Residents in Boone County say enough is enough in the personal matter has gone public.
Susan Vela
March 4, 2018
Rockford Register Star, Ill. 0
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BELVIDERE — Discord between the Boone County Fire Protection District 2 board of trustees and firefighters has some residents saying enough is enough, and could influence the outcome of a March 20 referendum.
Tensions have been running high since March 2017, when trustees fired Brad Bartell as chief. Then, in February, firefighters were riled by a vulgar sign posted by Trustee Kevin Stark outside his trucking and concrete business in Marengo.
At a board meeting on Monday, trustees accepted Stark's resignation after Belvidere resident Charmaine Cornwell and others in the audience said they were offended by the sign.
"There seems to be some personal issues going on," said Cornwell, a Belvidere resident. "In order for your organization to run smoothly, you need to leave those off the table.
"We're talking about a fire department here that's here to serve and protect our community. The community doesn't care about your personal issues. I'm sure you don't care about mine."
Trustees Jim Marrs and Jack Ryan declined to comment for this story. But their futures are now in the hands of voters, who will decide in a March 20 referendum whether trustees should continue to be appointed by the County Board or elected, beginning in April 2019.
Boone County Board member Cathy Ward, who represents District 2, plans to vote for elected trustees.
"I like elections," she said. "I'm in favor of giving more people the choice to elect who they want."
County Board member Sherry Giesecke, District 1, does not live in the fire district. But she knows what she would like to see in the next trustee.
"I would like to see a trustee that puts the safety of the citizens first before any personal motivations or any political motivations," she said. "That's how I feel. The safety of the citizens is paramount. That has to be the No. 1 reason for anything we do."
Stark's three-year term was set to expire in April.
Stark has declined to comment about the sign controversy.
County Board Chairman Karl Johnson said he'll advertise for the vacant position in the next few weeks.
"It's time for people to start acting like adults," he said. "Let's do what's best for the community as a whole. It needs to be about the community, not about any one group or individual.
"I'm looking for somebody that's going to be level-headed — that's going to evaluate all sides of an issue (and) then make a determination of what's in the best interest of the department."
Boone County Fire Protection District 2 Chief Kent Hulett declined to comment. The district covers about 150 square miles, including the unincorporated communities of Irene, Herbert and Garden Prairie.
Susan Vela: 815-987-1392; svela@rrstar.com; @susanvela
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Above is from: https://www.firehouse.com/leadership/news/20994820/tension-between-boone-county-trustees-firefighters-could-impact-voting
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