Longtime resident Kathleen Johnson named Lake Zurich village clerk

Lake Zurich village board members have named longtime village resident Kathleen Johnson as the new acting clerk.

Johnson, who was appointed by the board Tuesday, will serve until the term expires April 30. She replaces Debbie Incardone, who resigned Aug. 31 after serving since June because she wanted to look for a permanent job. Incardone filled the position after former clerk Wende Dau resigned in April after moving out of village boundaries.

Because Johnson is out of town and could not be sworn in, village administrator Bob Vitas was appointed interim acting village clerk. Village President Suzanne Branding said deputy clerk Susan Ragsdale has no power to sign items unless there is an acting clerk. She added Johnson will be sworn in later this month.

"This is the reason we are doing these gymnastics," Branding said.

Johnson moved to Lake Zurich in 1967 with her husband Raymond. For 13 years, she taught children up to age 4 at early childhood centers in Lake Zurich and Mundelein, and in 1995 she became director of an early childhood center in Island Lake.

She has been a member of St. Peter United Church of Christ in Lake Zurich for 42 years, where she served many roles including council secretary. She also holds positions with a national fraternal and charitable organization.

Trustee Jim Johnson, who is not related to Kathleen but who knows her from church, said, "This is a person who is very intelligent, capable and one you can rely on to get the job done and to follow through."

Trustee Rich Sustich, who with Trustee Jonathan Sprawka opposed the appointment, asked why the village did not consider any of the more than 20 applicants who interviewed for the acting position in the spring.

"I don't want this to appear that we're having people come in at one moment and volunteer to be part of the village operations, and at the next moment say we're using that list once and we're not going to use that process again. I think we have to be as inclusive as possible," Sustich said.

Branding said the interview process was time consuming, and their selection, Incardone, stayed a few months. Johnson was suggested, and it was wiser to choose a known entity to fill the position quickly, Branding added.

"This is our third clerk in a year. We need to get the position filled before the election," she said. "I felt it was more important to go with something I was familiar with and that I felt would be a positive ending."