DECATUR, Ill. (WAND) - Dennis Cooper has been selected as the new Decatur city councilman. 

Cooper was selected by the Decatur City Council in a closed executive session Monday night. The official vote in a public part of the meeting that followed was unanimous.

Cooper was one of four people interviewed for the position. He's a Decatur native and feels he has some strong attributes to offer the city. 

"I feel I've got some things I can offer our city and represent our entire community, and bring some new ideas or some ideas that maybe haven't been explored before, kind of looking outside the box," he said in an interview with WAND News. 

Mayor Julie Moore Wolfe said Cooper brings "a wealth of life experience" to the table, having worked for the Illinois Department of Corrections. 

Cooper's first order of business, according to his own words, is "the youth of today, but also for tomorrow." 

"We need to prepare them now, so they are productive citizens to carry on the torch from where we're leaving it off," Cooper said. 

Cooper also pledged to be fully transparent with the community. He said he hopes Decatur can eliminate some violence to make the city a better place through communication. 

He will be sworn in during the next Decatur City Council meeting, which is scheduled for Sept. 7. 

When Cooper takes office, he will fill the seat left open when Rodney Walker resigned in July. In his official statement, Walker said being on city council kept him from "several opportunities" because of a conflict of interest.Â