Vernon Township supervisor stepping down in spring
Citing additional work responsibilities, Vernon Township Supervisor Jon Altenberg announced he will step down this spring.
Altenberg said he has been named CEO of the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative, which brings together more than 200 U.S. and Canadian mayors and local officials to protect and restore the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River Basin.
“When I became the CEO last year, it had just become really evident that with an organization of that many mayors, that I just need to give it my full commitment and time,” he said. “Local government is great. Protecting our environment over the next 30 to 50 years is just something that I personally need to focus on.”
Altenberg was elected to the Vernon Township board in 2017. He was appointed supervisor in 2019, when predecessor Daniel Didech was elected state representative, then elected to the post in 2021.
He said he is proud of what the township has accomplished during his tenure, including building a cricket pitch, bolstering the township’s food pantry and starting a community mental health board.
“What I’ve tried to do with the township is make it relevant,” Altenberg said.
The township has been able to hold the line on property taxes during his term, with the levy declining from $3.68 million to $3.06 million, he added It also eliminated the highway commissioner position, which was paid about $110,000 a year.
“What’s the point (of a highway commissioner), when you only have less than 15 miles of the road that you (maintain), while you have the bureaucracy around it,” he said.
Altenberg said he also cut his own salary by 10%, to about $50,000.
In addition, he said, the township during his term has raised more than $1 million to support the food pantry, which assists hundreds of residents. The township has also created a garden that provides fresh vegetables for the pantry.
During COVID, the township provided nearly $1 million in emergency assistance and provided thousands of masks with the help of private companies, while also helping seniors find COVID vaccines.
The township, he said, also opened up to other communities in the region, notably the Indian population, which has a member on the township board, Gowri Magati. The township has a new cricket pitch and has celebrated Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights.
Altenberg said the board will appoint his successor. Anyone interested should contact the township.