USA > Illinois > Madison County > Madison > Anniversary: City Of Madison, Illinois 1891-1966, 75th > Part 4
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The first election for city officers was duly held on May 19, 1942, and on May 22, 1942, the re-
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turns of the election were canvassed by the Village Board of Trustees. The results of the election showed that for Mayor, Stephen A. Maeras re- ceived 1943 votes and Dr. R. A. Marshall received 1164 votes; for City Clerk, Percy Lux received 1848 votes and Elmer Kelly received 1033 votes; for City Treasurer, Marion Fogle received 1861 votes and J. A. Howard, 922 votes; for Police Magistrate, Louis Spohr received 1907 votes and Harvey Crow- der, 959 votes; two aldermen were to be elected in each ward and the results showed that for Alder- men, First Ward, Elmer Noonan received 420 votes; Emil Ulanski, 393 votes, Frank J. Huckla, 253 votes, and Claude Echols, 329 votes; for Aldermen, Second Ward, Roy Powell received 270 votes; Harry A. Cook, 264 votes; Claude Layman, 163 votes; Clayton Newton, 160 votes; Frank Onesky, 132 votes, and Woodrow Lybarger, 91 votes; for Alder- men, Third Ward, Oliver Pfeiffer received 268 votes, Leo Kozielek, 268 votes; Joe Kaleta, 156 votes, and Joe Chestnut, 190 votes; for Aldermen, Fourth Ward, William P. Morris received 416 votes; M. Jim Popovsky, 362 votes; Edward J. Kowalski, 348 votes, and Anthony J. Kosta, 321 votes; for Aldermen, Fifth Ward, William Harper received 243 votes; Sidney Seals, 231 votes; Arthur Strauth- er, 212 votes, and W. Good, 187 votes.
After the canvass of the returns of the election a resolution was adopted by the Board of Trustees, as its last official act declaring the first duly elected city officials of the new City to be: Stephen A. Maeras, Mayor; Percy Lux, City Clerk; Marion Fogle, City Treasurer; Louis Spohr, Police Magis- trate; Aldermen, First Ward, Elmer Noonan and Emil Ulanski; Aldermen, Second Ward, Roy Powell and Harry A. Cook; Aldermen, Third Ward, Oliver Pfeiffer and Leo Kozielek; Aldermen, Fourth Ward, William P. Morris and M. Jim Popovsky; and Alder- men, Fifth Ward, William Harper and Sidney Seals. Mr. Harper and Mr. Seals were the first negroes to be elected as officials of the City of Madison.
Immediately that same night of May 22, 1942, after the old Board of Trustees adjourned, the new city officials took their oaths of office and held their first meeting. At this meeting the new Mayor, as his first official appointment, named Austin Lewis as Corporation Counsel and head of the Legal Department in order that many legal problems in connection with the transition from a village to the city form of government could be expeditiously disposed of. Mr. Lewis had represented the Village of Madison in a number of legal matters during the last years of the Garesche administration and was Village Attorney during the Dron administra- tion. He remained as Corporation Counsel of the City for the next twenty-one years until his election as Judge of the Probate Court of Madison County.
Stephen A. Maeras became the first Mayor of Madison at 36 years of age. He has been re-elected for six consecutive four year terms since he took office in 1942, and still remains as the Chief Exec- utive Officer of the City. Born in Roumania on July 4, 1906, he came to Madison with his parents when he was three years old. Their first place of residence was in the old Nikola Building at Sixth and State Streets. This building had served as the first home of many of the early European arrivals in the City. He attended the Madison Public
Schools, graduating from High School in 1924. He later became an Accountant and since that time has engaged in the real estate and insurance busi- ness. During his High School days Mr. Maeras became popular among the residents of the com- munity for his athletic ability, particularly as a basketball player. His first elective office was that of Member of the Board of Education. He served later for a time as President of the Board. He was then elected a member of the old Village Board of Trustees and was serving in that office at the time of his election as Mayor. Mr. Maeras had been a strong advocate for the change of the Village to the City form of government and it was through his leadership and that of a group of associates of about his own age that culminated in the success of their efforts to make Madison a City.
