Politics & Government

New Lenox 2 - Shorewood 0

New Lenox has lured away a second top official from the ranks of the Village of Shorewood, and this one is going to "commute" from Texas.

First it was Shorewood Village Administrator Kurt Carroll heading east to work for the New Lenox town government. Now Shorewood Economic Development Coordinator Nancy Roman has jumped ship for the town that took Silver Cross Hospital away from Joliet.

Throw in the retirement of Police Chief Robert Puleo in July, and the has lost three of its heaviest hitters in a matter of five months.

During Tuesday night's village board meeting, Mayor Rick Chapman and Roman made it out that she was just leaving Shorewood because she recently married a man from Texas and is moving in with her husband in his home state.

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As Chapman put it when he publicly bade Roman farewell Tuesday night, "Nancy got married last week, and she's getting ready to move to Texas."

But relocating to Texarkana, Texas, did not stopping Roman from taking the position of economic development director with New Lenox last month.

Find out what's happening in Shorewoodwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Roman said she is going to "commute" to New lenox "three times a month" and presumably conduct the rest of her business from Texarkana.

According to , Mayor Tim Baldermann said Roman is going to be paid $86,000.

"She's done such a good job over there, it was a natural fit," Baldermann said Wednesday of bringing on Roman. "I think she's going to do a real good job for us."

The village board replaced Puleo Tuesday night by promoting the department's administrative commander, Aaron Klima, to police chief. Carroll's job remains unfilled.

Roman's position, of course, also remains open.

"She can walk out of here with her head held high," Chapman said of New Lenox's new economic development director.

"We're going to miss you, Nancy," he added, "there's no getting around it."


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