Willow Springs expects to tackle video gambling at July 25 meeting

By Bob Rakow
Southland Savvy

On a recent week night, a handful of patrons gathered at Judy’s Friendly Tap in Willow Springs. The dearth of customers is a significant concern for Judy Meissner, the bar’s longtime owner.

“It’s terrible. It’s just awful. We are a dying breed,” Meissner said.

Meissner has owned her establishment at 8240 Archer Road for nearly 39 years. But she’s worried about the bar’s future if Willow Springs officials don’t approve video gaming.

Several bar owners insist they need video gaming machines to remain competitive with taverns in nearby communities such as Justice, Burbank, Countryside, Stickney and Summit where video poker has been approved.

Opponents maintain that introducing gambling to the community is an unwise choice for a village that has strived for several years to shed a corrupt image.

The village board is not expected to vote on the matter until its July 25 meeting.

Bar patrons say the proposal to allow video gaming machines has been talked about for nearly a year — a lengthy period during which their businesses have suffered.

Even if the proposal is approved, tavern owners may have to wait up to a year before the machines are installed, Meissner said. 

Illinois Gaming Board spokesman Gene O'Shea said the village would have to notify the board that gambling was now allowed. That would open the door to bar owners applying for the state license.

"Licenses are issued first come, first served," O'Shea said, adding there are dozens of pages of pending applications listed on the agency's web site.

"Once they file an application, they go to the back of the line and have to wait," O'Shea said. "There's no way of knowing how long it might take to be approved."

Chuck Stroh, owner of Connie’s Grove Inn at 8258 Kean Ave., said a friend who owns a restaurant and bar in Brookfield makes about $8,000 a month on five video poker machines. He said the addition of the machines has led to an offer to purchase the establishment. 

Another friend, who owns a restaurant in Crestwood, also takes in about $8,000 monthly, Stroh said.

Stroh can only imagine what he could do with $8,000 additional revenue each month.

“That’s my mortgage, salary. I could expand or remodel,” said Stroh, who’s owned his bar for 14 years. 

Stroh cannot understand opposition to the poker machines.

“It’s a no-brainer. I personally cannot understand it. They’re tying my hands,” said Stroh, whose business has declined by 25 percent in the past year.

Vicky Stadtler, owner of Ashbary Coffee House at 8695 S. Archer Road, said she’s frustrated with the village delaying a vote on the proposal.

“We just keep getting pushed forward with every kind of excuse,” said Stadtler, who’s owned the coffee house for seven years.

“We’ve given (village officials) so much information. We don’t understand what the holdup is,” she said.

Stadtler has owned the coffee house for seven years and knows what it’s like to struggle. Additional revenue would help her increase employees’ salaries, make improvements to the business and pay bills, she said.

“We’re so day-to-day, bill-to-bill,” she said.

The village would receive 5 percent of gaming proceeds, which officials estimate at $30,000 to $45,000 annually, Mayor Alan Nowaczyk said.

The money would go into the village’s general fund. Officials said they will not discuss how the money would be used until they vote on the proposal.

Business owners and gambling distributors each get 35 percent of the proceeds while the state receives 25 percent.

Illinois enacted legalizing video gambling in 2009 as a way to generate new revenue, but allowed municipalities to opt out of the program.

O'Shea said 805 communities in Illinois have approved video gambling, 217 have prohibited it and 41 are considering whether or not to approve it.

"There are 412 communities that haven't even addressed it, yet," O'Shea said.

Indian Head Park Congregational church celebrates 170th anniversary

Parishioners line up to receive Holy Communion
as Lyonsville Congregational United Church of Christ celebrates its 170th anniversary.

By Phil Arvia
Southland Savvy

Hazel Sharp doesn't recall the first time she entered Lyonsville Congregational United Church of Christ.

 
After all, it was sometime during the Hoover administration.

"I was carried in," Sharp, 84, said.

Slyly, she waited a beat before adding, "I expect to be carried out."

It is a circle of life that Sharp may be in no hurry to complete, but it is also one the Indian Head Park church has seen navigated dozens of times in its 170 years. In fact, Sharp's great-great grandfather, Joseph Vial, was one of the 18 original members of what is now the oldest Congregational church in Cook County, and markers bearing the name "Vial" dot the Lyonsville Cemetery, which sits on the hill behind the church.

Two churches, actually, occupying the corner of Joliet and Wolf roads.

Overlooking Joliet Road is the original building, finished in 1858 at a cost of $1,800. An addition built in 1949 makes the connection to the current sanctuary, erected in 1961.

On days when church is in session and the curtains in the sanctuary are open, the view is of the cemetery.

