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Lockport council swears in new members and reappoints city administrator, police chief and several board members
Summary
The council conducted swearing‑in of newly elected officials and approved multiple reappointments: Ben Benson was reappointed city administrator and Rich Herang was reappointed police chief; council also approved a slate of board and commission appointments by roll call.
The Lockport City Council swore in newly elected officials and approved a series of reappointments and appointments across city leadership and advisory boards during the meeting.
The council approved reappointment of Ben Benson as city administrator (resolution cited in the meeting as 25 014) and reappointed Rich Herang as police chief (resolution noted as 25 037). Both motions passed on roll‑call votes. Council also reappointed or appointed multiple members to advisory boards: Joe Piper was reappointed to the Lockport Police Pension Board for a two‑year term (resolution 25 038); Tom Pindell Stillwell and Bob Morris were reappointed to the H&A Commission for three‑year terms (resolution 25 039); Dan Murphy was appointed to the City of Lockport Board of Police Commission for a three‑year term (resolution 25 040); and Planning & Zoning and the International Code Council Board of Appeals received several reappointments/appointments, including Scott Likens, Gary Tate, John Steele and Alderman Steve Cardamone (resolution 25 042). All votes reported in the meeting passed by roll call.
Why it matters: reappointments preserve institutional continuity for city administration, public safety leadership and advisory commissions that influence permitting, code interpretation and pensions. City Administrator Ben Benson spoke briefly after his reappointment, noting his and his family’s move to Lockport and expressing appreciation for staff and elected officials.
Council thanked volunteers and the newly sworn members were photographed on the dais. The meeting record shows unanimous or near‑unanimous roll‑call approval for the listed reappointments; where roll calls were recorded, members voted “Yes” and the clerk announced the motion passes. Several council members encouraged new appointees and emphasized the learning curve for new members in city governance.
Next steps: reappointed officials will continue in their roles under the terms identified by each resolution and the city will proceed with the normal administrative onboarding and board assignment processes.
