Trustee opening a chance to diversify

With Trustee Jay Schedler's recent resignation from the Mundelein Village Board, Mayor Kessler mentioned he would make an appointment to the Board with a caveat -- any newly appointed trustee would be required to run in 2009 elections along with the Mayor and three other trustee candidates. This a hard sell given the climate and cost of contested races in politics.

Online village codes don't cover specifics or caveats concerning appointment processes for vacancies, however timely replacement is fundamentally important in restoring a balance to the voting process in Mundelein. Short-term contributions should be considered worthwhile in the interim until election time in order to attract qualified volunteers now and then.

What's also missing is a public call from Mayor Kessler encouraging minority involvement, especially at the trustee level. As Mundelein continues to grow and welcome diversity, now would be a great time to consider recruiting and appointing a minority individual to support the village's commitment to diversity, especially at this level in Mundelein government.

With our Hispanic population near 25 percent, and including several smaller levels of other ethnic groups, it's past time that we encourage men and women from these diverse backgrounds to become engaged in our village government. There is little representation besides gender diversity from the trustee level across other boards and commissions.

In July, the village adopted a new ordinance to revive its Human Relations Commission, unfortunately dormant since the advancement of federal- and state-mandated civil rights legislation in the 1960s. This is a great start for Mundelein leadership in addressing growth and diversity issues. Let's continue to build on this, Mayor Kessler, by bringing diversity to our Village board for a change and openly encouraging the participation and acceptance of diversity across all levels of Mundelein government.

Sarah Powers

Mundelein