Mayor D’Arcy appoints Herb Lande back on Joliet police board

Herb Lande is returning to the Joliet Board of Fire and Police Commissioners.

The City Council on Tuesday approved Mayor Terry D’Arcy’s appointment of Lande.

Lande previously served on the board for more than six years.

“They asked me to come back,” Lande said Thursday when asked why he was returning. “They thought that I did a good job, and they wanted me back on.”

Lande said he resigned during the last mayoral race for the April 2023 election.

He supported D’Arcy in that election.

Lande originally was appointed to the board in 2015 by former Mayor Bob O’Dekirk, D’Arcy’s opponent in the 2023 election. Lande, who owns a Joliet construction business, was a major contributor to O’Dekirk in his previous runs for mayor.

Lande left the fire and police board to fill out a City Council term after Donald “Duck” Dickinson resigned in 2020, but he did not seek the spot in the next council election in 2021. O’Dekirk, who recommended Lande for the temporary City Council spot, appointed him to the fire and police board again in July 2021.

Lande was appointed to a two-year term. He replaces John Lukancic.

The Board of Fire and Police Commissioners primarily reviews and approves hiring and promotions for the fire and police departments. The commission sometimes also hears disciplinary cases for the department.