“I would like to say how much better-looking this board is,” observed William Maio, a DuPage County Board member, as he glanced around the newly sworn-in board’s first session Tuesday.
Since Dec. 2, that board has become six members smaller and, on average, eight years younger. Leaving were such septuagenarian veterans as Ed Merkel and Wally Brown. Taking their seats are four fresh faces: Grant Eckhoff, 43, Debra Olson, 39, Yolanda Campuzano, 35 and Brien Sheahan, 32. One-third of the board’s 18 members are thirtysomethings.
To board chairman Robert Schillerstrom, who turned 50 in March, the relative youth of the new board means some could use their county perch as a springboard to higher office. “When I joined the County Board 16 years ago, it was made up of older people who had gone there to retire,” Schillerstrom said.
In a possible confirmation of his view, colleagues were jokingly dubbing District 1 board member Roger Jenisch “representative” at committee meetings this week, after reports that he is being considered for a state House appointment that could open after state Senate President James “Pate” Philip steps down. State Rep. Carole Pankau, a former County Board member, is expected to replace Philip and Jenisch, 38, would take Pankau’s seat.
Whether a generation born in the 1960s and ’70s will vote differently from the Depression generation remains to be seen. Sheahan said he does not predict big changes in board positions, but “in terms of involvement in the grass-roots political part, I think there could be a huge difference.”
Merkel, who said he is “a young 76,” cautioned his successors against being “wise guys.”
“Just because they’re elected doesn’t mean they know everything,” he said.
Bonds away: Underwriters for the DuPage Airport Authority sold nearly $23.5 million in bonds Thursday as part of a plan to refinance the airport’s existing debt.
The refinancing plan will save the airport authority more than $4 million by taking advantage of lower interest rates and would end its need for property-tax revenues after the bonds are paid off in 2007.
The authority is the government agency that operates the West Chicago airfield.
The authority will be paying interest rates from 1.55 percent to 2.8 percent on the tax-exempt portion of the new bond issue and from 2 percent to about 3.6 percent on the taxable portion, said Gordon Cole, airport executive director.
The refinancing plan appears to meet a goal set by Schillerstrom, who wants the airport off the property-tax rolls in four years.
Flag on the play: The election Tuesday of Kane County Board member Caryl Van Overmeiren as vice chairwoman of the County Board has been called back.
“We reviewed the play and the decision on the field is reversed,” an embarrassed County Board Chairman Mike McCoy said Thursday.
“That was entirely my fault and I apologize,” said McCoy, after explaining to the Executive Committee that incumbent vice chairwoman Van Overmeiren had not received the requisite majority needed to be reelected over challengers Lee Barrett and Doug Weigand.
With 13 votes, including McCoy’s, Van Overmeiren was re-elected. Barrett garnered 8 votes, and Weigand got 5.
Though 13 votes constituted a valid majority of the 25 board members present and voting, McCoy, who can only vote in special circumstances and did so, neglected to include his vote in the overall tally–of 26 votes.
