Serious times for new commissioner

DIXON – It’s a delicate balancing act that Dixon City Commissioner Dennis Considine must play.

Generally a lighthearted person who likes to crack jokes, Considine has taken on a new, more serious role as the commissioner in charge of the city’s fire, police and building departments.

“I wanted to become the police, fire and building commissioner because, in my other career, I was always into softscapes: design, merchandising, flower work, the beauty industry,” he said. “It was soft, and so the change over to a hardscape was good for me.”

Before Considine, 67, retired, he worked for Kline’s Department Store for 18 years, for Marshall Beauty Supply for 23 years, and for both Dixon Floral and Nichols Greenhouse and Nursery.

His son, Jared Paul Considine, also spurred his interest in law enforcement. When he was in the Marines, Jared was an embassy guard, and also worked for a fire department while in college.

Now, just 6 months after joining the Dixon City Council, Considine has had to deal with a “waterfall” of issues, sometimes literally.

During a regular visit to the Public Safety Building, he discovered an inch of water in the basement. City work on a water main had caused a leak.

But even slower days are busy.

“I never expected to work this hard and put in the long hours that we do, but I love it,” Considine said.

The Council – three of its four members are new after elections last spring – had to tackle a tight budget, the purchase of a new fire truck, and an effort by Mayor Jim Burke to move the building department under his jurisdiction instead of that of the public health and safety commissioner.

“We have had a real combustion of starting off our careers as elected officials because there was so much coming at us, just like bulldozers,” Considine said. “It was just overwhelming, like a waterfall.”

Considine makes an annual salary of $5,400 as a commissioner. Given the time he puts in, Police Chief Danny Langloss said, Considine probably works for about 3 cents an hour.

Langloss and Fire Chief Tim Shipman call Considine whenever anything out of the ordinary happens. Considine always is the first to know, Langloss said.

“Something Dennis brings to the table, which is really nice, is being a retired gentlemen, he is very proactive leadership-wise,” the chieef said. “He really understands the team.”

Considine and the department heads have lists of initiatives. The weight room in the basement of the Public Safety Building, for one, is part of a physical fitness initiative.

One of the reasons Burke wanted to move the building department to his jurisdiction was that he wanted to make it more business friendly.

But the department stayed with the commissioner of public health and safety. Considine asked to try it for 6 months the way its been for the past 15 years.

“It is a cohesive group of people,” Considine said. “The building department has had some imperfections, needing to smooth itself out and the procedures to make it more consumer friendly and to develop business.”

Considine has worked to make the building department employees more aware of their public image and their roles as the city’s representatives to businesses, he said.

“The building department has to be the Disneyland of Dixon, Illinois,” he said, “because when businesses come to town, it should be an exhilarating, fun feeling when you leave there. It shouldn’t be a doom-and-gloom kind of environment.”

He also wants to put more information on the city’s website.

The budget, though, has dominated much of city politics.

“I’m very conscious of coming from a business background, you had to have a return on your investment,” he said, “and government doesn’t always appear to be like that.”

He consistently brings up revenue in conversations with the departments.

Building permits are important to protect the interests of the city and neighbors, he said, and they also bring in money for the city. The same goes with the other departments.

Tickets and fees serve a public good, he said, and also keep the departments running.

When he was younger, Considine never thought he’d end up in politics.

He comes from a long line of politicians, he said, and his father, Hubert Dennis Considine, was one of the youngest men elected to the Illinois House of Representatives.

“When I was a child, I didn’t care for the public exposure and the complete involvement,” he said. “My father spent many, many hours working for the betterment of our district here in Dixon.”

Now, he knows why his father served: “He was doing it for other people, giving back.”

So when his neighbors and friends told him he should run for the City Council, he first thought they were crazy, but then decided to give it a go.

Some in his family were concerned there would be issues because he is gay, but, Considine said, there have been no problems.

Considine and his life partner, John D. Delong, own Jsalon. They also have two bulldogs, Cooper and Luna.

Much to Considine’s surprise, Cooper ended up being a champion show dog.

“I originally purchased him to fill a void,” Considine said. “I had a German short-hair pointer for 16 years, and we weren’t going to do any more pets. The house just didn’t seem as lively without a pet.”

Commissioner Dennis Considine

Age: 67

Lives in: Dixon

Born in: Greenville, Texas, before moving to Dixon as a toddler

Office: Commissioner of public health and safety

Length of term: 4 years

Salary: $5,400

Employment: Worked for Kline's Department Store for 18 years, the last part of that as a store manager. Also spent 23 years with Marshall Beauty Supply.

Education: Graduated from Dixon High School in 1962. He also graduated from Ray Vogue Schools-Chicago in 1964 with a merchandising degree, Massey College-Altanta, Ga., in 1967 with a degree in fashion merchandising, and American Floral Art-Chicago in 1984 with a degree in American floral design and art.

Family: Considine's life partner is John D. Delong. They've been together for 11 years. He also has two grown children, Jennifer Truesdale, 43, of Sterling, and Jared Paul Considine, 33, of Klemath Falls, Ore., and two grandchildren. He is the oldest of four siblings and seven half-brothers.

About this series

This profile is the second in a series about the Dixon commissioners who were elected in April, checking 6 months into their first terms. A profile of Commissioner Jeff Kuhn was published on Oct. 15 in SV Weekend. A profile of Commissioner Colleen Brechon will be published in tomorrow’s SV Sunday Extra print and online editions.