June 11, 2026 Local Stories in and Around St. Joseph, Illinois

Mondays with the Mayor… Ray Cunningham

Every Monday we will ask a Mayor from an area village to answer three questions. This week it is Homer Mayor Ray Cunningham.


What was the village’s biggest accomplishment in 2018?

I believe we have three accomplishments this year that stand out. The first is the purchase of 13.8 acres adjacent to the village hall. This was due to the generosity of Carl Goad who left the village $3.6 million and from the interest of this fund we purchased land when it came up for sale. Our second accomplishment was the construction of our new playground next to the village hall. This was due to the hard work of board member Joe Bear who had the vision to create the playground. Many volunteers gave time and money toward this playground and we are grateful for their efforts. The village completed the acquisition of the Grand Army of the Republic cemetery which had been administered so well by the Homer post of the American Legion. Our village board stepped up to the responsibility and the first year of operation has worked out well due to the hard work of the new cemetery board and the volunteers who mow and maintain the GAR cemetery.

What are you hoping to accomplish in 2019?
2019 brings the village challenges as we look to plan for the revitalization of downtown and work at resolving drainage issues. We want to work on the downtown infrastructure with an engineering firm to come up with a plan to replace the sidewalks and develop a new look for Main Street. Drainage issues have been a longstanding issue in Homer. We have been working with Farnsworth Group to give us options on resolving drainage issues.

What is the most important thing people should know about your village?
People should know that our village board is working hard to solve issues and work on improving Homer for families and businesses.  

Banner
Related Posts

Live at St. Joseph Village Board, Sept. 14, 2021

September 14, 2021

September 14, 2021

I am here.. It’s just me in the audience. Meeting is being run by Terri Cummings. We are moving right...

Village Gardeners to kick off season Monday

April 12, 2019

April 12, 2019

On Monday, the St. Joseph Village Gardners are kicking off their 2019 season. Member Samuel Furrer said the group’s first...

Business owners thankful for community support after break-ins

January 25, 2022

January 25, 2022

Around 6 a.m. this morning the owner of Country Chics, Stacy Cast, got a notification. The notification told her that...

Fruhling-Voges lays out Phase 3 plans for St. Joseph

May 29, 2020

May 29, 2020

St. Joseph Mayor Tami Fruhling-Voges wants St. Joseph residents to be patient with one another as the State of Illinois...

Village reminds residents not to dump at burn site

June 30, 2020

June 30, 2020

St. Joseph Public Works is reminding residents that it is illegal to dump brush or garbage outside of the St....

Jack Flash asks village to create new liquor license so they can have video gambling

January 13, 2021

January 13, 2021

The Village of St. Joseph is revisiting creating a pour liquor license. On Tuesday, representatives from Jack Flash attended the...

Live at St. Joseph Village Board, June 14

June 14, 2022

June 14, 2022

Our live blogs are sponsored by MX Electric. I am the only one here besides the board, Mike Sennert and...

Live at St. Joseph Village Board

October 8, 2019

October 8, 2019

The past few meetings have been packed… not this one. Only two audience members. They approved the minutes, are going...

Group asking for feedback on community building proposal

January 27, 2020

January 27, 2020

Almost exactly a year ago, St. Joseph resident Jim Page presented the St. Joseph Village Board with a plan to...

Live at St. Joseph Village Board, May 9, 2023

May 9, 2023

May 9, 2023

I am here so you don’t have to be. They are swearing in the board members today. #newbutold Jeff Van...

Village votes no on TIF

February 7, 2019

February 7, 2019

After two years, the answer is no. The village of St. Joseph has voted not to proceed with a residential...

Village asks residents to complete community survey

January 5, 2022

January 5, 2022

The Village of St. Joseph wants to know what its residents think. The village has created a community survey, which...

Homeward Bound: Piper’s incredible adventure comes to an end

September 23, 2020

September 23, 2020

Piper, the most famous Labrador in St. Joseph, is finally back home. The dog spent seven days exploring St. Joseph...

Live at St. Joseph Village Board, Feb. 13, 2024

February 13, 2024

February 13, 2024

I am two minutes late and we are knee-deep in sewer rates. I am just going to leave this story...

Live at St. Joseph Village Board March 23, 2021

March 23, 2021

March 23, 2021

We are here. This could be a pretty amazing meeting. LIQUOR LICENSE TIME. We are moving the agenda around so...

Comments
Leave a Reply