Wheatland Highway Commissioner Resigns

Highway Commissioner Mark Troyanowski will step down, effective at midnight on Aug. 31. Credit: Wheatland Township.

For the third time since May, a Wheatland Township official is stepping down.

Township board members on Monday appointed clerk Bill Alstrom to take over for Highway Commissioner Mark Troyanowski, who has resigned after accepting a new job, Supervisor Chuck Kern said. Alstrom will officially take over the position at midnight Sunday, Aug. 31.

Troyanowski did not return a call from Patch on Wednesday. He becomes the third Wheatland official to step down, following Darren Bennefield, who left to fill a spot on the Will County Board, and Mike Crockett, who resigned in June.

Plainfield resident Jeffrey DeRango was sworn in earlier this summer to replace Crockett, while retired Chicago police officer Bruce Wronski came on board in June to replace Bennefield.

Troyanowski was selected by the Wheatland Township Republican Organization to run for highway commissioner in 2013 after original candidate Scott Bishop withdrew from the race. He was one of nine candidates to run as part of the Wheatland Township GOP slate.

“I don’t think there’s anything unusual going on,” Kern said when asked about the multiple resignations. “Some people have felt they’ve done their duty and are moving on. We continue on with our work that we started a year and a half ago.”

Board to appoint new clerk

Alstrom said the process of selecting a new township clerk will begin soon, noting that early voting for the Nov. 4 election begins Oct. 25 in Wheatland Township.

“We need a clerk in and up to speed by then,” Alstrom said.

He said he has a vision for his new role as highway commissioner, noting that he plans to fill the job part time, leaving much of the decision making to veteran highway department employees.

“There isn’t a need to have a highway commissioner there for 40, 50 hours a week,” he said.

Building renovations nearly complete

Kern said remodeling is nearly completed on what was originally the Wheatland Township Highway Department at 4232 Tower Ct. in Naperville.

The supervisor’s office has already moved into the site, and the former township facility on 91st Street was sold. The site was gutted in 2013 after a slew of building code violations came to light.

Kern said remodeling on the Tower Court building will be completed within the next 45 days, allowing the rest of township government to set up shop there.

“The assessor’s office will move in — we’ll have everyone in the township under one roof, as we promised the voters.”