Costello sworn in as Whiteside County's new state's attorney

MORRISON – Terry Costello was sworn in as the state's attorney for Whiteside County on Tuesday night.

The Whiteside County Board approved Chairman James Duffy's recommendation to appoint Costello as the new state's attorney during its meeting, and Costello was sworn in by Judge Trish Joyce during the meeting.

Costello, who served as Joyce’s first assistant state’s attorney, was appointed as the interim state's attorney in December after Joyce was appointed as a circuit judge in the 14th Judicial Circuit Court.

The county had 60 days to accept applications, interview and appoint a new state's attorney. Allison Fagerman, Mark Holldorf, and Daniel Huffman also applied for the position.

Costello's wife, Sue Costello, who is the Whiteside County Circuit Clerk, said she couldn't be more thrilled for her husband.

"He's very well qualified," she said. "I think he'll do a great job."

Costello, a 1996 graduate of the Southern Illinois University School of Law, began his career as an assistant state's attorney in Montgomery County in 1997 and later served in Christian County as the first assistant state's attorney. In 2005, he became an assistant state's attorney in Whiteside County and was named first assistant in 2014.

Costello will serve as the state's attorney for just under 2 years, until the 2018 general election, where he must run if we wants to continue in the position.

Also at Tuesday’s meeting, the board …

• Approved sending up to eight people to attend the National Drug Court conference in Washington, D.C.

• Tabled the approval of a proposed marijuana ordinance pending further study. The county is considering enacting its own schedule of fines for possession. State law was changed last year making possession of small amounts of marijuana – 10 grams or less – a civil offense punishable by a fine of up to $200, but counties also can choose to set their own financial penalties or follow those set by the state.

• Acknowledged the approval of up to $15,000 for new desks and cubicles for the Eastern Branch Court Facility.

• Voted to reduce the number of election judges in certain precincts to three for the April election.