Itasca resident Gavanes appointed to fill DuPage board vacancy
An Itasca resident's bid to be elected to the DuPage County Board got a boost Tuesday when he was chosen to fill a vacancy on the panel through the end of November.
The county board approved the appointment of Dino Gavanes to finish the unexpired term of former board member Paul Fichtner, who resigned from his District 1 seat last month. Gavanes was nominated for the position by county board Chairman Dan Cronin.
"It's very humbling," Gavanes said Tuesday.
The 67-year-old insurance broker and consultant said he will do his best to represent District 1, which includes all or portions of Addison, Bensenville, Bloomingdale, Elmhurst, Glendale Heights, Itasca, Lombard, Roselle, Villa Park and Wood Dale.
Gavanes' appointment runs through Nov. 30.
Voters, meanwhile, will decide during the general election who will have the seat for the next four years.
During the March primary, Republican voters picked Gavanes and incumbent Sam Tornatore of Roselle to be the GOP nominees for two District 1 seats. They will face Elmhurst Democrats Ashley J. Selmon and Zahra Suratwala in November.
Gavanes said he believes he was "the logical choice" to replace Fichtner because he won the GOP primary. Under state law, Cronin had to pick someone who belongs to the same political party as Fichtner, who is a Republican.
Gavanes acknowledges that being appointed to the county board will help gain experience before the election.
"I think I'll have a clearer understanding of the issues and be able to communicate those issues to the voters," he said.
Meanwhile, Cronin said in a statement that Gavanes brings a wide range of experience and skills to the position.
"With his experience in the private sector, along with extensive resume of professional and community involvement," Cronin said, "I have no doubt the residents of District 1 will be well-served by his representation."
Gavanes is a principal with the Advisers Group Inc. with more than 40 years of experience in the insurance industry. He graduated from the University of Illinois with a bachelor's degree in engineering and has an MBA from DePaul University.
He serves on the board of the Itasca Chamber of Commerce and the Itasca Police Pension Fund.
Gavanes said he decided to run for a District 1 county board seat because he enjoys government. "When the opportunity came up," he said, "I thought county board might be an area where I could contribute and be involved."