Source: Journal Star, Peoria, Ill.迷你倉價錢Aug. 28–PEORIAIn the mid-1990s, Beth Jensen chose to move to Peoria. Tuesday night, Peoria City Council members chose Jensen to join their group.According to Mayor Jim Ardis, Jensen was the consensus pick to fill the remaining 20 months of an at-large term left vacant when council dean Gary Sandberg died in July. An official council vote regarding the West Bluff resident’s appointment is expected during a special meeting Sept. 3.”I’m very excited about this opportunity. I hope to make a positive impact on the city,” Jensen, 44, said when contacted by telephone late Tuesday. “I’m looking forward to working with other City Council members to make the city move forward.”The council selected Jensen during an hour-long, closed-to-the-public session that followed the open portion of the group’s regular meeting.Discussions during closed session regarding Peoria Police Department operational issues were limited, City Manager Patrick Urich said. Police Chief Steve Settingsgaard did not attend the meetings. He was ill, according to Urich.Settingsgaard and Urich were to report back to the council Tuesday following discussions during an extended closed session Aug. 13. Additional talks with the council probably will take place Sept. 10, Urich said.By then, Jensen probably will have assumed the vacant council seat.Jensen — who resides in the 2nd District, at 1528 W. Moss Ave. — is a partner in the law firm of Hodges, Loizzi, Eisenhammer, Rodick and Kohn. According to her resume, she established the firm’s Peoria office. She specializes in representation of school districts.Jensen was an attorney in the city’s legal department for two separate stints between 1995 and 2002. She also served briefly as an assistant in the Peoria County State’s Attorney’s Office.”She has significant experience in government, politics and policy issues,” Ardis said. “She has very good working knowledge, as a lot of candid迷你倉tes did, of city government and the issues we’re facing.”Jensen was chosen from a 31-applicant pool to succeed Sandberg, a 24-year councilman who was found dead July 19 in his South Peoria residence. Applications were due Aug. 9.Each council member was asked to winnow his or her candidate list to five, according to Ardis.”The council has done a lot of work the last two weeks,” he said. “A lot of council members interviewd a lot of people. So it really felt like people were going in there making an informed decision.”People were passionate about their first choice. There were a lot of people that could have done this.”Jensen is a native of Arlington Heights. Her husband, David Wentworth, also is an attorney. They have two sons, ages 11 and 10.”I bring the perspective of someone who lives in an old, historic house in an old, historic neighborhood,” she said. “I’m also a young professional with a young family that made the choice 18 years ago to stay here. It’s important to keep young families here.”The next at-large election is scheduled for April 2015. Jensen said she intends to run for a full four-year term.”I’m committed to this position,” she said.Jensen serves on the boards of the Heart of Illinois Regional Port District and the Children’s Home Foundation. She is a graduate of Albion (Mich.) College and the Loyola University of Chicago School of Law.During open session, the council approved unanimously an agreement to implement the ShotSpotter Flex Gunfire Location, Alert and Analysis Service in parts of South Peoria and the West Bluff.The system uses audio sensors to help police pinpoint the location and legitimacy of outdoor gunfire. The three-year deal costs $405,000.Nick Vlahos can be reached at 686-3285 or nvlahos@pjstar.com. Follow him on Twitter @VlahosNick.Copyright: ___ (c)2013 the Journal Star (Peoria, Ill.) Visit the Journal Star (Peoria, Ill.) at .PJStar.com Distributed by MCT Information Services新蒲崗迷你倉