A familiar name is returning to the Lake Bluff Village Board with the appointment of Brian Rener as a trustee.
Village President Regis Charlot nominated Rener — who previously served on the board from 2005 to 2015 — to fill the vacancy created when Stephen Rappin resigned in August. The board unanimously approved the appointment at its Oct. 13 meeting.
Rener, an engineer, currently serves on the village’s Sustainability and Community Enhancement Ad Hoc Committee. He previously chaired the Finance Committee during the height of the Great Recession in 2008. He is set to return to that committee, which is composed of three trustees.
Charlot said he considered four candidates before selecting Rener. He pointed to Rener’s experience on the Finance Committee and the village’s construction of a large stormwater pipe intended to alleviate flooding problems.
“Considering our recent deep tunnel discussions with IDOT and the loss of a Finance Board member, I wanted to bring on an experienced trustee with finance committee expertise,” Charlot said, describing Rener as his “stretch goal candidate.”
Rener detailed his interest in returning to the village board in an e-mail.
“There are significant ongoing infrastructure projects, which is what I am involved with professionally and get excited about,” he explained. “Also, the vacancy included a spot on the Finance Committee, so my past experience and natural trait as an engineer to solve problems overcame my understanding of the time commitment associated with serving as a trustee — there’s a lot of demand on top of a person’s normal career and life — but it’s my civic duty, so I said ‘yes.’”
The stormwater pipe project resonated with Rener.
“There is a major stormwater relief project that had its early concepts introduced back when I was on the board some 20 years ago,” he wrote. “The chance to bring this major project across the finish line was extremely motivating[,] since I am an engineer by training and this has been a long-standing major concern of our community.”
Rener’s term will run until the 2027 municipal elections. He said he does not expect to be a candidate at that point.
Rener moved to Lake Bluff in 1998.
The Lake Bluff Village Board consists of six trustees plus the village president.
Daniel I. Dorfman is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
