DuPage forest preserve director search nearly over?

DuPage County Forest Preserve commissioners are roughly a month away from selecting a new executive director who they hope will lead the district for years, forest preserve President Joseph Cantore said Tuesday.

Cantore said the board is in the process of interviewing an undisclosed number of finalists for the position last held by Arnie Biondo.

"We're moving pretty cautiously because we want to make sure that we've got the right person when it's all said and done," Cantore said Tuesday. "I think we're moving in that direction."

The district hasn't had a long-term executive director since Brent Manning retired in June 2012 after 8½ years at the helm.

After more than a year, commissioners picked Biondo, who was serving at the time as executive director of the Carol Stream Park District.

Biondo lasted less than eight months on the job before commissioners, who were unhappy with his performance, gave him the option of taking early retirement or being fired.

Biondo chose the retirement option last August and is now working for a park district in Ohio.

At the time, officials said it was important to fill the post quickly and the commission voted three separate times, starting in mid-August, to hire John Lapinski, a DuPage Circuit Court administrator, to be executive director. But during that process Lapinski became ill and eventually turned down the job to concentrate on his health.

Cantore said it's important to find someone who will lead the district for years to come.

"I want to make sure we hire the right person for the job," he said. "It's a big deal to the forest preserve. It's a big deal to me. It's a big deal to the rest of the commissioners. And it's a big deal to the staff."

When commissioners launched the renewed effort to find potential candidates in January, they opted against hiring a professional search firm. As a result, most of the applicants came from the region.

Still, Cantore said he's pleased with the qualifications of the finalists.

"We need somebody that's disciplined," he said. "We need a good leader. We need somebody who has high integrity. All the candidates that we're looking at have those qualities."

He also said the individuals have varied backgrounds.

"To us, that's an advantage," he said. "I want somebody that comes in and has a lot of life experience - a lot of different work experience."

Until a permanent executive director is named, two longtime district employees, Michael Palazzetti and Robert Vick, are serving as interim executive directors.