Tony Sciarrone named Island Lake police chief
Four years after he left the Island Lake Police Department, Tony Sciarrone was named the town's newest police chief Thursday.
Sciarrone, who quit his village trustee post earlier this week ahead of taking the police job, had the unanimous support of the four trustees at Thursday's meeting. Trustee Keith Johns, who was publicly critical of the appointment this week, was absent.
After the board's vote, Sciarrone recited his oath of office with assistance from Mayor Charles Amrich.
Sciarrone, 67, replaces Chief Don Bero, who resigned after a brain aneurysm earlier this year.
Sciarrone was an Island Lake police officer for 29 years and served as interim chief from 2008 to 2010.
He left the department in 2011 under a cloud, however. He'd been placed on administrative leave by then-Mayor Debbie Herrmann in 2010 and later was demoted to sergeant.
Sciarrone has since worked as a court security officer in McHenry County. He will resign from that post to serve as chief in Island Lake.
Sciarrone was elected to the village board in 2013 as part of Amrich's slate. Amrich asked Sciarrone to serve as chief and nominated him for the post Thursday.
Although the board vote was unanimous, Johns earlier objected to Sciarrone getting the job.
In a Daily Herald interview Wednesday, Johns called the move "pure cronyism."
Near the end of Thursday's meeting, Trustee John Burke responded to Johns' comment, saying Sciarrone is qualified for the post.
Sciarrone will be paid $85,000 annually plus benefits.
Sciarrone told the Daily Herald "it feels absolutely great" to return to the police department.
"I wasn't ready to leave when I did leave, and hopefully I'll be able to finish some of the programs I started," he said.
That includes putting liaison officers in the local schools and starting a neighborhood watch program, he said.