Plum Grove residents who attended the last two city council meetings may have had a sense of déjà vu at the meeting Monday night, June 12. Much of the agenda was a repeat of items from the May 30 meeting where council actions, including the appointment of a council member, were later proven to be invalid as they failed to establish a quorum.
At the May 30 council meeting, Jacob Pouncey, the son of the city secretary, was sworn into the vacant Council Position 2, from which Ralph Salinas resigned. Jacob Pouncey was absent from Monday’s regular meeting and when it came time to appoint a person to Salinas’ position, Council voted in favor of Sharon Reed, who nominated herself. Reed previously served as a councilwoman at the same time that Lee Ann Penton Walker was mayor.
Reed was the only nominee. She was sworn in at the end of the meeting and will now be allowed to finish the unexpired term of Position 2.
Immediately after the discussion on the council position, the discussion moved to which council member will serve as mayor pro tem, a person who stands in for the mayor when she is unable to attend a council meeting. Just like at the last meeting, Danielle Enloe was picked as the mayor pro tem.
In other action, Council voted to have former Councilwoman Diana Chunn keep maintaining the City’s website, despite objections from some council members that the website needs to be better maintained and updated.
The meeting was also the first in many months for the City of Plum Grove to have a city attorney present. Megan Mikutis with the Randle Law Office is considered to be the city attorney; however at Monday night’s meeting the law firm was represented by another attorney, Debra Mergel.
With the filling of Position 2, one spot – Position 3 – remains unfilled. That seat will be determined by a special election June 24. The two candidates vying for the seat – Deborah Ann Bell and Rodney Walker – tied in the May 6 election, prompting a new election.
Polls will be open on Election Day from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., only at Plum Grove City Hall. Early voting will take place on June 12-16, and June 20. Polls will be open on June 16 and 20 from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. On the remaining days, polls will be open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. There will be no early voting on June 19 as it is a federal holiday – Juneteenth.