Palatine Township mental health board appointed amid controversy
The Palatine Township board named seven members to its new community mental health board Monday, despite objections about the process from supporters of the referendum that established the panel.
Approved by voters in April, the board will plan and help fund services for people with mental health issues, intellectual and developmental disabilities, and substance use disorders.
Township Supervisor Andy-John G. Kalkounos said he reviewed every candidate’s resume and interviewed the finalists before selecting appointees based on qualifications, readiness, temperament and commitment to service.
“I’ve approached this duty with seriousness and care,” he said in response to the criticism.
The appointments were approved nearly unanimously by the township board. Trustee Natalie Sahinoglu abstained, saying she did not have enough time to look at the roster of applicants and did not recognize the names of nominees.
Karen Baker, of Endeavor Health Northwest Community Hospital, and Joe Serio, of Compass Health Center, were appointed to two-year terms.
Kathy Millen, formerly with Partners for Our Communities, and Jiby Vettickal, of Morningstar, Inc., were chosen for three-year terms.
Sarah McKillop, from the Palatine Fire Department, and, Jennifer Iannuzzelli, from Holmes Junior High School, will fill four-year seats. Township Trustee Michael Smolka will serve as a liaison to the township board.
Referendum organizer Justin O'Rourke criticized the lack of transparency in the selection process, noting at least one trustee hadn’t received the names of appointees as of Sunday.
“Do the trustees even know right now the names of the appointments that they're going to be voting on?” he asked.
Calling for the vote to be postponed, O’Rourke also raised concerns about the professional qualifications of some appointees and said three of them — Iannuzzelli, McKillop and Vettickal — might have conflicts of interest from also serving on the township's Human Needs Committee.
Sahinoglu, one of 24 applicants for the mental health panel, also suggested delaying the vote, but couldn’t get a majority of the township board to agree.
Among the applicants not chosen were Hugh Brady, who has nearly 20 years of involvement with the National Alliance on Mental Illness, and Chelsea Laliberte Barnes, co-founder of Live4Lali, an organization aiming at preventing substance use disorder.
“I cannot imagine a mental health board without them,” said Joyce Slavik, a speaker during public comment.
Keli Swierczek a clinical social worker, said she did not want to see Palatine Township follow in the footsteps of Wheeling Township, where controversy over the mental health board has lingered for 2⅟₂ years.
“I don't want a Wheeling 2.0,” she said.