Normal Mayor Chris Koos said Monday he plans to take a leave of absence after being diagnosed with prostate cancer.
Koos made his announcement during the Normal Town Council meeting. Koos said his leave of absence will stretch through most of April.
Koos said his doctors found accelerated levels of PSA (Prostate-Specific Antigen) which are proteins in the blood of a prostate gland. He said he was officially diagnosed in December.
"I'm expecting three to four weeks. I'm not really sure," Koos said. "I'm very optimistic about the outcome of this. Things are looking very good. But I'll be out of commission for awhile."
Council member Kevin McCarthy will serve as acting mayor for the next week until council member Jeff Fritzen returns from out of town. Fritzen will then serve until Koos' return.
"I'll either be well-rested or making myself crazy. I haven't decided which yet," the mayor said. "But I've got a pile of books that I've not been able to get to and some binge-watching on Netflix. I'll be good."
Koos joined the council in 2001 and became mayor in 2003. He was re-elected most recently in 2017.
He's the owner of the Vitesse Cycle and Often Running stores in Uptown Normal. He said those stores will remain open.
Koos will appear on GLT's Sound Ideas at noon and 6 p.m. Tuesday to discuss his announcement. Listen on 89.1 FM or stream here at WGLT.org.
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Editor's note: This story has been updated to reflect which council members will fulfill Koos' mayoral duties during his leave of absence.
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