Zadel back in familiar role as Mount Prospect trustee
Mount Prospect village board members welcomed a familiar face back to the panel this week.
Michael Zadel, who spent 20 years as a trustee before retiring in 2021, was sworn in Tuesday to fill the seat of Peggy Pissarreck, who stepped down after a year on the board because she is moving from the village.
Mayor Paul Hoefert formally appointed Zadel, who was approved by the rest of the board Tuesday.
"I will try to faithfully execute my duties to the best of my ability, as I have attempted to do in the past," Zadel said. "I'm glad to be back. The time frame fits. And ... I'm ba-ack."
Zadel will serve until voters fill the seat in the 2023 election.
"(Zadel) is uniquely qualified to fill out the next 11 months," Hoefert said. "He is obviously a very logical and critical thinker and he'll be a real asset to the board. He is truly an asset to this community."
Trustee Augie Filippone suggested that the appointment should have gone to Brian Maye, who finished fourth in the race for three trustee seats in 2021. But he said he also supports the choice of Zadel.
"I don't think there is anyone in this town that can have a bad word to say about the guy," he said. "His reputation precedes him. And I believe he is a man of integrity (and) honesty."
Hoefert noted that there's nothing that would have required him to appoint Maye based on where he finished in a previous election. He added that it would take anywhere from three to six months for someone who has never served on the board to get up to speed.
"About that point, your term is ending up," Hoefert said.
He also recalled how he finished fourth in 1989, in the same election when former Trustee Gerald "Skip" Farley became mayor. Hoefert said he approached Farley about filling his vacant seat and was told no.
"'You're going to run next time,'" he said Farley told him. "'One, I'm not going to give you a leg up. And two, you should win your race.' And I think those were very wise words."
Zadel's appointment is the second time in a little more than a year that Hoefert has tapped a former trustee to fill a vacant seat. After his election as mayor in 2021, Hoefert nominated John Matuszak to fill his vacant trustee post.