Press "Enter" to skip to content

Somonauk man awaits vote to join DeKalb County Board of Review

SYCAMORE – After having a vacancy for the past four months, the DeKalb County Board of Review could be back at full strength by the end of this week.

The DeKalb County Board will vote Wednesday on whether to appoint County Board member Dan Cribben to the review board’s open seat. Cribben will be required to step down from the County Board during the Wednesday meeting in order to accept the position, said Mark Pietrowski Jr., County Board chairman.

Pietrowski said he selected Cribben to go before the County Board because of his experience with real estate assessment and because he was the only alternate for the position.

“Working with him for several years on the board, I feel that he’s a pretty even-keel guy that will work well on the board [of review],” Pietrowski said.

Cribben said that having been an alternate for five years, he anticipates the County Board’s approval. He said he has taken and passed the review board exam and has been a licensed real estate appraiser and broker for many years.

“I would think that experience would have given me the qualifications required for the alternate position five years ago,” Cribben said. “I am pleased to serve with the other two members.”

The review board hears appeals from property owners of property assessments performed by township assessors.

As a review board member, Cribben would serve under the DeKalb County Assessment Office, where his wife, Karen Cribben, previously worked as chief deputy assessment officer. Robin Brunschon, Chief County Assessment Officer, confirmed Monday that Karen submitted a letter of resignation May 28 and her last day was Friday.

Pietrowski made it clear that he wanted to avoid a conflict of interest by appointing Cribben to an office once occupied by his spouse.

“That was one of the criteria that I had,” Pietrowski said. “If it was going to be a full-time role, I wanted to make sure there wasn’t going to be that issue.”

The County Board also will decide whether to appoint DeKalb County elections judge John Linderoth and Sycamore resident Ryan Cardinali as alternates for the review board.

Cardinali is the founder of DeKalb County Taxpayers, a local watchdog group for taxpayers.

The review board has had an open seat since earlier this year, when former board member Anthony Cvek was charged with stealing more than $10,000 from Habitat for Humanity, where he worked as the nonprofit’s president and executive director, according to Sycamore police.

A decision on Cribben’s appointment will be made during the County Board meeting at 7 p.m. Wednesday in the DeKalb County Legislative Center Gathertorium, 200 N. Main St., Sycamore.

Source: The Daily Chronicle

Be First to Comment

    Leave a Reply