When the new Clarendon Hills Village Board is seated May 15, its seven members will have a combined prior board experience of not quite three years.
Meredith Lannert, who was elected in 2021 to a four-year term, will be the senior member of the board with her two years of experience. The only other member with any prior Village Board experience is Steve Tuttle, who was elected to a four-year term in the uncontested April 4 election, after being appointed in July 2022 to replace Carol Jorrisen, who moved out of the village.
Along with Village President Eric Tech, other newcomers to the board are Mark Peterson and Ralph Deangelis to four-year terms and John Weicher and Omar Chaudhry, who were elected to fill two unexpired two-year terms.
And along with the vast majority of the board being new, Lynn B. Dragisic replaces longtime Village Clerk Dawn Tandle. Also, there soon will be a new village manager to replace eight-year veteran Kevin Barr, who is retiring June 30.
Outgoing Village President Len Austin expects good things from the new board.
“With six of eight village trustees, village president and village clerk all changing, I know they will bring new ideas, new energy, and a commitment to serve our village,” he said.
Austin said Barr, who doesn’t retire until June 30, will help the new board through the transition before he leaves.
“With village staff, as well as Steve Tuttle and Meredith Lannert as experienced trustees, I really am not concerned about the transition,” Austin said.
He said his advice to the new village president and new board members is that they listen and evaluate proposals from a village-as-a-whole perspective.
“There will be undoubtedly difficult decisions to make for this incoming board, as there has always been for boards of the past,” Austin said. “I have complete confidence in the professionalism and dedication of all of the incoming volunteers and clerk.”
Assistant Village Manager Zach Creer, who likely will play a key role in helping the new board get its bearings, especially early on, believes the biggest challenge will be getting everyone on the same page.
“There will be a lot of education in both directions, with staff providing background on municipal operations and the board providing their philosophical thoughts and strategic vision for the future of the community,” Creer said.
He said the experience of longtime Fire Chief Brian Leahy and Police Chief Paul Dalen, will be a benefit for the new board. Leahy is a 50-plus-year fire department veteran and a lifelong Clarendon Hills resident, and Dalen is a 30-year veteran police officer who grew up in the community.
“Trustee Lannert and Tuttle also have shown a strong acumen in decision making, and I believe they will be a huge asset for the new board as our senior trustees,” Creer said, adding that Lannert has been able to step in as President Pro Tem in the past and “conducted an excellent meeting.”
Creer said he believes each new board member will be able to provide value from day one.
“We have the good fortune that many of the incoming members have served on other boards, such as corporate and volunteer, and have a general understanding of board/staff relations,” he said. “Additionally, the incoming board members all have rich professional and personal experiences to draw from.”
Creer said he is encouraged after talking with the new board members.
“There seems to be a theme that everyone is doing this for the right reasons, which is to help make the village a better place, and when you start from that baseline, I believe the rest can fall into place.” he said.
While having so many new board members is likely to result in some challenges, Creer believes there also are some advantages to starting with a clean slate and looking at issues with a new perspective.
“The community has changed a lot over the last couple of decades, and I believe the village is ready for its next generation of leaders to put their mark on its future,” he said.
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As the new village president, Tech sounds ready for the challenge
“I have managed several transitions through out my career, moving between companies and even countries,” he said. “I have always found that it is an exercise in patience and being a good listener.”
Tech said given such a large turnover on the board, there may be an opportunity to rethink the roles of trustees.
“But, given that I have not started my position yet, I really am coming in with an open mind,” he said. “We will have to become familiar with the routines of managing a village government. It may take a few months to settle into our new roles. I imagine we will be asking a lot of questions of the staff and our carry-over trustees.”
Despite the lack experience, Tech said he feels good about the board’s future
“The village is in great shape,” he said. “Len (Austin) and the outgoing trustees, as well as staff, have left us with a solid foundation. Also, the incoming trustees are strong professionals with great resumes in both business and community service. I have no doubt that our team will not miss a beat in continuing to provide the residents of Clarendon Hills with good prudent governance.”
Chuck Fieldman is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.