advertisement

Lake Zurich selects John Shaw to fill open village trustee seat

Lake Zurich Mayor Thomas Poynton has gained village board approval for his pick to fill an unexpired trustee term.

John Shaw will occupy the trustee seat vacated by Mark Loewes until April 30, 2015. Shaw, a 28-year village resident, has served on Lake Zurich's advisory zoning board of appeals and the Ela Area Public Library District board.

"I want to continue to support what the board is doing with the financial well-being of the village and work on the downtown redevelopment, keep it moving forward," Shaw told the Daily Herald on Tuesday.

Poynton's appointment of Shaw was ratified by a 5-0 village board vote Monday evening. He said Shaw was among nine serious contenders for the unexpired 2-year trustee term.

Shaw's longtime community involvement was among the reasons why he received the nod for the trustee position, Poynton said. By joining the village board Monday, Shaw's 20 years on the zoning panel ended.

"Because there are very few actual requirements for the (trustee) position and because of the very short time period remaining on the term, I was looking for a resident who had a reasonably decent command of the challenging issues that confront the village (and) someone who could make an immediate impact," Poynton said.

Poynton said the trustee candidates submitted resumes and, when available, participated in interviews with him and another village board member.

Shaw, 54, a building manager for the Metra commuter rail line, now occupies one of three trustee seats that'll be available in the April 7, 2015, Lake Zurich village board election. He said he plans to run for the 4-year post.

Zoning board of appeals chairman Vincent McCormack complimented Shaw's tenure with the advisory panel.

"He's been a key member of the board," McCormack said. "We will miss him and I wish him the best of luck."

Loewes, who resigned in June to move with his family to Texas, easily defeated Debra Vander Weit to capture the 2-year trustee seat in 2013. Both were first-time candidates.

In June 2013, Poynton selected Jonathan Sprawka to fill the final two years of the trustee term he vacated to become mayor. After Trustee Dana Rzeznik resigned in January, Poynton tapped Steve O'Connor to fill a term that runs until April 30, 2015.

Twitter: @DHBobSusnjara

Article Comments
Guidelines: Keep it civil and on topic; no profanity, vulgarity, slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about tragedies will be blocked. If a comment violates these standards or our terms of service, click the "flag" link in the lower-right corner of the comment box. To find our more, read our FAQ.