Rolling Meadows appoints Jim Allen for council seat

The Rolling Meadows City Council on Tuesday confirmed Jim Allen’s appointment to the 2nd Ward seat.

Allen is Mayor Tom Rooney’s second attempt at filling the seat left vacant by Alderman Barb Lusk’s resignation April 15. His first choice, Vince Farina, withdrew his name after Palatine Township officials objected to his taking on a second government post. Farina is a Palatine Township trustee and township officials said they feared a potential conflict of interest.

Rooney said he carefully considered all six candidates who put their names into the hat — Allen, Farina, Sue Allgire, Dawn Brynelsen, Len Prejna, and Steve Rybarczyk.

The village staff joked about the open position by presenting Allen with a color printout made to look like a permanent nameplate.

The vote was 6-1, with Alderman John D’Astice casting the lone “no” vote. D’Astice said while he believes Allen will be a fine alderman, he disagreed with Rooney’s decision, noting that he thought one of the original three candidates was stronger, and that Rooney should not have opened the position up to new candidates after Farina withdrew from the offer.

A lawyer, Allen started out his career as a mechanical engineer. After 15 years in business, he pursued law, graduating from John Marshall in 2007 and being admitted to the Illinois State Bar the same year. He has since achieved a master of laws degree in the area of intellectual property.

Allen and his wife, Sandy, an assistant principal scientist at Kraft Foods, have lived in Rolling Meadows five years and have an almost 2-year-old daughter, Emma.

Allen is pursuing a job in the legal field and is taking care of Emma full-time in the meantime.