Schaumburg officials have hired Skokie Fire Chief James Walters to lead their village's fire department after the retirement of longtime Schaumburg Fire Chief Dave Schumann on Aug. 25. "He's eminently qualified," Schaumburg Village Manager Brian Townsend said of Walters. Among the factors that led to the choice was Walters' leadership in a community comparable to Schaumburg in many ways, Townsend added.
Skokie is also a densely populated village whose 65,000 residents are only about 10,000 fewer than Schaumburg's, he said. And Skokie, too, is home to a major shopping center in Westfield Old Orchard.