From news release
Rock River Current
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ROCKFORD — The Rockford Park District’s board of commissioners has selected eight finalists from a field of 10 candidates to fill a vacant seat on the five-member board.
The board will hold public meetings later this month to conduct interviews with the finalists.
The finalists are: Gerald Albert, Staci Brown, Owen Carter, Taylor Coffman, Ken DeCoster, Mercedes Joyner, Anne O’Keefe and Joseph Pearson.
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The seat is vacant after former board president Scott Olson opted not to seek reelection, and no candidates ran for the role.
The two special meetings will be held from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesday, June 28 and Thursday, June 29 at the Webbs Norman Center, 401 S. Main St.
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Interviews are expected to last about a half-hour each. The candidates’ responses will be scored by the commissioners. At the conclusion of all eight interviews, the board will discuss its selection in closed session.
When returning to open session, the board can either announce its choice or hold that decision for a later time. The new board member will be sworn in at the July 11 board meeting.
The board of commissioners is responsible for setting priorities and the direction of the Park District. The elected, unpaid position governs the district on behalf of residents. Whoever is appointed will served until April 2025, when the seat is up for election.
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“The selection criteria for the office of Park Commissioner are based upon each applicants’ community service, previous volunteer contributions of work or time to the Rockford Park District, board experience, and ability to meet the time requirements of the office,” the district said in a news release. “The person selected for the vacant commissioner seat must also be someone who will advance and promote the Park District’s strong culture of collaboration and support the philosophy of the organization which is doing what the Rockford Park District does best and helping others do what they do best.”
The four commissioners on the board now are President Martesha Brown, Vice President Rudy Valdez, Secretary Jack Armstrong and Tyler Smith.