Sangamon County Board is seeking to fill a vacancy on the Mental Health Board in the next few weeks.
Interested individuals should submit a résumé, letter of interest and “any supporting documents, such as letters of recommendation” in person to 200 S. Ninth Street or to County@SangamonIL.gov by Nov. 5 at 5 p.m. Sangamon County Board is expected to appoint an applicant at its Nov. 10 meeting, according to a county press release.
The county initially received more than 100 applications for the nine volunteer positions. The review committee was comprised of seven individuals, five of whom served on last year’s Mental Health Commission.
“Individuals applying to serve on the board should also be aware of statutory restrictions related to eligibility and potential conflicts of interest. Per Illinois State Statute, no member of a Mental Health Board may be a board member, employee, or any other individual receiving compensation from any facility or service operating under a contract with the Mental Health Board,” the release states. “As such, any entity that expects to receive funding from revenue generated by the new tax must avoid placing any affiliated individuals on the board that could create a conflict with the statute.”
The Mental Health Board is responsible for disbursing tax revenue to mental health programs in the county through a limited 0.5% sales tax levy (groceries, medication and services are excluded), which the county conservatively estimates will bring in roughly $14.7 million in its first year.
Chair Steve Nardulli announced Maragaret Seymour’s resignation from the Mental Health Board for personal reasons during the board’s Oct. 28 meeting. Seymour, a psychiatric clinician, has worked for Memorial Health since 2020, according to a public LinkedIn account with her name.
Aside from Nardulli, the other seven remaining board members are: Jennifer Douglas, a re-entry coordinator for the Illinois Department of Corrections; Michael Gaines, corrections coordinator for the Illinois Department of Public Health; Janice Gambach, former CEO of Memorial Behavioral Health; William Moredock, president of Sacred Heart-Griffin High School; David Racine, former executive director of the Center for State Policy and Leadership at University of Illinois Springfield; Leigh Steiner, former CEO of then-Andrew McFarland Mental Health Center; and Brian Wojcicki, a lobbyist and lawyer.
