South Jax Trustee expresses support for Manker to join Board

By Gary Scott on January 19, 2018 at 1:47pm

More support is coming for a certain candidate to become the next member of the South Jacksonville Board of Trustees.

Recently, we spoke with Tyson Manker of South Jacksonville about his potential appointment to the South Jacksonville Village Board of Trustees. In that, Manker mentioned that he had been approached by several trustees about their want for his appointment to fill the seat of recently-retired trustee Steve Waltrip. To confirm this claim, we spoke with a few of the South Jacksonville Trustees including Greg Nelson.

Nelson tells us that for him, Manker would be a solid choice for the empty seat on the board.

“I’ve known Tyson a long time, and my experience with him as he was running for State’s Attorney was that he was nothing but a stand up guy that has a mind for law and what’s right, not just because he’s a lawyer but just as a person. I think that he would be a great addition to the Village Board and to the Village from a service perspective,” says Nelson.

Nelson also puts forth a specific example of Manker being involved in the politics of South Jacksonville.

“I don’t think it can be said enough how instrumental he was in bringing about the ethics complaint and the ethics investigation in the Gordon Jumper and Linda Douglas issues of the past. If I’m recalling correctly, his ethics complaint was the first one that was filed in Illinois on the new ethics law. That action speaks for itself with how much he cares for his home. He cares for (the Village) as much as I do or anyone on the board, so I just think he would be a great addition,” says Nelson.

Nelson says that he believes the people of the village also believe Manker would be a worthy addition to the board of trustees.

“I think, from my interactions with people around the time he was running for State’s Attorney and from former board meetings, I got the distinct impression that South Jacksonville residents appreciate the things that he did, like with the ethics complaint, and that they trust that he has a level head and a mind for what’s right. So I think the people that I’ve had experience with would be very thrilled,” Nelson explains.

While the Board of Trustees held a special meeting Thursday night, the topic of who would fill the vacant seat was not discussed.