Logan County Clerk and Recorder Sally Turner, Sheriff Steve Nichols, and board member Gloria Luster recognized for service

 

[November 26, 2018] 

LINCOLN 

At the Logan County Board Regular session held on Tuesday, November 20th, Logan County Clerk and Recorder Sally Turner, Sheriff Steve Nichols, and board member Gloria Luster were honored for their service. The elected position terms end November 30.

Logan County Clerk and Recorder Sally Turner honored for her years of service

Sally Turner has served as Logan County Clerk and Recorder since December 1994.

Board member David Hepler said before being elected to this office, Turner “had already distinguished herself in other offices.”

Hepler said in 24 years of service as the County Clerk and Recorder, Turner “transformed the office into a model of efficiency.” In the many elections Turner, her staff, and election judges oversaw she “earned the full trust of the electorate regardless of the outcome.”

Hepler said though Turner “might hold strong convictions on public issues, she never uttered a disagreeable word to anyone with whom she served.”

Hepler said in Turner’s many years of public service, she parented two children who are now successful adults.

Hepler said, “Be it therefore resolved that the Logan County Board thanks Sally Turner for her many years of service to our community and wishes her the very best in the next chapter of her life.”

Board Chairman Chuck Ruben said through the years, Turner’s office was the one he turned to when he had a question, needed an answer, or wondered what to do.” Ruben said Turner did not always know the answer, but always found it out. Ruben said he appreciated all her help.

Turner said she had “a bittersweet feeling” about her time as clerk ending. She said, “I have enjoyed working with all of you. You are good people, and all do a good job and try to do the best for Logan County every day.”

She said Theresa Moore, who will be the new county clerk, is a “great person” for the job and is a “smart person” who will do a “fantastic job” and will try to answer any questions the board has.

Logan County Sheriff Steve Nichols honored for many years of service

Hepler said in 2002, Logan County Sheriff Steve Nichols left a “very successful career with the state regulatory agency to become the Sheriff of Logan County.”

Entering the position, Hepler said that Nichols found a “department staffed with great people otherwise lacking in the technologies of modern law enforcement.”

He added that Nichols has had “a diverse jail population to oversee.”

Nichols had a sometimes “strained relationship” with other law enforcement partners,” a problem that “could be solved with enough money the county did not have.”

Hepler said Nichols was “not given to discouragement or excuses, rather he surrounded himself with excellent deputies and systematically addressed these issues.”

Hepler said as Nichols “transitions into a well-deserved retirement, he leaves a safer courthouse, better equipped and trained deputies, a financially sound department, trust within the local legal and law enforcement community, and a jail that is slated for contemporization.”

He said, “Be it therefore resolved that the Logan County Board thanks Steve Nichols for his many years of service to our community and commends him on being a great family man and wishes him a long and enjoyable retirement.”

Nichols thanked his family and said, “it has been my pleasure.” Nichols said, “things started off on a downward trend,” but have come back around.

Nichols said other than some cases, “I would not have changed working with everyone here” and said “the board has been very gracious to me. They have always listened to me” and “have always had the ability to disagree, but be able to talk once we left the hall.” He thanked everyone that has served.

Board member Gloria Luster honored for her service on the board and several committees

Gloria Luster had served on the board since May 2017. She was appointed to fill Adam Schmidt’s seat on the board after he stepped down in April 2017.

Hepler said during her time on the board, Luster “distinguished herself in several committee assignments” with duties including “transitioning the county to a new public transportation provider, enlisting the services of a new insurance consultant, and especially crafting zoning parameters for both zoning and wind.”

Hepler said Luster’s “years of full-time service with the Illinois Department of Revenue became invaluable when the need arose to appoint a new Supervisor of Assessments.”

Luster “consistently exhibited compassion and empathy for the county employees championing efforts to secure fair wages, benefits, and much needed time off when possible,” he said.

He said she “demonstrated that rare quality of being able to disagree with fellow board members without ever experiencing a disagreeable moment.”

He concluded, "Be it therefore resolved that the Logan County Board thanks and commends Gloria Luster for her service to the board and community and the example she set for those members remaining.”

Luster thanked the community and fellow board members and said, “I enjoyed every minute of it.”

The board unanimously approved the resolutions honoring Turner, Nichols, and Luster.

Ruben and Hepler presented Turner, Nichols, and Luster with plaques in honor of their years of service.

[Angela Reiners]