Rock Falls City Council’s Ward 2 vacancy filled

ROCK FALLS — The Rock Falls City Council once again has a full slate of members.

On Tuesday, Jan. 2, council members unanimously voted to approve Mayor Rod Kleckler’s appointment of Vickey Byrd to fill the empty Ward 2 seat.

“I’m hoping to learn more about the position and be able to contribute to our community, to be able to push us forward into the new era,” Byrd said.

The Rock Falls City Council consists of eight aldermen, two from each of the city’s four wards.

The position Byrd filled had been open since the April 4, 2023, consolidated election, when Alderman Casey Babel did not run for reelection. Alderman Brian Snow is the other Ward 2 representative.

“I think it’s important to be involved in our community, and I didn’t realize that the position had been open for a while,” Byrd said when asked about her motivation to serve on the council. “I just like to do a good job.”

Kleckler said he’s looking forward to having full representation of the city when the council votes on matters.

Finding someone to fill the empty Ward 2 seat was “relatively slow going” until Byrd came to his office a couple weeks ago and expressed interest, he said.

“I even spent time knocking on doors in the ward to find out if people are interested, finding out leads from different people back and forth,” Kleckler said.

Byrd said she does not have any prior experience as an elected official, but likes to be involved in the community, including working at the homeless shelter in Sterling and attending St. Andrew Catholic Church.

Byrd’s appointment will last through the April 2025 election, Kleckler said. If she wishes to run for office at that time, she’ll have to file papers this November, he said.

Whomever is elected to the Ward 2 seat in April 2025 will have a two-year term, which is what will remain of the four-year term that started in April 2023.