Marseilles Mayor Jim Hollenbeck announces re-election campaign

Marseilles Mayor Jim Hollenbeck announced Monday he will be seeking reelection to the city’s mayoral position in the April 2023 election.

Hollenbeck said in his statement he’s served the last five years with the goal to stay “focused on our future.”

Hollenbeck said public health and safety are his main points of focus to go along with the city’s future. He has 47 years in law enforcement and 45 years in the fire service. On top of that, he led the city through 2020 and the pandemic.

“I was proud of this community, thankful for all of you and grateful I was able to step up as mayor to provide $10,000 in 0% interest loans to 15 businesses to assist them through COVID shut down,” Hollenbeck said. “We established a business outreach program to assist our businesses, our livelihoods, with the marketing that is needed to make us successful.”

Hollenbeck said there also ws a resident outreach program to deliver food and prescriptions to those in need, and contact checks with shut-ins to ensure their safety. He touts this along with many other accomplishments, like securing grants to rehabilitate housing for low-to-moderate income families, a grant for a municipal boat launch, a grant for sidewalk construction on Rutland Street, a grant for housing demolition and a $1.2 million grant to build a flood levee around the north wastewater treatment plant.

He also has overseen repairs and construction in the city such as reconstructing Fillebrowne Street and realigning Main and Commercial streets using mostly federal, state and TIF funds. He also cited the project to extend city water and sewer to Interstate80 that will connect businesses and residential units to Walbridge Subdivision.

“It’s important to me that our beautiful city never turns into an eyesore,” Hollenbeck said. “I want Main Street to reflect our history and our future as well. That’s why the Main Street beautification and revitalization project is one that I’m proud to invest in and be part of.”

Hollenbeck said that project will help Marseilles show its best face to those who visit and those who have lived there for many years. To help with this process, the city is applying for a Main Street Revitalization Grant that would get the city more than $2 million for a new street, sidewalks, curbs, gutters, lighting, a bike lane and landscaping.

There still are more grants Hollenbeck would like to apply for: An Open Space Land and Acquisition grant to renovate Broadway Park and a Brownfield grant that would work toward developing the Nabisco building and Washington School.

“When something is your passion, you put your whole heart into it as further reflected by may lengthy law enforcement fire service careers,” Hollenbeck said. “Everything I commit myself to I put my heart and soul into it. That is what I have done as a full time mayor of this city. As I said, Marseilles and its fine residents are my passion and I’m proud to have served as your mayor.”