Board says goodbye to longtime member Ken Iverson

MORRIS – The Grundy County Board said farewell to longtime member Ken Iverson at its meeting Sept. 8. Iverson, who has been a board member for 18 years, announced he would be resigning from the board because he and his wife, Donna, are moving to Colorado.

At the start of the meeting, County Board Chairman Chris Balkema said a few words about Iverson.

“When I became the chairman in 2010, Ken was one of the first board members to reach out to me,” he said. “And he connected with me. He took me and my son Luke out fishing on his boat. My relationship with Ken has been fantastic. Ken gets to know you. Regardless of party affiliation, he takes the time to listen to you.

“I am blessed to have the opportunity to be mentored by Ken. Wherever he goes out West, you can be sure that a year from now, many people in that community will be glad they know him. He is definitely leaving Grundy County in better shape than he found it.”

Iverson received a plaque from the board that reads “If you put in as much effort enjoying your retirement as you have working with us, it is sure to be a joy. You and your fun personality will be missed.”

Before making a farewell speech, Iverson said he will treasure the plaque and find a special place to keep it.

Then, he stepped to the podium to speak.

“I wrote this down because I wanted to get through it,” he said. “Someone should have warned you about allowing a former teacher on the floor with a captive audience. I will take my full five minutes, and there is nothing you can do to stop me.

“Anyone who has been elected to public office knows the feeling and responsibility to be entrusted with the tremendous honor of serving others in this capacity. I thank anyone who has ever helped me with this opportunity for the last 18 years; my wife, Donna, who has had to listen me lament over difficult votes. My two older sisters, who watched over me since birth, worried I would do something stupid or wrong.

“I feel very good about what has happened in this room. This job is not easy in a small county like ours. We know so many people and have contact with in our daily lives. We got through it together and went on together. I have met some incredible public servants from all over Grundy County. They all put self-interest behind the common good. It seems like the right time and for the right reasons.

“When I look at this body, I see some promising young faces, like David Valdivia, who has devoted his life to young people through the YMCA and MCHS. Drew Muffler, who played second base for me one summer even though he couldn’t hit a fastball. But he has become a voice for good in Morris. Greg Ridenour, coming here as a boy from Minooka, who remembers playing Little Dribblers at Center School.

“Grundy County has so many things going for it, and I am quite sure we will continue to prosper. We have already capitalized on the metro economic engine coming our way. We have been able to protect our open space, maintain safe neighborhoods, attract strong industrial base. The economic future of Grundy County is bright.

“I don’t want to forget Ann Gill, who alerted me when it was time to vote. I will not leave without giving a plug for the YMCA. The YMCA will be best thing that happened to Grundy County in a long time. I found out while searching for baseball coaches that it’s the same group that always does the heavy lifting. You are part of the group, good people doing good things. I commend the leadership of Grundy County for getting us through the worst disaster since 9/11. God bless, goodbye. I love almost all of you.”

County Board member David Valdivia followed with some comments about Iverson.

“I am honored to have a chance to speak about Mr. I,” he said. “In a man’s life, certain local figures keep appearing. One memory of Mr. Iverson is when I was about 10 years old. I lived on the east side of town in a trailer court where most of the Mexican families in town lived. There was a baseball field and basketball court nearby, and we would play basketball often, especially during baseball games when the lights were on. There was a tall man with a hat who would watch us, yell at us when we did something wrong and cheer us when we did it right. Mr. I paid the membership fees to Morris Athletic Club for my friends that wanted to play basketball but never told anyone about it. It did not matter what color, race or ethnicity you were, tall or small, didn’t matter. If you loved basketball, he was willing to teach you.

“He was one of my school teachers in eighth grade. It is difficult to find a teacher to connect with and learn at the same time. He was always teaching, and it came naturally to him.

“Mr. Iverson is a community man. He’s incredibly involved in our county. He’s been a board member since 2002 and continues to be elected. He brings families together and is a ripple effect of positive energy through the town. He truly loves his town. He makes decisions, not for himself or party, but for the good of the people. He does not see race, Democrat, Republican, religion or any of that. He sees human beings living in this county. He wants the best for everyone else.

“Involvement in getting athletics in this town is a key to a healthy environment. The YMCA has been huge success, and it’s still a growing force in Morris. There are many different sports outlets at YMCA, and we can thank Mr. Iverson for that.

“This man is authentic, which is what distinguishes himself from others. He is the grandfather I never had. I will miss you, Mr. I.”