New College of DuPage trustee to be named today, sources say
A Downers Grove village council member has been tapped to fill a vacant seat on the College of DuPage board and end two months of gridlock at the state's largest community college, according to sources with knowledge of the decision.
The sources say David S. Olsen, a Downers Grove commissioner since 2013, is expected to be named Saturday to replace former board Chairwoman Kathy Hamilton, who pushed for sweeping changes at the Glen Ellyn-based school after it was rocked by revelations of excessive spending and questionable administrative practices.
Olsen is being appointed by Lazaro Lopez, chairman of the Illinois Community College Board, just two days after the deadline passed for the sharply divided COD board to fill the vacancy on its own.
As the seventh member of the board, the Downers Grove resident is likely to cast the tiebreaking vote on many major issues facing the school, including whether to continue the search for a new college president to replace the fired Robert Breuder, whether to fire some of the school's attorneys, whether to comply with a request from the DuPage County state's attorney's office for executive session minutes related to an extension of Breuder's contract, and even who should serve as chairman of the board.
On Friday night, Hamilton posted a message on her Facebook page congratulating Olsen for being the “reform pick” for her old seat. “David, you have my support and appreciation!!” she wrote.
Hamilton's unexpected resignation for personal reasons on Dec. 13 created a 3-3 deadlock that brought board business to a standstill.
Trustees Erin Birt, Dianne McGuire and Joseph Wozniak refused to attend most meetings, in part because they wanted an organizational meeting to be held to pick a new chairman.
The meeting boycott is the reason the board failed to pick Hamilton's replacement within a 60-day period allowed by state law. While more than two dozen people applied for the position, the full board never even met to review resumes before Thursday's deadline.