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East Dundee president says appointment to fill disputed trustee seat could happen soon

Trustee Scott Andresen says no vacancy exists

By Kevin Schmit - Daily Herald Media Group
East Dundee President Jeff Lynam, left, continued his efforts to appoint a trustee to replace Scott Andresen, right, at a special board meeting Monday, June 14, 2021.

East Dundee President Jeff Lynam, left, continued his efforts to appoint a trustee to replace Scott Andresen, right, at a special board meeting Monday, June 14, 2021. (Kevin Schmit | Daily Herald Staff Photographer)

As much as Monday’s East Dundee Village Board meeting seemed like business as usual, a lingering question remains unanswered.

What will happen with Scott Andresen’s disputed trustee seat?

For the first time in months, the subject didn’t come up during a short meeting on Monday. However, President Jeff Lynam said afterward that while he’s in no hurry to fill the seat he believes to be vacant, he’s still getting his “ducks in a row” to possibly replace Andresen, who chose not to run for reelection in April but remains on the board despite Lynam’s objections.

Lynam attempted to appoint Frank Scarpelli to fill Andresen’s seat on May 17, but the effort failed when no trustee seconded a motion. Lynam moved on to a second appointee – Jim Carlini – when the board took no action on Scarpelli within 30 days.

Lynam believes the 30-day window on Carlini’s attempted appointment also has closed without board action, meaning by ordinance Lynam now is allowed to fill the seat with either Scarpelli or Carlini.

“Now those 60 days are up, so I’m free to go ahead and nominate,” Lynam said. “I’m hoping to have this out of our hair soon. It’s still a question mark.”

Andresen believes there is no vacancy, an opinion backed by legal opinions from Village Attorney Greg Smith, who said in a May memo “the Village President and Board of Trustees do not have a mandatory duty to declare a vacancy for the unfilled Village Trustee seat, currently held by Trustee Scott Andresen, which no person qualified for in the April of 2021 election.”

Only two people ran to fill three open trustee seats in the April election, opening the door for Andresen to remain. Lynam’s election as president after serving many years as a trustee created an additional opening, which was filled in May when Lynam appointed Rich Treiber with the backing of a unanimous board vote.

Andresen also questions whether the 30-day appointment window on Carlini has even started.

“With all the references to Carlini on the agendas in the past, there’s never actually been an agenda item that the board could take action on,” Andresen said. “If [Lynam] keeps trying, we’re going to have to figure it out. The village attorney was clear. The seat isn’t vacant.”