Northern Illinois Storm Water Agency Director Selected

Lake County (Ill.) Storm Water Management Commission board members have decided to hire a new executive director in house, after their first choice turned the position down.

The commission board voted unanimously last week to appoint Michael Warner, a 12-year veteran of the agency, the new executive director, according to a report in the Pioneer Press.

Warner has served as interim executive director of the storm water commission since previous director Ward Miller left the agency to pursue other career interests in February.

"After a national search, we found our next leader right here. Mike has established himself in the county first as a technical expert on flood plain and storm water management, and second as a fair-minded leader and problem solver. He has the respect of the staff and the SMC board, as well as the municipalities and the county," said Steve Mountsier, chairman of the storm water board, in a statement released after the meeting.

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he choice of Warner was announced less than a month after Edward Devine, director of the New York-based Rockland County Drainage Agency, who the board originally appointed to head the commission, declined to accept the job. Some county officials had been critical of Devine's appointment, arguing Warner was the best qualified candidate to lead the agency.

In his new role as executive director, Warner will supervise a staff of 19 and oversee an annual budget of $2.6 million. Warner said he had no problems with the appointment process or that another candidate had been originally slated for the job.

Source: PP