Forest Park's village council unanimously appointed Amy Binns-Calvey as its newest commissioner at the Nov. 9 meeting, filling the seat left open when Maria Maxham resigned in mid-October.

Binns-Calvey, a 32-year Forest Park resident and former recreation board chair, will serve through the April 6 election. Four commissioner seats and the mayoral post will be on the ballot that day, according to the Forest Park Review.

"I look forward to keeping the seat warm for whoever fills it during the next election," Binns-Calvey said after the vote. She is also a regular contributing writer for the Review.

Mayor Rory Hoskins swore her in at the dais. Binns-Calvey then voted on the department reshuffling but abstained from two other agenda items, the Review reported.

New assignments

The council reshuffled department leadership after the appointment. Binns-Calvey took over as commissioner of streets and public improvement. Commissioner Michelle Melin-Rogovin moved to accounts and finance, the department Maxham had led. That role also carries the vice mayor title, meaning Melin-Rogovin would lead council meetings if the mayor cannot attend.

Jessica Voogd, commissioner of public property, said the vice mayor post should stay with an elected official rather than an appointee, according to the Review. Village Administrator Rachell Entler had told commissioners at a prior meeting that they were allowed to rearrange departments after appointing a new commissioner.

A contested process

The appointment was unanimous, but the path there drew criticism. Commissioner Ryan Nero, who leads public health and safety, first motioned to appoint Steven Rouse. That motion did not receive a second. Voogd then moved to appoint Binns-Calvey, and Melin-Rogovin seconded.

Nero said commissioners received three resumes for the position. He congratulated Binns-Calvey during his end-of-meeting comments but called the process disappointing.

"To not second a motion … to give us an opportunity to talk about that individual is shocking to me," Nero said, according to the Review.

Nero also said Rouse and three other residents had submitted sign-in sheets to speak during public comment but were not called to the podium. Clerk Carla Taylor said none of the residents brought the sheets to her at the dais, the Review reported. Nero told the Review that in his eight years as commissioner, he had never seen in-person public comment go unshared at meetings.

Why Binns-Calvey

Voogd said Binns-Calvey chaired the village's recreation board for more than six years and praised her collaborative leadership style. Melin-Rogovin said she chose Binns-Calvey because her community involvement was rooted in Forest Park.

Maxham resigned on Oct. 13 because of family matters, with six months left in her four-year term, according to an earlier Forest Park Review report. Commissioners had a 30-day deadline to fill the seat, meaning it had to be done by Nov. 13.

The April 6 election will determine who holds the seat going forward. Binns-Calvey can choose to run.