Mascillino named Island Lake's new clerk; Cicero appointed trustee
In an unusual personnel shift, Island Lake Trustee Connie Mascillino was named the town's village clerk Thursday.
To take the job, Mascillino had to resign from the village board, and she did so conditionally in a letter to Mayor Debbie Hermann earlier this week. Mascillino was promptly replaced by lifelong resident and retired aerospace design engineer Sam Cicero.
Herrmann recommended the personnel changes, and they were approved by the village board in two votes.
Mascillino is Island Lake's third clerk in just over a year. She replaces Jen Gomez, who quit unexpectedly in June.
Gomez had been appointed in June 2011 to succeed Pam Miller, who was elected in 2009 but quit in the middle of her term.
Mascillino will serve until spring 2013, when Miller's term would have ended.
She may not need to run for a new term at that time, however. In November, Island Lake voters will decide if the clerk should continue to be elected or if the position should become a staff job.
Mascillino, 66, was appointed to the village board in 2008 and won election in 2009. She's been a staunch ally of Herrmann through the village's recent political tumult, opposing current and former mayoral critics.
When asked about the possible appearance of political patronage, Herrmann said Mascillino volunteered after Gomez quit to put together minutes and perform other tasks.
“Connie actually is helping the village,” Herrmann said. “I can't say enough about her.”
In an interview before Thursday's meeting, Mascillino said the clerk's office “is not what it could be.” She didn't assign blame to either of her predecessors.
Mascillino believes her time on the board, including leadership of the panel's finance and administrative committee, has given her insight into the operations of the clerk's office.
A former licensed practical nurse who now runs a home day care business, Mascillino gets something of a pay raise with the new job.
Trustees earn $100 for each board meeting they attend. As clerk, Mascillino will receive $75 for each board meeting and $150 per month for compiling the official minutes of those sessions.
She'll also be paid $15 per hour for working up to 20 hours a week in the clerk's office at village hall.
Cicero, 69, the former president of a local property owners association, has never served in elected office. He has been a regular attendee at board meetings.
In an interview Thursday, Cicero called himself an old timer who “knows the history of what Island Lake is and was.”
He will serve until spring 2013, when Mascillino's term on the board would have ended.
Cicero is the second person to be appointed trustee this year. Steve Stiller was appointed to replace Donna O'Malley in June after she resigned.
Shift: ‘Connie actually is helping the village'