Knox County Board Chairwoman Pam Davidson says she had to move quickly, but she hopes a problem within the Oneida-Wataga Fire Protection District has been resolved for now.
The Knox County Board Wednesday night voted 14-0 to approve three new members to the district’s board — Matt Wetterow from Wataga, and Mike Morse and Kevin Erickson both of Oneida — after Davidson says three suddenly resigned on Friday, following controversy over the proposed dissolution of the Altona-Oneida-Wataga Ambulance Service among other matters.
“The first thing this county would like to let you know [is] that we care for the safety of all Knox County,” says Davidson.
Davidson says she and county board members from District four helped in that quick resolution, by discussing the problems Thursday with department members and Fire Chief Dustin Steck.
“I’d like to thank the board members that met with the Oneida-Wataga to move forward the safety of their community, and I’d like to thank all the people that helped with this transaction for us to vote on new trustees,” says Davidson.
The Knox County Board last night also approved appointing local attorney and Galesburg alderman Jeremy Karlin to represent them in regard to a court order to hire a special prosecutor.
Karlin tells WGIL that may mean he files a motion to amend or vacate that order.
A previous version of this story read that Jeremy Karlin had been hired as a special prosecutor, but he in fact has been hired to represent the county in court proceedings regarding hiring a special prosecutor.
