By Press Times Staff
HOWARD – Cathy Hughes will be on the village ballot in two places this spring.
In addition to seeking a new two-year term as a village trustee in Wards 5-6, Hughes also filed to run for municipal judge, a position now held by attorney Brian Stevens, who is running this spring for a one-year term.
Stevens was appointed last September because the previous municipal judge, Gregg Schreiber, who served in the position since 1999, moved out of the area and didn’t complete the remainder of his four-year term.
To fill the vacancy, the village accepted applications with Hughes, Stevens and attorney Quinn Jolly seeking to be appointed the municipal judge from Nov. 1, 2019, to April 30, 2020.
Stevens was recommended by a three-person team comprised of Village President Burt McIntyre and trustees John Muraski and Craig McAllister.
The majority of village board members appointed Stevens until April when the person elected would fill out the final year of the four-year term.
With Hughes absent from the Sept. 23 meeting, Trustee Ray Suennen, who spoke against appointing someone because of the possible advantage an incumbent could have in being elected, could only convince two other board members, trustees Maria Lasecki and Chris Nielsen, to oppose the appointment.
Municipal judge will be the only contested village position on the ballot this spring in Howard.
McIntyre is running unopposed for another three-year term as village president.
In addition to Hughes, the three other trustees up for election to new two-year terms this spring also face no opposition. They include Muraski (Wards 7-8), Suennen (Wards 11-12) and Scott Beyer (Wards 9-10).