Village OF Phoenix
Terry R. Wells is a lifelong resident of the Village of Phoenix and is currently running for reelection. He was elected in 1993 and is currently the 3rd longest serving Mayor in the State of Illinois. Prior to being elected Mayor he served ten years as a trustee and two years as President of the Phoenix Library Board of which he was a founding member. Terry is also active outside of the community as well. He served as Past President of South Suburban Mayors, representing 43 communities. He currently serves as Trustee at South Suburban College and also President of Thornton Township Regular Democratic Organization. .
Mayor Wells is a retired teacher having taught 10 years at Coolidge and 25 years at Thornton High School. In 2008 he was honored as Engineering and Technology Teacher of the year at Thornton. In 2015 he was named District 205 Star Teacher Award. In 2018 he received the National Jefferson Award for Teaching Excellence. In 2018 Mayor Wells was inducted into the Thornton Township Highs School Hall of Fame. In 2019 he was named Omega Phi Psi Citizen of the Year.
Mayor Wells has a Master Degree in Education from Illinois State University. He and his wife Loretta have been married for 35 years and have two children.
Patricia Harris has been a resident of the Village of Phoenix for the past 23 years. She attends the Peace and Goodwill Church of God in Christ. During her first term as an elected official, she was responsible for overseeing the Water Department's day-to-day operations.
Some highlights of her first term include the following accomplishments with the Village.
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Successfully stabilize the water Department financially
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Shared ideas for the governance of the community and challenged the status quo
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Managed the successful installation of new water meters, which will allow the utilization of cutting edge technology
A Fortune 500 company employs her for the past 42 years. She successfully held a management and business analyst position for 23 years. Her goal is to continue to serve the community, partner with her peers to build profitability and bring innovative ideas to our community.
Clerk Patricia Harris
Trustee Martina Mahaffey is currently the senior board member of the Board of Trustees, having served since 2007. She was raised in the Village of Phoenix to long time community serving parents. Her father, Mr. Aubrey Lane Sr. was also a village trustee and a member of the Phoenix Police Department. Her mother, Mrs. Johnnie Lane is the longest serving village official in the history of the Village of Phoenix. She served as village clerk for over 40 years, having retired in 2020.
Martina is currently the chairperson of Public Safety, working with the Police and Fire Departments. The departments have seen many changes over the years. Presently, Chief Kevin Betton, Phoenix Fire Department and Chief Roy Wells Sr., Phoenix Police Department are working diligently to ensure our village and its citizens remain a safe haven for all.
Trustee Mahaffey is also currently serving as a Trustee at Daniel Chapel A.M.E. Zion Church in Phoenix. She is the current president of the Phoenix Public Library Board of Trustees, the Barack Obama Learning Center and Phoenix Public Library, which will be celebrating its 10 year anniversary this year!
As a senior trustee, Trustee Mahaffey is looking forward to continuing the work of putting the residents of Phoenix first.
Trustee Martina Mahaffey
Trustee Ernestine
Proctor-Harris
Mrs. Proctor-Harris has served as a trustee for the Village of Phoenix for the last fourteen years and has been a resident for 53 years. Throughout her tenure as a village trustee, many accomplishments have been obtained by working hard with the current board in completing some of the tasks outlined below:
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Immediate repair of damaged streets
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New equipment for the Public Work Department
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Added new part-time staff to the Public Works Department
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Promoted speed bumps in the community for safety
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Supported emergency action plan for hazardous weather
She is currently employed with School District 151 as a Special Education Coach/Case Manager. Mrs. Harris, her husband Frederick and son Joshua attends Victory Apostolic Church in Matteson. Mrs. Harris believes that as an elected official for the Village of Phoenix, commitment comes from the heart for the love of our community.
Judy Taylor is a life time resident of Phoenix. She's a single mother, grandmother and currently a member of Christ First Baptist church.
Judy retired from Blue Cross Blue Shield after 41 years of service.
During her 2 terms of service as an elected official, she is responsible for overseeing the day to day operations of the Public Property department.
Some current highlights of her terms include the following accomplishments:
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Purchasing multiple computers at the Multi-Purpose Center
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Upgraded kitchen appliances
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On going decorating and maintaining maintenance of all municipal buildings
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Overseeing Food Distribution
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Overseeing Drive thru Covid-19 testing
Judy is looking forward again to to service the entire community
Trustee Judy Taylor
Trustee Benny Williams has been a resident of the Village of Phoenix for over twenty years.
Trustee Williams has been actively involved in community affairs of the Village since the first year of his residency. For over ten years, he had volunteered as a Police and Fire Commissioner to assist in hiring police officers and firefighters who have the best interest of the residents at heart. He has also assisted in the production and printing of Phoenix Rising. The Phoenix Rising is the Village newspaper that showcases the accomplishments of the residents and informs residents of the progress of the Village.
Trustee Williams maintains a career as a business operations and finance professional and holds the position of Finance Chairperson for the Village. He proudly assists in overseeing and monitoring the town’s financial policies, budgets, and expenditures. Trustee Williams holds a Bachelor’s degree in English and a Master’s degree in Public Policy and Public Administration.
Although the Finance Chairman works is often behind the scenes, he has been an advocate for residents, local businesses, and village employees. Benny has championed many causes for the resident and small business people of Phoenix: He has put on the boardroom floor the need for the town to invest in local businesses, suggesting pay increases for the employees of the Village, and suggested spending grant money to install new water meters as well as to cut down rotted trees in the Village.
Trustee Benny Williams
