Former mayor to return to Weston City Hall

Howard Hellebuyck will take over for C.R. Carter

Hellebuyck

Everything old is new again in Weston, from the return of familiar faces to the West Platte superintendent’s office to the reappointment of a former mayor.

Howard Hellebuyck was appointed mayor of Weston at a special meeting held June 13 to select a replacement for outgoing mayor C.R. Carter. Carter, who was re-elected to his second term in 2013, will leave his seat June 26 to relocate to Jonesboro, Ark. Hellebuyck, who served as mayor from 1997-2007, will take office after Carter’s departure and serve until the municipal election in April 2015. Carter approached Hellebuyck, owing to his years of experience with the City. “He’s got some experience in the past,” said Board president Kent Stelljes, in smiling reference to Hellebuyck’s 10 years as mayor. “I feel he can just step right in and do a good job for us.” Hellebuyck, 57, said he felt it was “the civic thing to do.” “I’m honored they thought of me and I’m glad to help out until the next election,” said Hellebuyck, a 40-year Weston resident who is the director of maintenance for the West Platte School District. He said that an important issue moving forward for the City will be the planned Washington Street bond issue improvement project. “I’ve got a lot of getting up to speed on things and catching up,” Hellebuyck said. “Fortunately, most of the aldermen and city employees have been there for a while.” When asked if he might seek the job next April, Hellebuyck replied, “I’m not planning on it.” Although the Board voted earlier in the week to limit trash pickup to 20 bags per week, Stelljes suggested the Board wait until the July meeting to institute any changes. He said he believed there should be a bit more investigation into how that would affect trash pickup during festivals.

Read the whole story in this week's issue of The Citizen.