On June 16, 1942, Mayor Maeras appointed Ed- ward J. Miller as City Comptroller. Mr. Miller had served as Village Collector of Madison during the Dron administration, succeeding Joseph Grenzer who had been elected Township Supervisor. Mr. Miller has served as City Comptroller continuously from the date of his appointment to the present time. Earl Henson, a municipal employee for many years was appointed as Superintendent of Streets. Mr. Henson had been very active in the affairs of the Fire Department during the years preceding his appointment. Barney Fraundorf, a former State Patrolman, was appointed as the new Chief of Police. He continued to serve in that office until his election as Sheriff of Madison County in No- vember, 1962, during which time he gained a wide reputation as an able and efficient police officer. During his tenure as Chief of Police he reorganized the Police Department and effected a new system of administrative procedure for the detection of crime and for the apprehension of law violators. Bruce E. Champion was appointed Chief of the Fire Department. As heretofore stated, Mr. Champion was the first child to be born on the town site of Madison. He remained active in the affairs of the Fire Department until he moved out of town some years later.
The group of men who had been active associates of Mayor Maeras in their efforts to incorporate Madison as a city, did not stop their activities after their initial success, but under the leadership of the Mayor, formed what is known as the "City Organization." All elected and appointed officials and employees of the City, together with members of the Police and Fire Department, members of the Board of Education and Township officials residing in Madison became members of this organization. Its ranks were augmented by other business men and community leaders. These men were united with a common objective-that of making Madison a better place in which to live and work. It has fostered many civic improvements throughout the years and has been a constant source of assistance for any worthy project of benefit to Madison and the neighboring communities. This organization has continued to meet together monthly since its formation up to the present time, with an average attendance at each meeting of approximately sev- enty-five members.
Six months before the new city administration took over the affairs of the city, our country was drawn into the Second World War by the attack on
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Pearl Harbor. The first objective of the administra- tion was to do everything within its power to secure success of the war effort. Many Madisonians, young men and young women alike, went into the Armed Forces. Most of those that remained at home worked around the clock in the industries of the area to increase the production of war materials vital to the needs of the nation. All of the residents did their utmost to bring about the end of the con- flict and an early peace which finally came in 1945.
It was impossible during the war to do much in the way of new construction in the City, or in the modernizing and improving of City facilities be- cause of the critical shortage of construction and other materials requisitioned for the war effort. During these war years Mayor Maeras laid plans for the future. He appointed a City Plan Commis- sion consisting of George T. Wilkins, Chairman, Irene Hilt, Secretary, Emanuel A. Friedman, Ralph Johns, William Gushleff, Mary Lahey, Ada Lum, Elmer Noonan, Lee Ashlock, Ruth Fogle and Steve Kurilla which became affiliated with the Greater St. Louis Metropolitan Plan Commission as well as with the Illinois Post War Plan Commission. En- gineers and architects were retained and plans made for the erection of new public buildings, play- grounds, improvements to streets and street light- ing, as well as many other civic improvements. Madison's population had continued to gain, and with the return home of the young men and women in the Armed Forces, many of whom were being married immediately upon their return to civilian life, a housing shortage developed. Some new homes were built but not enough to meet the need. Later the Garesche Homes and the Grenzer Homes were constructed with Federal funds to ease the shortage.
