Two South Holland Residents
Answer the Call of Duty

Matthew James and Frank Knittle

Two South Holland residents are answering the call of duty and accepting new challenges.

After serving the Village of South Holland as a Trustee for more than 13 years, Trustee Frank Knittle retired from the Village Board on Monday July 18 in order to fill the position of Director of Community Development and Public Works. Mathew James, the Principal of Calvary Academy, a private Christian elementary school in South Holland, was selected to serve as Trustee to fill the vacancy.

"These two residents have demonstrated their selfless commitment to South Holland. As a community, we are blessed to have people of this caliber to offer their leadership abilities for the betterment of the Village," said Mayor De Graff.

After the retirement of Warren "Butch" De Graff as Director of Planning, Development and Code Enforcement, and the resignation of the Public Works Director, Ed Wilmes, the Mayor appointed and the Village Board approved Frank Knittle as the Director of Community Development and Public Works. While the two departments are not being merged, the senior management of the two will be under one Director. "Having chaired the Public Works Committee and having been involved with the community's economic development for more than 13 years, Knittle is extremely qualified and brings a wealth of experience to both departments", said Trustee DeYoung, chair of the Economic Development Committee. In addition to his involvement with the Village over the years, Knittle has been a Director/Project Manager for HOH Engineering in Chicago, where he has worked for 38 years.

Mathew James was appointed to fill the unexpired term of Frank Knittle. James has been a resident of South Holland since 1993 and has been employed by Calvary Academy for the past 15 years, beginning as a 6th Grade Instructor and currently serving as Principal. James' community involvement over the years has included serving on the Planning and Development Committee, the Cable Commission, and the Central Committee.

Trustee Bennett commented that, "Frank will be missed on the Board, but we are fortunate that he has accepted the challenge to manage these two departments to keep us moving forward. And as a Board, we are excited to work with Mathew James as the newest member of our team".

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The Village of South Holland
16226 Wausau Avenue
South Holland, IL 60473
Telephone: 708-210-2913   Fax: 708-210-1865
Email: admin@southholland.org