Findley voted South Ottawa Township supervisor

The South Ottawa Township has elected its new supervisor, and the first woman since the township was established in 1847.

Beth Findley, 34, Ottawa, was elected as supervisor during its Monday meeting after her successor John "Butch" Burns died on Jan. 2.

"We will all dearly miss him. He loved his job and put his heart and soul into work for the township," Findley said to The Times in a phone call.

She began her work with the township in 2017 as a moderator at its annual meetings and discovered interest to get more involved and applied when a trustee positioned open in May.

"I've always been interested in politics from a very young age. I think it's important for people to get involved and be involved with their local governments," she said.

Findley previously was a nuclear engineer at the La Salle County Nuclear Generating Station and became a stay-at-home mother after having her first child.

She often finds many people don't understand what the township does on their behalf and said she plans to promote the township more through her social media and website creating skills.

"I believe these are some good tools to connect with our residents and make it easier for our residents to contact us," Findley said.

The South Ottawa Township administers the township's general assistance program, assesses properties and assists with maintaining roads and bridges.

With the trustee's vote to make Findley supervisor, there now remains a vacancy on the board for another Republican trustee to replace Findley.

"We have a great group on the township board and we all work together well and feel comfortable bringing up issues," Findley said.

"Although the people we have on the board are not partisan, we all work together," she added. "Even though we're Democrats and Republicans, we leave that behind. We all want what's best for South Ottawa."

Those interested in the position must be at least 18 years of age and have lived in Ottawa for one year.

Interested parties can attend their next meeting at 6 p.m. Monday, Feb. 10 at the South Township Office, 518 First Ave., and share information about themselves.