The first of the new public buildings erected were the two Madison Memorial Centers. Post- master Ralph Johns had conceived an idea for the construction of a public recreation building in Madison in 1945, the last year of the war. After consulting with the Mayor about this project he was informed that consideration was being given for the erection of a War Memorial in honor of those Madisonians who were serving in the Armed Forces. A committee was then formed with Mr. Johns as its Chairman which approved the con- struction of a Recreation Building and Civic Activi- ties Center as a War Memorial. Attempts were first made to raise sufficient funds to meet the cost of the memorial by public contributions. After plans and specifications were drawn for the new project and bids for its construction were called for, it was found that it would be impossible to obtain enough money from contributions to meet the cost of construction. The City Council then assumed sponsorship of the project and referred the matter to Mayor Maeras and Corporation Counsel Austin Lewis, who had but recently returned from army service, to consider ways and means to finance the project. Financing the project by the issuance of revenue bonds was first considered but proved to be unfeasible because anticipated revenue from the building would not be sufficient to retire the bonds. It was finally determined that the only way to raise the money needed was to recommend to the Council that it call a special election to secure approval by the voters of a proposition to issue direct obliga-
tion bonds to defray the cost of construction of two memorials, one on Seventh Street and Lee Avenue and the other in West Madison, both to be used as Recreation Centers and Civic Activities Buildings. The City Council approved the recommendation of the Mayor and Corporation Counsel and called an election to be held on February 24, 1948, on the question. At the election the voters overwhelmingly approved the proposition and also provided for the establishment of a supervised playground and rec- reation system to be governed by a Playground and Recreation Board of five members. Construction of the two memorials started immediately. On May 11, 1948, the Mayor appointed Ralph Johns as the first President, and Andre Gitcho, Richard George, Mike Krieshok and Henry Baucum as the first members of the Playground and Recreation Board. Despite the difficulty in obtaining building mater- ials the two memorials were completed and dedica- tion ceremonies held on October 10, 1948, at which time addresses were delivered by Mayor Maeras, representing the City, Secretary of State, Edward J. Barrett, representing the State of Illinois, Con- gressman Melvin Price, representing the Congres- sional District and Austin Lewis, representing all of the World War II veterans of the Armed Forces. Engraved in stone on the portals of the memorials are the names of the Madisonians who gave their lives for their country in World War II. The Morris Glik family, in memory of Morris Glik, an early merchant of Madison, generously provided the funds for the installation of a beautiful large bronze and marble placque in the Memorial Center on Seventh Street, on which appears the following inscription authored jointly by the Mayor and Cor- poration Counsel: "In honor of the sons and daugh- ters of the City of Madison, Illinois, who, in the highest traditions of the United States of America, served their country in World War II, and in mem- ory of those who made the supreme sacrifice that mankind might live in freedom." Below the inscrip- tion are engraved the names of 818 Madisonians who served in the Armed Forces in World War II, twenty-six of whom gave their lives in their coun- try's service. The residents of Madison are justly proud of these two war memorials. They were the first permanent war memorials to be erected in Madison County after the close of World War II.
The depression that was expected to follow in the wake of World War II never happened; instead a period of prosperity followed that saw employment at a higher peak and wages at an unprecedented higher level than ever before. The shortage of con- struction materials still continued delaying the carrying out of many of the plans that had been formulated as post-war projects. By 1950, when the population of Madison had reached 7963 the shortage of materials had been somewhat alleviated and planned projects which had been unavoidably delayed began to come into being.
During World War II, a Civil Defense organiza- tion was formed in the City of Madison for the protection of its citizens during times of war, disaster or emergency. Emanuel A. Friedman, a business man who for many years had given leader- ship in many civic activities was appointed as the first Civil Defense Director. The program was or- ganized with trained personnel and at a later time an Auxiliary Police unit was formed to serve in
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cooperation with the Civil Defense organization and to assist the regular police force at any time when needed. In 1953 Mr. Friedman was succeeded as Director by Harry Johnson, until recently Post- master of Madison, who had displayed a keen interest in the Civil Defense Program as an assistant to Mr. Friedman. He has continued as Director of Civil Defense to the present time. During 1953 a mock air raid was staged by Madison Civil Defense personnel. Motion pictures were taken of this simu- lated air raid and the procedures necessary to be followed for the protection of the public. These pictures were later used in other cities as a training film and the members of the Madison Civil Defense Organization received local, state and national acclaim for their excellent work. The Madison Civil Defense and Auxiliary Police organizations are today active and vital forces in the community for the safety and welfare of the public.
