Naperville exec picked for county board vacancy

Moser Enterprises President John Zediker has been tapped to fill the vacant District 5 seat on the DuPage County Board.

Zediker, a Naperville resident, was picked from a list of 10 applicants by board Chairman Robert Schillerstrom.

"John Zediker's background in business and planning and development made him an attractive candidate for this position," Schillerstrom said in a statement. "He'll bring a fresh perspective to the county board."

Zediker has been at the helm of the property development firm in Naperville since leaving a job with that city's development division in 2004. The company was founded by late developer James Moser, who is credited with helping create the city's famed Riverwalk.

"Between my municipal experience and my private sector experience I can bring a lot to the table from a lot of different angles," Zediker said. "I think I know the area very well and am in touch with the needs of the communities I will serve."

Zediker is replacing Michael Connelly who was elected to a state representative's seat in November with two years remaining on his term on the county board.

Fellow District 5 board member James Healy applauded Zediker's selection even though he is feuding with Schillerstrom at the moment over the board's committee leadership assignments.

"Bob picked a good choice," Healy said. "The interesting part of it is that he won't come on the board until after the committee structures are resolved. It doesn't make sense to put him in that kind of spot."

Healy led a group of nine board members who thwarted Schillerstrom's committee proposals a week ago. Healy said he'll hold up Zediker's appointment if the committee issue isn't resolved beforehand. The board is expected to take up both issues at its Tuesday meeting.

Zediker said he would likely run for re-election in 2010.

"I love public service," he said. "It was the first part of my career and I liked that aspect of it."

He doesn't believe his ascension to office through Schillerstrom's appointment will negatively impact his future political aspirations.

"I think I'm an independent kind of guy and base my decisions on the merits of each case," he said. "I would run on my record and people will decide on my record and the merits of my qualifications."

Naperville City Councilman Grant Wehrli said Zediker's decision to enter politics despite leading one of the city's most storied development companies doesn't signal the death of property development in the city.

"I think it's a guy chasing things he believes in," Wehrli said. "He has skill sets the residents of District 5 need."

District 5 is in the southwest portion of DuPage, encompassing primarily Aurora, Lisle and Naperville.