Glen Ellyn woman picked for water commission

DuPage Water Commissioners believe they’ve found their second treasurer in less than four months.

Commissioners unanimously selected Glen Ellyn resident Lynn Lullo on Monday night from a list of 15 candidates to replace Jim Rasins.

Rasins was hired to the $10,000 annual position in January and resigned shortly after — before ever attending a meeting — when it was discovered he had a shoulder injury that would keep him from fulfilling his duties.

“Jim was a great guy. He was our guy and unfortunately we lost him,” said Chairman Jim Zay. “But now we have to move on.”

Zay said Lullo’s background as a former audit director for Deloitte & Touche and finance director at Sara Lee Food and Beverage made her the ideal candidate. Zay said Lullo resigned from Sara Lee in 2009 to spend more time raising her children.

“We’re definitely looking for someone with some auditing skills who know what to go and look for,” Zay said. “We’ve had people with a municipal background in the past but I just want to get somebody from the outside, somebody with some business experience and a fresh set of eyes that hasn’t dealt with the commission before. We’re starting new here.”

Zay said he also appreciates that Lullo has some volunteering background as treasurer of the DuPage United organization.

“I did talk to her and she said if she was selected she would resign that position and break ties with the organization,” Zay said. “There would be some confidentiality situations there.”

Zay said he expects the DuPage County Board to approve the appointment during it’s April 26 meeting.

The DuPage Water Commission, which delivers Lake Michigan drinking water to more than two dozen communities, was overhauled in January after the agency accidentally spent its $69 million reserve fund through poor accounting practices and lackadaisical financial oversight. Those changes included replacing eight of the commission’s 13 members.

Lullo was not in attendance at Monday’s meeting and a voice mail left at her home after the meeting was not returned.