in separate incidents, is the hiring of new Police Chief. Matt Summers served in the same capacity in Freeport and is a 28-year veteran, will assume the post on April 24. “Matt comes highly recommended and I believe will become a pillar in the community,” said Heister.
Heister shared that that the number one biggest complaint has been the poor conditions of the streets in town. The village has spent a lot of money on those repairs, and the board recently applied for a 2.5 million Illinois sponsored grant for infrastructure.
Some additional improvements include; a new well house and water main upgrades. A new water tower project is set to begin in July. Heister has visions of many more things that will make Pecatonica stronger but realizes that resources are limited.
“We are doing okay with what we have to work with,” he said. “We will continue to apply for the many grants that are out there, along with finding additional ways to get things done. This is my vision and priority right now.”
