EDITORIAL: Willard’s Two Best Aldermen Should Stick Around
…but I don’t blame them for leaving.
Aldermen Ryan Simmons of Ward 2 and Larry Whitman of Ward 3 are not seeking re-election in April to two-year terms on the Willard Board of Aldermen. Simmons was elected alderman in April of 2021; Whitman has been alderman nearly eight years since April of 2015.
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Both are perpetually polite and always informed.
When presenting their opinions during board discussions they are civil and not argumentative — never once even so much as raising their voices, let alone belittling or insulting city staff.
They’re gentlemen.
And Willard could use more like them.
No candidates for alderman filed by the December deadline to fill the vacancies they will leave behind in April. Their departures will leave three vacant seats to either be filled by write-in candidates in the upcoming election, or to be filled by selection by the mayor and remaining board members.
In my opinion, neither of those options are anywhere close to ideal. And, in the absence of any other candidates that match their quality, it would be far better for Willard if they remained on the board.
That said, having observed the board’s proceedings myself for the past eight months, I do not blame them for leaving.