Village starts search for new trustee

The Grafton Village Board is seeking to fill a vacant seat after Trustee John Gassert resigned on Monday.

Gassert, who was appointed to the board in November 2018 and re-elected last April, is moving to the Town of Grafton.

“I would like to thank the public for the trust they had in me last spring during the election, and I want to thank all the Village Board members for their support during my short time on the board and through all my years on the Community Development Authority,” Gassert said at Monday’s board meeting.  

The board agreed to direct village staff to conduct an appointment process for the vacancy at its meeting on Monday, Dec. 2.

“Following the adoption of the budget, we will look to gather applicants and advertise the position actively between now and then,” Village Administrator Jesse Thyes said.

The board considered placing the vacant seat on the April 2020 election ballot for a one-year term or leaving the seat vacant for 18 months until the 2021 election, the latter of which Thyes said was the least viable option.

Since 2001, Gassert has been a member of the Community Development Authority and became chairman in 2008. During his time as chairman, the CDA has been primarily responsible for redevelopment downtown and in the south commercial business district. 

Gassert was also a member of the ad hoc Sustainable Grafton Committee from 2008 to 2010. As trustee, he served on the Public Safety Committee and Library Board.

Gassert has been a village resident for 42 years and is treasurer and past president of the Grafton Lions Club.

In a letter to the board, Gassert wrote:

“I have greatly enjoyed working on the Community Development Authority for the last 18 years and on the various ad hoc committees and committees I was assigned to as a member of the board. However, my greatest joy has been serving on the Village Board.

“Thank you all for the confidence you had in me.”

Gassert’s Village Board term runs through April 2021. Trustees serve two-year terms.