Pingree Grove mayor won't run again

On the first day of election filing, ballot surprises began to shake out in Pingree Grove.

One-term Village President Wyman “Clint” Carey announced in a statement late Monday night he would not seek re-election, citing family reasons.

“The next few years are certain to be busy ones for me with one son leaving for college and another starting school,” he wrote. “I cannot be certain that I will have be able to devote the amount of time necessary to the village, and for that reason I have decided to not run again at this time.”

Carey did not say he supported any successor, only that “I promise to remain involved and available after that time.”

Meanwhile, just one incumbent turned in petitions Monday morning Trustee Greg Marston, who announced a run for Carey's seat several months ago and is so far running unopposed.

Trustees Steve Wiedmeyer, Stephanie Mette, Larry Gillie and Cathie Vavra have not returned election petitions thus far.

Vavra and Gillie could not be reached for comment.

Wiedmeyer, the most senior trustee with at least 15 years of service, says he's in. “I'll be running, I just don't have all my signatures in yet,” Wiedmeyer said.

Five seats are up for grabs on the Pingree Grove village board; four, 4-year seats and one, two-year slot.

Mette, a one-term trustee, says she has no plans to run.

She cited new family commitments, a demanding job and disappointment with village politics as reasons for walking away.

“I thought we were all here to do a good job ... but I don't deal well with people lying to my face,” Mette said, declining to say who lied to her.

So far, it appears new leadership is coming for the board, with the following newcomers turning in paperwork for the 4-year seats: Plan commission member Robert Spieker and board meeting regulars Raymond Lamarca, Brian Paszkiwicz and Bernard Thomas, said Bill Barlow, interim village administrator and clerk.

The village clerk election that should have been decided during the 2007 race but wasn't, due to a miscommunication between transitioning administrations, will be decided in 2011.

But nobody has filed to run for that position so far, which the village treated as an appointment up until October when it learned otherwise.

The board subsequently reduced the pay from $38,625 a year to $25 a meeting.

Before she quit the job in November for health reasons, Former Village Clerk Michelle Figuerola announced she was going to run for the office.

She said Monday she does not plan on going after her old seat, but declined to detail why.

“I just prefer not to say,” she said.