Moline seeks candidates for new alderman

Moline Mayor Sangeetha Rayapati is seeking community-minded candidates interested in filling the 6th Ward City Council seat, vacant due to the passing of Ald. Pat O’Brien earlier this month.

All candidates must reside in the city’s 6th Ward. Applications are available online HERE or in person at City Hall, 619 16th St., according to a city release Thursday.

The mayor will accept expressions of interest and statements of qualifications between Jan. 2 and 9. She intends to interview candidates between the dates of Jan. 15 and 19 with a goal of informing the City Council of her recommendation by Jan. 19, followed by an approval vote by City Council at its Jan. 23 meeting, the release said.

Under this timetable, the new alderperson would be sworn in on Feb. 13 at the regular City Council meeting.

O’Brien, 64, of Moline, passed away Dec. 10, 2023, at home.

He was a longtime resident of Moline and served eight years as the 2nd Ward Alderman for the city until 2005. In 2021, he was elected as the 6th Ward Alderman. He was also the former President of the Council on Community Services and also served as President of the Moline Preservation Society. 

Pat’s wife Cecilia, 61, Moline, died on May 12, 2022 at UnityPoint — Trinity Hospital, Rock Island, after a short battle with cancer.