Winfield board picks two new trustees

Two longtime Winfield residents have been chosen to become the village's newest trustees.

Chuck Martschinke and Robert Mrugacz were appointed by Village President Deborah Birutis to finish terms that expire in 2011. Both appointments were unanimously approved Thursday by the village board.

The first vacancy on the board was created when Birutis gave up her seat to become village president. The second 2-year seat was supposed to go to Daniel Conley, who ran uncontested during the April election. But he resigned for health reasons before taking office.

Birutis said she chose Martschinke and Mrugacz for the openings because they have a "positive, can-do attitude." They also are eager to help the board achieve its goals of developing downtown, repairing infrastructure and strengthening the village's finances, she said.

"We now can start our strategic planning session," Birutis said. "And then we can start achieving those goals."

Martschinke, a 22-year resident of the village, previously has served on both the Riverwalk and Town Center committees. He's currently involved with the Winfield Emergency Management Agency and serves as treasurer with the Winfield Chamber of Commerce.

Martschinke, 62, said he's looking forward to the challengers and the opportunities of being a trustee.

"Things started to change for the better," he said. "So I decided it was time to step up, get involved and help keep it moving forward."

Mrugacz, a 21-year resident of the village, has been serving on the Environmental Concerns Committee. Birutis said he brings years of quality control and process improvement experience to the board.

"My concern is the village," the 58-year-old said. "I just wanted to make sure I was volunteering to make things better."

Birutis said she picked Martschinke and Mrugacz after interviewing them and nine other people. She said she asked all the applicants 15 questions to determine whether they had the qualities she has deemed crucial for a trustee.

"If you base it on the 15 questions and the qualities I was looking for, it (the selection process) was very objective," Birutis said. "It wasn't based on people that ran, that didn't run, that I liked, that I didn't like. It wasn't based on any of that."

Trustee Glenn Vade Bon Coeur praised the process that Birutis used to make her selections. He said Birutis' method was "extremely thorough, analytical and fair."

In addition to approving the appointment of two new trustees, the board gave its blessing to a variety of committee appointments. Former Trustee Cliff Mortenson was appointed to the plan commission along with Karen Skillman and Dolly Pointner. Mortenson will serve as chairman of the commission.