COD releases names of trustee candidate hopefuls

When it comes to vacancies on the College of DuPage board, there's no shortage of applicants.

Twenty-five people threw their name into the ring for the 2-year term created when Mary Mack resigned her seat last month.

The Glen Ellyn school released the applicants' names in response to a Freedom of Information request by the Daily Herald. And it contains some prominent folks.

Former DuPage County Board Chairman Gayle Franzen didn't even make the list of finalists.

Instead, the board selected three lawyers, saying the legal experience they bring to the table is valuable as well as cost-efficient.

On Saturday, trustees chose 30-year-old Kory Atkinson of Roselle after interviewing him along with Mark Baggio of Wheaton and Mary Onken of Naperville.

The list of applicants from which they had to choose included two former candidates. Craig Blanchfield of Elmhurst ran in the 2005 election, and Kim Savage of Darien campaigned last spring.

Savage has 30 years of experience working in higher education specializing in student issues, and her omission from the list of finalists caused concern last week in some quarters.

Two Naperville residents who submitted their names -- Jerry Hron and Nicholas Thomas -- applied for the last vacancy in February 2007 after the departure of former Trustee Jane Herron.

Other applicants for this year's vacancy included John Page of Downers Grove and William Vollrath of Downers Grove, who subsequently withdrew his application; Declan McCarthy and John Mulherin of Glen Ellyn; James Keller of Hinsdale; Connie Sherman of Medinah; Francis Cermak, Fred Lu, Kim Volk, and Mary Wright of Naperville; Robert Engram of Naperville, who submitted an application after the deadline; Tim Sweeney of Villa Park; Bruce Fogerty, Nancy Gecas, Barbara Hall, and Lewis Morgan Jr. of Wheaton; and Joseph Heery of Willowbrook.

Atkinson's appointment runs through 2009, when he'll need to run for re-election to a 2-year term to remain on the board.