May 21, 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, April 9, 2024

April 9, 2024

April 9, 2024

It’s a full house tonight with the girl scouts presenting, the Baptist Church being honored for donating their building and...

Mayor to encourage board to allow trick-or-treating

October 1, 2020

October 1, 2020

St. Joseph Mayor Tami Fruhling-Voges is going to encourage the village board to allow Trick-or-Treating. Fruhling-Voges said she had examined...

Love of libraries motivates new director

July 12, 2022

July 12, 2022

Allison Wakefield loves libraries. When she was little, she and her family went to libraries in every town and city...

Village installs crosswalk signs on Rt. 150

June 8, 2022

June 8, 2022

Cross Rt. 150 just got a little safer. The Village of St. Joseph recently installed lighted push-button-activated crosswalk signs near...

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...

Live at St. Joseph Village Board, Feb. 28, 2022

February 28, 2023

February 28, 2023

I am here tonight. Tonight on that agenda- drainage concerns with the new high school softball field which should be...

St. Joseph Village Board, Sept. 26, 2023

September 26, 2023

September 26, 2023

You can watch on Youtube. Public comment:Dana Dow lives on Douglas.“I had a neighbors tree, dead, refuse to take it...

Village says to ‘opt out’

June 9, 2023

June 9, 2023

Mayor Tami Fruhling-Voges wants St. Joseph residents to know their options. At a recent village board meeting, Fruhling-Voges said that...

St. Joseph VIllage Board, Feb. 8

February 8, 2022

February 8, 2022

I am way late to Village Board but I am here. They are discussing snow plowing and how people got...

Peters says goodbye to Public Works

April 12, 2026

April 12, 2026

Every morning before he officially clocked in to work, Mike Peters would drive through the streets of St. Joseph.  He...

Acklin named acting mayor of Ogden

November 3, 2023

November 3, 2023

Jim Acklin is the acting mayor of Ogden. Acklin was selected at the Nov. 2 meeting by the Ogden Village...

Brush pick-up suspended indefinitely in St. Joseph

June 17, 2019

June 17, 2019

St. Joseph Mayor Tami Fruhling-Voges has suspended brush pick-up indefinitely. Fruhling-Voges said she understands why residents are upset with the...

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...

Live at St. Joseph Village Board, Jan. 12, 2021

January 12, 2021

January 12, 2021

I will live blog tonight. Pavlov media will give a presentation. Susan Monte from Regional Planning will be there. We...

Dan Davis and Jim Wagner resign from St. Joseph Village Board

September 12, 2023

September 12, 2023

Two St. Joseph Village Board members have resigned. Jim Wagner and Dan Davis submitted letters of resignation, effective immediately, on...

Comments
Leave a Reply