‘Misuse of public resources’: Roscoe Village President vetoes mural removal

ROSCOE, Ill. (WTVO) — Roscoe Village President Carol Gustafson vetoed the village board’s decision to paint over a mural on Main Street.

Gustafson called the proposal a misuse of public resources and disrespectful to the artist during a board meeting on August 19.

“The board’s decision to fund the removal of this public art on private property is, in my judgment, a misuse of public resources,” Gustafson explained. “This action diminishes the value of the artist’s work, disregards the opinions of many residents who supported the project and does not serve the broader public interest.”

The Village of Roscoe Board of Trustees voted to paint over its first and only mural on August 6.

One trustee said he hoped to replace the mural with something the community can contribute to earlier this month.

“We wanna be proud of what the village does, nothing against what’s up there now, we just think it’s time for a change, something a little more vibrant, hopefully, if the board okays this, we’ll actually ask the public for help this time around,” said Trustee Mike Wright.

The mural, painted by Thomas Agran in 2022, depicts an aerial view of the Pecatonica River as it flows into the Rock River.

When the mural was commissioned, Roscoe officials hoped that community sponsors would cover half the cost.

No donations were made, so the village had to cover all of the costs.