Pingree Grove council appointment delayed

A move to replace an open trustee seat on the Pingree Grove village board was postponed Monday night.

Village President Wyman "Clint" Carey wanted to appoint Cathie Vavra, the village's former events coordinator, to replace Ricky Popilek, who resigned from the board two weeks ago.

Trustee Steve Wiedmeyer, the board's most senior member, said he wanted to get to know Vavra before endorsing her.

"I was out of town over the weekend and ... I didn't get a chance to talk to her," Wiedmeyer said Tuesday. "I want to talk to her face-to-face."

The board will reconsider the appointment May 17.

Vavra said she was disappointed with the delay because she was "excited to get the ball rolling."

"I understand why it was postponed," Vavra said. "I talked to all the board members except for Steve and he just wanted time to sit down with me and talk."

Vavra, a Pingree Grove resident for four years, got involved with the village by running its centennial committee.

The village turned 100 years old in 2007 and she was responsible for planning events around that celebration that were meant to bring residents together.

She also was a regular attendee of the village's weekly staff meetings for the past three years, which gave her an opportunity to further understand the village's day-to-day operations, Carey said.

From there, Vavra went on to become the village's events coordinator.

Due to budget cuts, Vavra was let go from that part-time position last spring after the village canceled all of the events.

Even so, she still volunteered to run the special events committee that is organizing fundraisers in hopes of bringing some of the events back.

"For as long as I've known Cathie, she's always been willing to help," Carey said. "She'll be a positive addition to the village board."