Trustees deny East Dundee village president's first appointment

The East Dundee village board this week rejected the first of Village President Jerry Bartels' appointments, narrowly denying the nomination of a recent trustee candidate to the position of village clerk.

Kathy Kalish, who was 19 votes shy of winning a trustee in the April 7 election, was denied the appointment on a 3-3 trustee vote Monday night. Although Bartels voted to break the tie, the vote was not recognized because the motion required the support of four trustees to pass.

The position, which is elected, became available May 1 when former village clerk Sue Norton stepped down in the middle of a 4-year term. An interim clerk would serve the remainder of the term until the next scheduled election.

Trustees Rob Gorman, Lael Miller and Jeff Lynam rejected the appointment, while trustees Paul VanOstenbridge, Michael Ruffulo and John Cichowski voted in favor.

Bartels, who returned to village president's seat Monday night after a two-year absence, said the nomination was a "logical choice."

"The clerk is not a position people stand in line for," said Bartels, who resigned as village president in 2007 due to work conflicts. Bartels then defeated his appointed replacement, Dan O'Leary, in April by two votes. "Kathy has shown initiative, and, if not for 19 votes, would have been a trustee."

But those who denied the appointment said the position should be advertised to the general public.

"It wasn't any reflection on the individual, per se," Lynam said. "I thought it would better serve the town if the position was made available to everyone and give the village the opportunity to come up with a list to find the most qualified person ... (Jerry's) campaign was all about openness and transparency, and this would be a good step toward that."

Lynam added residents may be unaware that the position is available and the current economic climate could motivate more people to apply for the it.

That reasoning, though, did not convince others like Ruffulo who called the rejection politically motivated.

"I think this is a political move and the others want someone of their own in there," Ruffulo said. "This is Jerry's first appointment, and already we are starting to exhibit a tendency that I hope does not continue."

Kalish did not return repeated calls for comment.