April 19, 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, Oct. 8, 2024

October 8, 2024

October 8, 2024

I am a tad behind but Jayne Deluce is here from Experience CU to ask for money. She’s talking about...

Live at St. Joseph Village Board, Dec. 12, 2023

December 12, 2023

December 12, 2023

I am here so you don’t have to be but there’s also a ton of people here. I am not...

Live at St. Joseph Village Board, May 24

May 24, 2022

May 24, 2022

It’s a full, full house. I am standing by the door typing so no one throw open the door. There...

‘Being the first of anything comes with challenges, but also a lot of opportunity’

July 13, 2021

July 13, 2021

St. Joseph Village Administrator Joseph Hackney likes challenges. “Being the first of anything comes with challenges, but also a lot...

Live at Ogden Village Board

May 5, 2022

May 5, 2022

I am here so you don’t have to be. The village just voted to purchase lime for the baseball diamonds....

Live at Ogden Village Board, Oct. 7, 2021

October 7, 2021

October 7, 2021

There are five people in the audience at Ogden tonight. This never happens. Unless they are discussing chickens. Two are...

Hometown appeal: The Wheelhouse earns Business of the Year honors

April 16, 2019

April 16, 2019

When the Wheelhouse opened in 2017, it was unlike anything in St. Joseph. And still is. The farm-to-table restaurant owned...

Library releases statement about TIF

April 1, 2025

April 1, 2025

The St. Joseph Township-Swearingen Memorial Library Board of Directors thought this was important information you should know about the village...

Email billing to start next month for sewer

July 28, 2022

July 28, 2022

Starting next month St. Joseph residents can get their sewer bills in their email. The paperwork to sign up is...

5 Questions with Republican caucus candidate Matt Wolfersberger

December 2, 2024

December 2, 2024

1. What made you want to run? My original plan was to step aside at the end of my term,...

Ogden mayor resigns effective Nov. 1

October 26, 2023

October 26, 2023

Gabe Clements has resigned as the mayor of Ogden effective Nov. 1. ,In his resignation letter to the Village Board,...

Live at St. Joseph Village Board, Aug. 24, 2021

August 24, 2021

August 24, 2021

I am here at village board. There are four people in the audience. The lawyer and Mr. Sennert doing IT....

Live at Ogden Village Board

September 5, 2019

September 5, 2019

Seven people are here for Ogden Village Board. That’s quite crowd for a night when they aren’t discussing flooding. They...

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...

Wakefield wants to serve community

April 5, 2021

April 5, 2021

Allison Wakefield knows Ogden.  Wakefield has lived in the community for more than 18 years and is now raising her...

Comments
Leave a Reply