Schillerstrom to cooperate with board in filling vacant seat

DuPage County Board Chairman Robert Schillerstrom is promising cooperation with the board selecting a replacement for outgoing District 5 board member Michael Connelly.

But it might be out of necessity rather than goodwill. The ball hasn't been bouncing the Republican chairman's way lately.

In February, Schillerstrom saw the lion's share of his choices for Republican county board candidates rejected by primary voters, and just a few weeks ago a majority of the board rejected his proposed committee assignments - something he said had never happened before. There are also Democrats in three of the board's 18 seats for the first time since the Carter administration.

"I'm obviously going to work with the county board as to who they have a level of comfort with in confirming," Schillerstrom said.

Schillerstrom said this appointment process would be "pretty standard" and that he would begin in earnest once Connelly officially resigns. Connelly will be sworn in as a state representative Jan. 14, leaving a little bit less than two years left on his term on the county board.

While Schillerstrom said he's done little other than talk to 10 or so interested candidates, board members said he's already started reaching out to them about Connelly's replacement. District 5 mainly consists of Naperville and Lisle.

"The chairman has been very open to discussing all kinds of issues with board members, and I think he's already started reaching out to people to talk about possible candidates," said board member Jeff Redick.

Schillerstrom has 60 days to fill Connelly's seat upon his resignation. Schillerstrom is responsible for nominating the person to fill the vacancy and the board votes to approve or reject.

Former board member Bob Heap and recent District 5 Republican candidate Gerry Cassioppi are considered front-runners for the appointment, but College of DuPage Trustee Dave Carlin has emerged as a dark horse candidate.

"Both of those guys (Heap and Cassioppi) are extremely qualified, but I think I'm seen as someone who's independent-minded and hardworking and someone a lot of people are looking at for the future of the county party and leadership of the county," Carlin said.

Some board members have expressed concern about Heap's return to the board.

"With respect to Heap, the board will have questions about the grand jury investigation, we'll have questions in light of some of his existing campaign debts and stewardship of the county's finances while he was the board's finance chairman," Sheahan said. "Those are his records."

Heap left the board in 2006 after a failed campaign for the county treasurer's post. He came under fire in his final days after it was discovered he was in line for a post with a county agency that would have paid $750,000 a year over four years. Heap denies that he was ever interested in the job. A grand jury was convened to investigate the deal, but no charges were ever filed, county officials said.

"I think that was looked into and there was nothing there," Heap said. "I put (the job) on the agenda and took it off before the meeting ever started."