Saline County Commission reorganizes, welcomes new face to start new year
After an election this past fall for one County Commission seat, the government body reorganized and welcomed its new member this month.
Joe Hay Jr (R) joined the Saline County Commission Jan. 10, replacing Mike White who represented District 5 and its townships of Glendale, Ohio, Pleasant Valley, Smoky Hill and Spring Creek.
Commissioner James Weese, who has served as the chairman this past year, took time to thank the community and his fellow commissioners for the opportunity to serve in the role.
“Let me start by saying I’ve appreciated the past year,” Weese said. “I’ve learned to respect and appreciate the job that a chairman has to do during the course of a year. It’s been an eye-opening experience for me.”
After some brief introductory comments, Weese began the nomination process for new officers, which include the roles of chairman, vice chairman and secretary.
Weese nominated Commissioner Bob Vidricksen for chairman. With no other nominations for the role, the commission unanimously approved the nomination and elected Vidricksen as chair.
Vidricksen then nominated Monte Shadwick for vice chair, a proposal which passed 4-1 with Shadwick the sole “no” vote. His audible “neigh” spoken through a smirk sparked laughter in the room.
Shadwick nominated Commissioner Roger Sparks for the secretary role. Similarly, all voted in favor of the proposal except Sparks, who was elected secretary of the board in a 4-1 vote.
After all officers were elected, the Commission changed seats to reflect those changes.
“Let me say thank you to my fellow commissioners for entrusting this job with me again,” Vidricksen said. “I’m happy to do it.”
New Saline County Commission organization for 2023
Robert Vidricksen II (R)
Chairman, District 2Townships: Eureka, Greely (1, 2, 3), Gypsum, Solomon
Monte Shadwick (R)
Vice Chairman, District 1Townships: Cambria, Dayton, Elm Creek
Rodger Sparks (R)
Secretary, District 3Townships: Liberty, Walnut
James Weese (R)
District 4Townships: Falun, Smolan, Smoky View, Washington
Joe Hay Jr (R)
District 5Townships: Glendale, Ohio, Pleasant Valley, Smoky Hill, Spring Creek
Sheriff Roger Soldan recognized for 35 years with the county
Since the boards reorganization, it started the new year off with recognitions, proclamation approvals and board appointments, to name a few orders of business.
The first order of business after reorganizing was honoring Sheriff Roger Soldan for his 35 years of service to Saline County law enforcement.
“When someone starts at the bottom and rises to the top, they’ve got dedication, perseverance and a love for their job,” Vidricksen said.
Soldan began his career in Saline County in 1988 as a juvenile corrections officer. He was later promoted to a deputy, then held a number of jobs working his way up in county law enforcement: a field sergeant, patrol lieutenant, captain and corrections of the jail, captain and operations with patrol administrative division, and appointed to interim undersheriff.
He was elected Sheriff in 2017 and has served in the role since.
“Along the way we’ve done some pretty amazing things I think for the county,” Soldan said. “I thank the public for the time that they’ve allowed me to be here… as a 21-year-old kid coming in here I never thought I’d be standing here 35 years later, but I appreciate it.”
Kendrick Calfee has been a reporter with the Salina Journal since 2022, primarily focusing on county government and education. You can reach him at kcalfee@gannett.com or on Twitter @calfee_kc.
This article originally appeared on Salina Journal: Saline County Commission reorganizes, starts new year with new face
