Lombard president leaving water commission post

A longtime board member's decision not to seek reappointment to the DuPage Water Commission means there will be mostly new faces on the embattled panel.

Lombard Village President William Mueller on Tuesday said he chose not to seek reappointment to the commission because of DuPage County Board Chairman Dan Cronin's repeated calls for new leadership.

The 13-member panel, which oversees the sale and delivery of Lake Michigan drinking water to more than two dozen communities, is being reconstituted because of a state law championed by Cronin.

Mueller stressed he doesn't agree with Cronin's view that the commission needs entirely new board members after being rocked by fallout from fiscal mismanagement.

Still, Mueller said he's willing to give up the District 2 seat he's held for a decade as long as some experienced commissioners remain to help reform the agency.

“As long as you have some stability, I'll follow along with the chairman's wishes,” Mueller said. “And we'll have some new representatives on the commission and let the commission move forward.”

Because of Mueller's decision, one of the new faces on the board will be his replacement. Villa Park Village President Tom Cullerton has been selected to represent District 2, which includes Lisle, Lombard, Oak Brook, Oakbrook Terrace and Villa Park.

“I am looking forward to it,” Cullerton said. “Looking at the other (appointees) there, it seems like it's a pretty intelligent group. They understand where the water commission was a year ago and are going to make every effort not to have that issue happen again.”

The state law that required the reappointment of the entire water commission board by the end of the year came after the commission inadvertently spent its $69 million in reserves due to accounting errors and lax oversight of the accounting department.

With Naperville City Councilman Dick Furstenau being reappointed Tuesday, all six of the commission's municipal representatives are in place. The four other municipal spots will be held by Itasca Village President Jeff Pruyn, Wheaton Councilman Phil Suess, Woodridge Mayor William Murphy and Carol Stream Village President Frank Saverino.

“I'm honored to be there to try to keep the water rates as low as we can,” said Saverino, who has been on the commission since July 2007.

Naperville Mayor George Pradel said he reappointed Furstenau because he wanted someone with experience representing the city.

“You can't have all new people running the water commission,” Pradel said. “You have to have some stability.”

In the meantime, Cronin is planning to name almost all new people to fill the county's seven seats on the commission.

So far, Cronin has appointed Laura Crawford of Naperville, Glen Ellyn resident Bradley Webb and Downers Grove residents Michael Scheck and Daniel Loftus. County board member Jim Zay, who has been on the water commission since August 2008, has been appointed to become the commission's chairman.

Cronin is expected to name his remaining two nominees sometime before the new commission's first meeting on Jan. 13.

Ÿ Daily Herald staff writer Marie Wilson contributed to this report.

Water: Cronin to name 2 nominees by Jan. 13