GOP nominee tapped to fill DuPage board vacancy

The Republican nominee for a seat on the DuPage County Board is expected to get on-the-job training during the months leading to the November election.

County board Chairman Dan Cronin has selected Dino Gavanes of Itasca to fill a vacancy on the 18-member board created by last month's resignation of Paul Fichtner. The board is scheduled to vote Tuesday on the appointment.

If approved, Gavanes will fill Fichtner's District 1 seat until Nov. 30. The district includes all or portions of Addison, Bensenville, Bloomingdale, Elmhurst, Glendale Heights, Itasca, Lombard, Roselle, Villa Park and Wood Dale.

Under state law, Cronin had to pick someone who belongs to the same political party as Fichtner, who is a Republican. Cronin said he chose Gavanes because GOP voters elected him during the March primary to be their nominee for the seat in the fall.

"There was a process," Cronin said. "Republican voters of District 1 made their top choice for this seat known in the primary election."

Voters will determine in November who will get the seat for the next four years.

But the appointment will allow Gavanes to gain experience and exposure before the election, where he and GOP incumbent Sam Tornatore of Roselle will face Elmhurst Democrats Ashley J. Selmon and Zahra Suratwala.

Gavanes, a 67-year-old insurance broker and consultant, said during the primary he would bring a different perspective to the panel.

In his application for the board vacancy, Gavanes wrote that he's been heavily involved in government relations during his professional career.

"When the opportunity arose to serve on the county board," he wrote, "I pursued it because I felt that my education, professional experience in insurance and small business ownership, and knowledge of DuPage County have prepared me to contribute well to the success of the board and the county."