Geneva fills city clerk position

Geneva Mayor Kevin Burns has appointed a new city clerk, since nobody ran for the post in the April election.

Roger Godskesen will record city council votes, take minutes of city council meetings and perform other duties. He will be paid $3,600 a year.

The appointment runs through May 3, 2021, according to a news release from the city.

Burns made the appointment, and the city council endorsed it, June 19.

Six people applied for the position.

Godskesen was a computer programmer for the Army at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C., for two years during the Vietnam War. He spent the next four decades in information technology management, working for such employers as McDonald's Corp. and First Options Chicago/Goldman-Sachs.

He moved to Geneva in 2006. Godskesen volunteers with the Northern Illinois Food Bank and as a Fabyan Villa tour guide. He also was a volunteer medical support director at Soldiers' Angels, a nonprofit agency that aids U.S. military units overseas.

"When I was growing up, my parents instilled in their children the value of helping others whenever we could," Godskesen said in the news release. "I have tried to honor their ideals by becoming a Scout leader, organizing the shipment of care packages to support military medical units during the wars in the Middle East and volunteering with the local food bank. My wife and I love the unique history and culture of living in Geneva. When I saw the notice for a city clerk, I decided this would be a role in which I could contribute to our city."