Lake in the Hills board appoints police commission chairman to trustee seat

The former police commission chairman will fill a vacancy on the Lake in the Hills village board.

Doug Cummings was sworn in at last week's village board meeting, taking over the seat vacated by trustee Frank Covone, who moved out of the village. The seat will be up for election next spring.

Covone, a U.S. Postal Service employee, served eight years on the village planning and zoning commission before being appointed to the board by Village President Paul Mulcahy in May 2013. He was defeated in a six-way race for three board seats in April 2015, but was tapped in August 2015 to fill the vacancy left by the departure of Trustee Denise Barreto.

Cummings has given up his police commission chairman post, which he held since 2013. He had proved himself in that role after the commission was reorganized with new members three years ago, Mulcahy said.

Mulcahy said Cummings was "thoughtful and attentive" in learning about the functions of a police commission. Earlier this year, he led the commission's hiring process and sergeant promotion discussions.

"It's a process that has a lot of regulations and rules," Mulcahy said. "He earned our respect right away for that."

Mulcahy said he believes Cummings will bring that same level of care and thoughtfulness to the village board.

"He is going to vote his own mind and heart," he said.