New mayor takes over in Lombard

Division among trustees remain

January 24, 2013

Lombard Trustee Bill Ware has become acting village president, fulfilling a compromise agreement under which he and Trustee Peter Breen split the remaining term of longtime President William "Bill" Mueller, who died last August.

After Mueller's death, the six trustees split into two factions and wrangled for several weeks over a temporary successor for Mueller, who was village president for 19 years.

The deadlock was broken in early October after Breen and Ware agreed to split the time remaining until voters pick a new president in April.

Breen served as acting president until Jan. 16. Ware will act as president until May 2, when a newly-elected president will be sworn in.

While last fall's compromise solved the immediate leadership problem, no agreement on a long-term resolution could be mustered last week.

Breen had introduced an ordinance under which trustees would have been required to designate one of their own as president pro-tem and temporary chairman. The selection would have been made within 60 days following each general election.

While the proposal wouldn't necessarily head off disagreements in the event of the death or resignation of a village president, Breen called it a "way forward" to preventing another deadlock over picking an acting president.

Trustee Keith Giagnorio, who is running for village president in the April election, tried to table the measure to June, so that newly elected officials could weigh in.

"The idea of handcuffing a new board with a policy we put through, I'm just not comfortable with it," Giagnorio said.

Trustee Laura Fitzpatrick countered, "What we have is broken and we need to find a way to fix it."

Trustees split three to three on the question of tabling, with Ware and Greg Gron joining Giagnorio in voting in favor. Trustee Zach Wilson joined Breen and Fitzpatrick in voting against tabling.

The proposed ordinance was then voted down 4-2, with only Breen and Fitzpatrick voting in favor.