Wauconda officials fill openings on board, administration

Wauconda officials have announced appointments to fill holes on the village board and administration.

Longtime Wauconda resident Doug Buster will fill a vacant trustee opening, while former building and zoning director Dave Geary takes over as acting village administrator, officials said.

Buster’s appointment was approved by unanimous vote Tuesday, Mayor Mark Knigge said.

Knigge said he met with several people interested in replacing former board member Pam Wahl, who stepped down in January due to health concerns.

He said Buster is a whiz when it comes to economic development and was the best candidate of the bunch.

“Doug is an excellent candidate for the position and will definitely bring professionalism to our board,” Knigge said. “He has a very good sense of economic development and will be a wonderful asset when we attract new development to the village.”

Village officials also unanimously approved the promotion of Geary to acting village administrator Tuesday.

Geary, who previously served simultaneously as director of building and zoning and director of public works, has been working as acting village administrator for the past two weeks.

The move comes at the expense of longtime Wauconda employee and former administrator Dan Quick, who was asked to retire by Knigge in late March in a budgetary move.

Quick served the village for nearly 29 years, starting as a police officer and working his way up to police chief before being named village administrator eight years ago. He was making a salary of $120,000 per year.

Knigge said Quick has been offered a severance package, but the details of the package remain under wraps until approved by the board of trustees at a later date.

Knigge said Geary will continue to perform his previous duties while serving as acting village administrator.

Attempts to reach Buster and Geary for comment were unsuccessful Wednesday.