By Sue Moore
There were six super-qualified candidates to fill Jeff Becker’s seat on the Vicksburg Village Council according to Bill Adams, village president.
Of the six, two finalists were selected to be quizzed by the full Council at its November meeting. After a short question and answer session, it appeared to be a toss-up between Rick Holmes and Gail Reisterer. Both acquitted themselves very well during the Q&A, according to Adams.
When it came time for the council to vote, nobody was willing to take the leap of faith and nominate one or other of the candidates. Trustee Chris Newman finally jumped in to suggest Reisterer. A unanimous vote was quickly cast and Reisterer was sworn in. Others who applied and were interviewed earlier included Carl Keller, Dennis Olson, Dennis Anderson and Karen Nay. Adams urged them all to get involved in village committees over the course of 2016 and perhaps even run for one of the seats in November.
Reisterer has been a village resident since 1966, when she moved here to be the speech and language teacher in the Vicksburg school system. She has volunteered in many community endeavors, including the Historical Society’s Harvest Festival. She has been in charge of the District Library’s book sale for nearly 20 years, helping to raise funds to buy children’s books in particular. “I am committed to this community,” she told the council members. “I like what is happening now. If we don’t go forward, we will die. It’s the growth issue and the community as a whole needs to be onboard.
“The village council’s job is to help people see the vision. How we communicate with the public is a big issue. I still like to read books, and am not part of the electronic world when I look for information so I’m happy to see updates come with our water bills.”
She added, “I believe in delegating so surround myself with good people and am most interested in seeing if we can get some assisted living quarters in Vicksburg so people can age out in their own community. As for services, I would like to see the village go back to a fall and spring clean-up. All the other services we offer I believe are spot on.”