CASSOPOLIS — A new face is joining Cassopolis’ leadership.

Monday during the council’s regularly scheduled meeting, Stefon Luckey, 28, of Cassopolis, was chosen to join the council, filling a vacant seat. Luckey applied for the role and was selected by secret ballot Monday. Other candidates in the running for the position included: Pamela Gohn, Travis Conner, Asali Kelly, James Bronke, Nancy Bugajski and Kenneth Lebeda.

“I’m very excited to have been chosen,” Luckey said.

Luckey is filling the vacancy left by longtime councilmember Katherine Yoder. Yoder resigned from her position earlier this year due to moving outside of village limits.

A lifelong resident of Cassopolis, Luckey has a background in physical education from Goshen College. He has spent the past several years traveling the globe as a basketball player. He now works as a substitute teacher and as a coach for girls high school basketball.

Throughout his travels, Luckey said he worked with children, which inspired him to run for the village council seat because he said he wants to be able to help the children of Cassopolis. He was also inspired by his late uncle, Dan Lee, who was a prominent community member until his death in 2011.

After Monday’s vote, Luckey said he was excited to get to work with the village.

“I’m looking to be more informed and work with the youth,” he said. “I’m hoping I can do something for them.”

While he is excited for many village projects on the Horizon, Luckey said he was most looking forward to adding new equipment at Clisbee Park, as it achieves two of his goals: to help local children and to honor his late uncle. The basketball courts at Clisbee Park are dedicated to Lee.

“I’m really excited about that,” he said. “I’m excited to see that take off.”

To keep his seat, Luckey will need to run and win in November’s election. Luckey said he plans to run and hopes to serve the community for a long time to come.

Following Monday’s meeting, Village Council President David Johnson said he was looking forward to working with Luckey. He added that many talented people had applied for the vacant seat, and he hopes they will run in November’s election as five council seats will be open during the election.

“This is an exciting time in the village,” he said.

Also Monday, the council approved the following expenditures:

• The purchase of 113 N. Disbrow in the amount of $17,000

• The awarding of a manhole replacement project to TGB Unlimited in the amount of $93,050