Wheeling board approves Dunne’s appointment to airport chairmanship; Prospect Heights vote still needed
It’s one vote down, one to go for Jamie Dunne and the open chairmanship of the Chicago Executive Airport board of directors.
The Wheeling village board on Monday unanimously approved Dunne’s appointment to lead the seven-member panel. Until this spring, Dunne was Wheeling’s police chief.
The Prospect Heights City Council must vote on the appointment, too. While the airport is in Wheeling, the facility is jointly owned by Wheeling and Prospect Heights.
The council is expected to consider the matter July 28.
Dunne is in line to succeed D. Court Harris, whose two-term, eight-year tenure ended last week because of term limits.
The airport board’s chair is paid $400 per board meeting, with a maximum of 12 meetings per year.
Dunne retired as Wheeling’s police chief after nine years on the job. Dunne announced in March that he’d step down after most of the department’s unionized patrol officers formally declared they’d lost confidence in his leadership. In April, he was placed on paid administrative leave for the remainder of his tenure.
Interim Chief Bill Murphy now leads the department.
Dunne previously served as Prospect Heights’ police chief, following 30 years with the Buffalo Grove Police Department.
Wheeling Village President Patrick Horcher believes Dunne is a good fit for the airport job.
“He’s got history with both municipalities,” Horcher said before the meeting. “He understands how government works.”
Prospect Heights City Administrator Joe Wade spoke positively about Dunne on Monday, too.
“I had the honor of working with Jamie Dunne for a brief period in Prospect Heights. He was a top-shelf chief, emphasizing performance, professionalism and community relations,” Wade said in an email. “He cares about people. Those attributes would serve a number of organizations well, including CEA.”
During the public comment portion of the Wheeling board meeting, frequent local government critic Deborah Wilson objected to Dunne’s selection, calling it a “slap in the face to law enforcement.”
If the Prospect Heights council approves Dunn’s appointment, he could be sworn in next month.