During this period of time the Gospel Chapter of the General Baptist Church acquired a frame church building at 2013 McCasland Avenue and the congregation has held religious service there up to the present time.
To set down in detail each of the projects and all of the accomplishments of the Maeras adminis- tration since 1950, would require far more space than is available here. Most of the citizens of Madi- son today are familiar with them and only brief mention is necessary to call them to mind. The complete record may be found in the well kept Ordinance and Minute Books of the City, in the office of the City Clerk, and is available to be seen by any person desiring to do so.
Between 1950 and 1960 the City Sewer Depart- ment was completely modernized by the addition of motorized equipment in order that all sewers could be properly cleaned and drained; the old City Pumping Station facilities were modernized to insure prompt removal of storm water from the streets; all of the Ordinances of the old village with respect to the operation of the various departments of the municipal government and the duties of department officials were repealed, and new Ord- inances were adopted by the City Council to com- ply with the State Statutes relative to cities; new Codes and Ordinances relative to Traffic, Build- ings, Fire Protection and Plumbing, as well as a modern Health Ordinance were adopted by the Council to meet the needs of the City; the garbage and rubbish collection system was expanded to pro- vide for pick-up at regular twice weekly intervals; all of the dirt streets of Madison were improved by providing them with a bituminous macadam road surface and by the construction of curbs and gutters; an insect control program, the first in the Tri-Cities, was instituted by spraying the City fre- quently during the summer months in order to rid the City of flies, mosquitoes and other insects and to combat the menace of polio; a city-wide program was inaugurated for the construction of sidewalks throughout the City at no cost to the taxpayers; numerous new fire hydrants were installed; a youth program was established to deal with the problems of juveniles; State Street was repaved throughout its entire length in the City; playground and recre- ational facilities were expanded; the Fire Depart- ment was continually kept modernized by provid-
ing it with the latest types of fire fighting and life saving equipment, and a Board of Police Commis- sioners was established to increase the efficiency of the Police Department for the benefit of the citizens of Madison. The first members of this new Board were: John Amend, Joseph Purdes and Mike Sasyk.
Because of the large enrollment of high school students which had increased throughout the years since the erection of the old Madison High School building in 1914, it became imperative that a new modern Senior High School be constructed. Erec- tion of a new building on Farish Street between Fourth and Skeen Streets, was commenced in 1950 and the building was completed in 1952. At that time it was thought that the building would provide sufficient classroom accommodations to serve the school population for many years to come. In addi- tion to the many classrooms, the building contained a large gymnasium, a large auditorium and a school cafeteria. A football field and facilities for other athletic activities was constructed adjacent to the building. The enrollment of students during the past fifteen years, however, far exceeded the ex- pectation of the Board of Education at the time of the construction of the building and an election was recently held to provide for the issuance of bonds to erect a large new addition to the building. This addition is now in the progress of construction. An addition to the Dunbar School Building in West Madison is also now being constructed to meet the increased enrollment of pupils in that area.
On October 19, 1952, ground was broken for the construction of the new St. Mary's Roman Catholic Church at Tenth Street and Alton Avenue. The parishioners of this church under the leader- ship of Rev. Father Engelbert Bienek had planned and worked for the erection of a new church for a number of years. The cornerstone was laid on May 24. 1953, and on Thanksgiving Day, November 25, 1954. this beautiful and monumental stone edifice was dedicated with appropriate ceremonies. It is one of the few Catholic churches of its architectural type in the world today.
By 1958 the facilities of the Harris School, the first school building to be constructed in Madison, became wholly inadequate to meet the demands of the steadily increasing enrollment of grade school pupils. During its sixty-five years of existence hun- dreds of Madisonians had received their early edu- cational training within its portals. The building could no longer meet the standards necessary for school buildings, both for educational purposes and the safety of the children. The Board of Educa- tion realizing the urgent need of a new building called an election for the approval of a bond issue to meet construction costs for a new school to re- place the Harris School and also to replace the Blair School in North Venice which although not in the City, was within the school district. The voters approved the bond issue and the Harris School as well as the Blair School was torn down. The old Harris School had been built on the north- west corner of Sixth Street and Alton Avenue front- ing on Sixth Street. The cornerstone for the new building was laid in 1959, and construction was completed in 1960. This new building was erected at Seventh Street and Alton Avenue fronting on
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Aerial View of the Madison Area As It Appears Today.
