Sandwich Mayor Quits Leaving City In Limbo

SANDWICH, IL—The mayor of Sandwich made it official Monday night, stepping down from his post after being charged with a criminal misdemeanor for soliciting a sexual act. Richard Olson, 66, submitted a notarized letter of resignation Monday to City Clerk Denise Ii. Olson did not appear at Monday’s meeting.

In the resignation letter read aloud by Ii during the meeting, Olson stated, “It is with deep regret that I must tender my resignation as mayor for the City of Sandwich.”

Olson is among nine individuals facing a legal battle over possible connection to a Lasalle County prostitution sting.

“My goal now will be to seek the forgiveness of my family and move forward to re-instill the trust that I, alone, have broken,” Olson stated. “Sandwich has a very bright future, and my hope is that my misdeeds won’t tarnish that future. Again, I sincerely apologize for the shame I have brought, and I pray that the city will continue to prosper.”

Members of the Sandwich City Council continued on with their meeting after a motion passed to appoint Alderman Rich Robinson as mayor pro-tem. That selection will not be a permanent action for the council.

It remains unclear who will serve as acting mayor moving forward.

Olson’s term does not expire until April 2021.

What’s more is the city council voted on several items during Monday’s meeting. Certain matters of city business require the mayor to sign off on them, but officials said they must wait until a permanent replacement is made to proceed in that regard.

Sandwich resident Scott Felker weighed in on the matter after the meeting.

“I’m glad they appointed someone,” he said. “It’s a shame. [Olson] was well respected. Everybody makes mistakes.”