Two Appointed to Fire District Board
by Randy Pierce
Two new members of the Troy Fire Protection District Board of Trustees were approved by the Madison County Board at its regular monthly meeting held on Wednesday, February 19.
Charles Murphree Jr. has been appointed to serve the remainder of a three-year term through May of this year, replacing Steve Lynn, and Ron Hahn is replacing Frederick Patterson for a three-year term that runs through May 2027.
These appointments, along with those to fill seats on seven other boards and commissions, were brought forward by Chris Slusser, chairman of the Madison County Board, without having gone through its government relations committee for review and approval which was the process followed when his predecessor, Kurt Prenzler, had made similar announcements.
Prior to bringing these appointments forward, Slusser proposed and received support for naming Jason Palmero of Glen Carbon as chairman of the government relations committee, a position previously held by Stacey Pace of Troy who left her elected county board seat in January to become director of the county’s community development department.
A ninth appointment on the February 19th county board agenda, designating Joe Pattan of Godfrey to replace Nicholas Cohan of Alton on the zoning board of appeals for a five-year term, was not acted upon. It was separated from the others then when it came up, the county board adjourned to closed-door executive session “to discuss pending litigation.”
When the board reconvened in public session, there was no vote on the Pattan appointment and the meeting moved ahead to the next item on the agenda.
The Madison County Park and Recreation Grant Commission has two new board members, Linda Hunsinger of New Douglas and Mark Lorch of Brighton. Hunsinger is filling the seat formerly held by Mark Rosen of Highland through February 2027 and Lorch is taking the place of Tom McRae who has retired with this term extending through February of next year. McRae was also replaced on the Madison County Emergency Telephone System Board, the remainder of his four-year term expiring in June of this year and his seat being taken by county board member Don McMaster of East Alton.
