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St. Joseph council names Kelly acting mayor for 2026; approves board and commission appointments
Summary
Council confirmed an acting mayor for 2026 and approved a slate of appointments and renewals across boards and commissions including CVB, fire department captaincies, human rights advisory board and planning commission seats.
The St. Joseph City Council confirmed an acting mayor for 2026 and approved multiple appointments and renewals to city boards and commissions.
A councilor nominated Councilwoman Bianick to serve again as acting mayor for 2026; the nomination was seconded and confirmed by voice vote. The record later refers to the acting mayor as "Kelly." The council then considered a slate of appointments and renewals for 2026.
Approved appointments and renewals listed in the meeting record include: CVB renewals for Melissa Blankush, Mary Bruner, Bruno, Peter Gillitzer and Brian Hearn; fire department captain appointments/renewals for Jake Richter and Jack Telphen (two-year terms) and the renewal of Andrew Kramer; a human rights advisory board appointment for Taylor Demarce for a three-year term (2026—2028); park board renewals for Milton Hodgej, Andy Renicki and Jeff Berskin; and planning commission changes with a new candidate Cody Vander and a renewal for John Hazen.
Each appointment was moved, seconded and approved by voice vote; the transcript records no separate roll-call tallies for these items. Council members thanked committee volunteers and staff who worked on the appointment process.
Next step: appointees will serve according to the terms stated in the meeting record; the council did not record additional follow-up actions for these appointments at this session.
