The Homewood Board of Trustees approved the appointment of Julie Willis to a seat on the board at the regular meeting Tuesday, Aug. 23. She fills the spot vacated by Karen Washington who resigned Aug. 12.
Willis is an attorney in the Cook County Public Defender’s office. She and her family have lived in Homewood for 14 years. Two of her children are graduates of Homewood-Flossmoor High School and one is currently a sophomore.
She said her interest in serving on the board was to help maintain the qualities of the community that she loves.
“The people are wonderful. [The village] is so diverse,” she said. “I think it’s a perfect place to raise a family. I just want to see that continue, and I’ll do whatever I can to make sure it does.”
Washington stepped down from the board seat after moving to Frankfort. The board approved a resolution honoring her for her service to the village.
“It’s a great board and a wonderful town,” she said.
She is proud of the way the board members worked together over the years. She served as clerk for more than two years before being appointed trustee in 2014 to fill the spot vacated by Tom Kataras.
“Even when we disagree, we’re never disagreeable,” she said.
Two high profile issues on which she disagreed with the majority were the effort to attract a casino to the village, which she opposed, and she expressed concerns early on about the move to shift from Chicago/Harvey to Hammond, Indiana/Chicago Heights for the village’s water source.
“The water situation seems to be working out well. I’m fine with that,” she said.
The village on Thursday, Aug. 18, increased the percentage of Chicago Heights water to 50% as part of a gradual transition with testing to monitor water quality at each stage.
“I still stand firm with (my decision) on the casino, but I respect everyone else’s decision,” she said.
Wind Creek Casino will be located just south of Interstate 80/294 in Homewood and East Hazel Crest.
Washington said she was unsure whether she would pursue public office in the future.
In other business, the board witnessed two new staff members take the oath of office.
Kyle Adams was sworn in as a firefighter/paramedic, and Anthony Billo was sworn in as chief building inspector.