Contact: Dolores (Mohr) Kenyon
E-mail: dolores@wiclarkcountyhistory.org
Surnames: Perrine, Weiers, Murphy, Clough, Harnisch, Roehl
----Source: Clark County Press (Neillsville, Clark Co., WI) 10/07/2020
Neillsville Common Council Fills Alderperson Vacancy (Ward 1 – 2020)
Neillsville Common Council Fills Alderperson Vacancy
The Neillsville Common Council’s Ward 1 seat did not stay vacant for long, as John Perrine was sworn into office last month by city clerk Rex Roehl. Ryan Spoehr/Clark County Press
By Ryan Spoehr
With the exit of Joe Weiers, the Neillsville Common Council was tasked to appoint a person to fill his seat.
John Perrine, who is a familiar face in Neillsville government, has taken the helm in the first ward for the council.
Perrine was a member of the city’s parks committee and a member of the city council at the turn of the century. His previous tenure on the council was in 1999 and 2000. He was chair-person of the parks committee during his time on the council.
“I talked to Joe and I talked to the mayor [Diane Murphy[, and the next thing you know I’m on the council again,” Perrine said. “Things are just better than they were the other time. I’m totally retired now; back then I wasn’t. I’ve got more time now. It should work better.”
A Neillsville native, Perrine wants to give back to the community.
“I like Neillsville,” Perrine said. “I’ve probably lived here for more than 70 years . The people are just nice people. It’s a nice community and nice people.”
He lived briefly in Wausau for six or eight months and also in Whitehall, but always found himself coming back to Neillsville.
“My home was still Neillsville,” Perrine said.
In his first few weeks back on the council, he doesn’t have any set goals or items he would like to explore yet as an alderperson.
“I’ve just got in the door, so I don’t know what is going on just yet,” Perrine said. “But this dog park thing is something we have to make a decision on. I’m not sure on that yet. I don’t really care for the location for it, but I don’t know if there’s any other place. Right now, we’re in the budget, so that’s pretty much what we’re doing now.”
Perrine was nominated at the Sept. 22 council meeting by alderperson Dan Clough.
Alderperson Dave Harnisch abstained and everyone else on the council voted to approve Perrine as the new Ward 1 alderperson. He will served on the council until the expiration of Weiers’ term, which is in spring of 2021, unless he resigns or is removed from the seat. He was sworn in by city clerk Rex Roehl immediately after the nomination was approved by the council.
He will be a member of the illegal tax committee and public works commission, which the whole council serves on.
Weiers, who was the pastor at Hillside Community Church, resigned in early September prior to becoming the pastor for a church in Brillion, which is in Calumet County south of the Fox Cities along USH 10.
Weiers was also a member of the beautification committee. Harnisch, who was recently removed from the library board because too many councilmembers were on it per state statute, was appointed to the beautification committee.
