Former Aide to Doyle Tapped as Newest Village Trustee

A former spokesperson for former Gov. Jim Doyle's administration was appointed to the Shorewood Village Board Monday after receiving a majority vote from trustees.

Thad Nation, 4426 N. Farwell Ave., founder of the public relations firm, Nation Consulting, received the four out of six votes necessary for the appointment and will be sworn in at a July 11 board meeting.

"I am very grateful for the appointment and the trust the board has put in me," Nation said.

A three-year Shorewood resident, Nation, 38, says he applied because he noticed the increased challenges Shorewood is going to face in meeting its budget, and he believed he could be an asset with his background and experience.

Nation also served as the press secretary for former Indiana Gov. Frank O'Bannon, before joining the Doyle administration.

Out of the six applicants, Nation, Niki Skinner and Avner Zarmi made it to a second round of voting. The six board members then cast one vote, and Skinner and Zarmi received one vote each with four votes cast in Nation’s favor.

Nation is a graduate of the University of Notre Dame.

Nation will fill the seat left vacant by after she purchased a home outside Shorewood. The term ends April 2012 and pays an annual salary of $1,000.

David Tatarowicz, Bryan Koester and Joesph Stolzman also applied for the seat. The board conducted 25-minute interviews with each of the six applicants before voting to appoint Nation.