East Dundee finance director can't wait to get started

Energy, exuberance, good fiscal sense and a plan for development.

The qualities that Zaida Torres admires most about East Dundee are the same qualities that make her so eager to begin her new position as its finance director and treasurer Monday.

"I'm excited to come to a community that has been able to do so many things with a population that's so small," Torres said. "To see a municipality of that size having those accomplishments says a lot."

Having lived in the area for nearly 20 years, the Crystal Lake resident has worked in various sectors of finance throughout the area. Recently, she served a dual role of both the finance director and village administrator at Wauconda, which has a population of more than four times East Dundee's 3,000.

"It's much smaller, but a lot is happening here," she said, citing the tax increment finance districts and various redevelopment projects.

When Linda Blackerby, the village's former finance director, announced this summer that she was retiring at the end of September, village officials immediately started searching for her replacement. They wanted someone with plenty of municipal experience - someone who could handle the finances of a small town undergoing a big redevelopment, Village Administrator Bob Skurla said.

Torres' more than 20 years of governmental accounting experience, Skurla said, made her a great candidate. The fact that she had served as a village administrator was an added bonus. he said.

"That is beneficial to me because, in her capacity as finance director, she knows what I need from her," Skurla said.

In her new position, he said, Torres will jump headfirst into handling the village's audits, TIF reports and investments, making her an integral part of East Dundee's development. She will also have administrative duties, such as administering the village's employee benefits programs.

Blackerby, who lives in East Dundee, will also return occasionally to help with Torres' transition, Skurla said.

"Seeing what they have done with the area with just a small amount of people really tells me a lot about East Dundee and what they have been doing," Torres said. "They're fiscally responsible, obviously, and I'm looking forward to the opportunity of being a part of that and seeing what happens down the road."