Chuck Mikulich is an alderman again.
“It’s good to sit in this seat again,” Mikulich said at Monday night’s Sugar Creek Board of Aldermen meeting.
Mikulich was appointed by Mayor Stan Salva to fill the empty Ward 1 seat left by the resignation of Patrick C. Casey last month.
Mikulich had been ousted by Casey in the April election with Casey claiming 129 votes (52.02 percent) to Mikulich’s 119 votes (47.98 percent).
Casey resigned last month and then accepted the position of deputy fire chief with the Sugar Creek Fire Department. He had previously held the position before running for office.
“I told (Casey) I’d love to have him back,” Sugar Creek Police Chief Herb Soule said. “His heart just wasn’t in to being an alderman.”
Enough to the critics
Sugar Creek Alderman Stan Sagehorn does not like to be told what to do.
“I don’t want to create any embarrassments for this city,” Sagehorn said at Monday’s Board of Aldermen meeting, “but I’m tiring of people trying to sway my decision.”
Sagehorn was upset with comments he read on The Examiner’s editorial page, particularly a question demanding why four members of the city’s planning and zoning commission were absent Thursday’s meeting, where testimony was given by homeowners in opposition to Lafarge North America’s proposal to mine the former Cedar Crest Dairy Estate, next to 1,400 homes, several churches and Elm Grove Elementary School.
“I happen to know why one of them didn’t make it,” Sagehorn said. “It was something personal and it should take priority; (the commissioners) volunteer to do this.”
Sugar Creek Attorney Bob Buckley said each of the commissioners received a transcript of what occurred at the meeting.
“If they miss two meetings in a row, I’d recommend they not participate,” Buckley said.
Sagehorn also said the Independence City Council’s position is hypocritical on the mining issue.
“They say this is what we did and you shouldn’t do it,” Sagehorn said. “And they’re the ones who approved WinterStone; the culprits who created all the trash for you.”
Lafarge has had a mining operation beneath the WinterStone Golf Course, which is near the Cedar Crest area, for the past seven years.
As far as the six-digit sum offered by Lafarge is concerned, Alderman Dennis Onka said it had no effect on the board’s vote two years ago (when they turned down another proposal from Lafarge to mine Cedar Crest), and it won’t this time either.
