Surprise? Rumor is that Marshall Newhouse will be filling his candidate papers to continue “their” control of the board.
By Adam Poulisse
Staff writerPosted Nov. 27, 2015 at 6:30 PM
Updated Nov 27, 2015 at 7:08 PMBELVIDERE — Boone County Board Chairman Bob Walberg will not run for re-election next year.The farmer and retired airline pilot with experience in a few governing bodies across the county hopes the vacancy will bring forward a new generation of county leaders and, with them, new approaches to leadership."The past few years, I've really encouraged young people to get involved," Walberg, 71, said. "I think there are a lot of good people who should be on the board. The process is better when people get involved. More ideas, and it's a broader view if we get more people involved in serving the community."In a follow-up email to the Register Star, Walberg quoted Ecclesiastes from the Old Testament to explain his decision: "To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heavens."Candidates for Boone County Board must file election paperwork by 5 p.m. Monday.Walberg's exit after the November 2016 election will complete two four-year terms on the board. Board members select the chairman for a two-year term at the first meeting after an election. Walberg was initially appointed as chairman in 2008 after a contentious stalemate when board members were split between two other candidates. Board members reappointed him to the role in 2010, 2012 and 2014.In addition to County Board, Walberg has served in the Boone County Soil and Water Conservation District, the county 4-H and the Belvidere School District."I'm not really walking away from" the county, he said. "I've tried to be supportive of the community."Farmer Marshall Newhouse served on the County Board from 2001 to 2012. He said Walberg has "had a huge impact on the county," including leading a board that has overseen the Irene Road interchange and kept the budget balanced in tough economic times."I enjoyed working with him on the board," Newhouse said. "He's a fellow farmer in the county and I looked up to him and work he's done in the business of farming. That carried through in the Boone County Board setting."Adam Poulisse: 815-987-1344; apoulisse@rrstar.com; @adampoulisse
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