Seventh Street. The playground of the new building is now located on the site of the old Harris School building. The only thing that remained the same after construction of the new school building was completed was its name-the Harris School. It is a beautiful building equipped with the most modern educational equipment. The number of classrooms should meet the need for years to come. In addi- tion to the classrooms the building contains a large gymnasium combined with facilities for providing hot lunches for the school children.
According to the Federal census the population of Madison in 1960 was 6861.
The record of accomplishment of the Maeras administration did not diminish during the first five years of the 1960's. For years the northeastern part of the City had been plagued with storm waters after heavy rains. With the growth of the City, the sewer system constructed in 1918 proved to be inadequate to carry off both sewage and storm waters. Construction of a new storm water and drainage system, new storm water sewers, and a new pumping station eliminating these conditions for all time from the streets of the City were com- pleted.
In 1961 the City Hall Building and the adjacent Fireman's Hall Building were completely modern-
ized and a number of alterations made. The City Council chambers on the second floor of the City Hall were remodeled and equipped with modern furniture and fixtures. The offices of the Comp- troller and City Clerk were moved to the first floor. New quarters for the Police Department and new facilities for the detention of law violators were constructed in the part of the building up to that time occupied by the Fire Department. The Fire- man's Hall Building was remodeled in order to pro- vide new quarters for the Fire Department on the first floor of the building with adequate space for the department's vehicular and other fire fighting equipment and supplies.
Between 1960 and 1965 the program of con- struction, repair and replacement of all sidewalks throughout the City was completed. Among other improvements were the installation of the first new Mercury Vapor residential street lighting system in the Tri-City area; the establishment of the first Canine Corps (police dogs) in this area as an addi- tion to the police department to aid in the expedi- tious apprehension of criminals; the erection of a modern animal shelter for humane canine confine- ment as a protection for public health and safety; installation of a new system of instant electronic communication with all members of the Fire De- partment, thus insuring quick fire protection to the
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residents of the City; adoption of a merit system for police officers; widening and paving Madison Avenue throughout its entire length and the in- stallation of modern traffic safety controls; installa- tion of a new Mercury Vapor White Way System on Madison Avenue; enlargement of the Public Library; enlargement of playground and recrea- tional facilities and sponsorship of a summer base- ball recreational program in which more than 400 boys have participated each year; and adoption of the Municipal Retirement System for all city em- ployees. Recently, in order to provide land for in- dustrial development in the city 68 acres of land were purchased by the City Council. This land, located at the eastern limits of the City, will be a source of future employment for Madisonians when it is developed.
The First National Bank which had been located at Fourth Street and Madison Avenue for many years erected a new building on the northeast corner of Sixth Street and Madison Avenue in 1961, where it now provides banking services to the resi- dents of the city. It is the only bank in the City of Madison. Dr. John E. Lee, a local dentist, and Mayor of the City of Venice, is President and Andre Gitcho is Cashier of the bank. James Alcott is Chair- man of the Board of Directors. He is one of the very few remaining veterans of the Spanish Ameri- can War. Louis B. Reilly is Executive Vice-President.
The office of Police Magistrate was abolished by Constitutional amendment effective January 1, 1964. John Bridick was the last Police Magistrate in the city. Prior to his election as Police Magistrate he held the office of Alderman of the First Ward for many years.
In recent years the Church of God of Prophecy acquired church property at Rhodes Street and Highland Avenue. The existing building was re- modeled and enlarged and a substantial number of members now hold services there.
The Second General Baptist Church now holds its religious services in a building located at 512 State Street.
The Temple Baptist Church erected a new church building in 1965 at Harris Street and McCambridge Avenue, just outside the city limits. A considerable number of Madison residents are members of this Church.
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