"It's really quite beautiful," said Patty Haigh, a 30-year church member who also sits on its Buildings and Grounds Board. "And comforting, when you stop to think how many of our congregation have family there."

There are 15 Civil War veterans, killed in action, buried on the grounds. It is a fitting resting place, considering the role the original church played in the War Between the States.

Church lore says local soldiers on leave from the Illinois 127th Regiment essentially used the building as a recruiting post, laying out the muster roll on the communion table to fill ranks thinned by injury or death. Church records show 72 locals signed up in what was then called the Congregational Church of Flagg Creek to fight for the North, and 36 of those men were members of the congregation.

 Before all of that, in May of 1843, six pioneer families in the area officially established a congregation with the goal of building a church. The 170th anniversary of that decision was celebrated last month by the congregation, and is being referenced throughout the summer in Pastor Bob von Trebra's Sunday sermons.

On June 23, he recalled an earlier anniversary, when he was new to the church in the late 1990s. At the time, he'd uncovered a book of sermons delivered at the church in the 1800s, and thought he'd deliver one to his current flock.

Editing ensued. Heavy editing. And when he'd cut the sermon by half, it was still long.

"I can still remember the eyes glazing over," he said.

Von Trebra was preaching that morning to a group of perhaps 50 congregants, a far cry from the 449 members the church claimed in 1933, on the occasion of its 90th anniversary.

He dwells not on the size of the group, however, as much as he does the size of the group's faith.

"People will tell you this is as healthy as the church has been in some time," he said. "People are working together. People are feeling connected spiritually to God and what God is wanting us to do."

The church's mission statement contains five points of emphasis:

- Preaching, teaching and living the gospel.

- Sheltering travelers and refugees.

- Feeding the hungry.

- Healing the sick.

- Nurturing new churches and ministries.

Von Trebra noted that in his time at the church, three members of the congregation have gone on to seminary school and the ministry. Three other seminary students have interned at the church on the way to leading other flocks.

"We teach them and send them out," he said. "That is a very powerful thing."

Ultimately, though, the power that has sustained Lyonsville Congregational is in the folks who come back, Sunday after Sunday.

Lois Soehrman, 86, of Westmont, was a 29-year-old resident of Countryside when she joined the church in 1955. Her strong, clear voice is easy to hear when hymns are being sung during services, and one of her favorite moments of the anniversary celebration was joining in on a gospel favorite, "Oh Happy Day."

But her favorite memory of her church goes back decades, to a midnight mass in the old building — a simple Greek revival style rectangle, just eight rows of pews deep.

"My daughter played the flute, and at Christmas Eve service she was up in the balcony," she said. "We only had candle lighting. So many people came up to me and said it was very inspirational — that made me feel good."

Making people feel good is something at which Lyonsville Congregational seems to excel.  No further evidence is required than Sharp's answer when asked what makes a church a church.

"Community," she said. "That connection, here, is inescapable."

Pension reform conference committee embraces prexy college plan

Mike Zalewski

By Bob Bong
Southland Savvy

Lawmakers charged with figuring out a solution to the state's growing pension crisis are warming to a proposal promoted by university presidents to provide full funding for the State University Retirement System as a possible framework for the state. 

"The SURS plan is one which we feel might be something all four caucuses could live with," said state Rep. Michael Zalewski (D-23rd), of Riverside, one of the lawmakers named to the Joint Conference Committee by House Speaker Mike Madigan.

"We all sort of agreed that it was something to look at," Zalewski said Monday before the committee held its third meeting.

The SURS Six-Step Plan, as explained by Southern Illinois University president Glenn Poshard, is designed to provide full funding for the state university system in 30 years. The measure would increase employee contributions from 8 percent to 10 percent over four years, adjust the compound COLA for retirees to half of the Consumer Price Index, place new employees into a hybrid pension system that combines defined benefits and defined contributions, change the way to calculate the effective rate of interest used to determine a range of benefits, refunds and service credits set annually by the SURS Board and the State Comptroller, shift the normal pension costs from the state to the universities at a rate of 0.5 percent per year, and ensure that the state and/or universities make their payments into the pension system.

Zalewski said conference committee members like the proposal because it deals with COLA increases "which are the biggest cost driver of the pension crisis."

He said that savings under the SURS proposal would probably fall "somewhere in the middle" between the projected savings of the competing pension reform bills sponsored by Speaker Madigan and Senate President John Cullerton.

Poshard called the SURS plan "shared sacrifice," but said it had the backing of every university in the state.

He said that while crafted for SURS, its main components would go a long way toward creating a solution for the state's other pension systems, including the Teachers Retirement System, the State Employees Retirement System, the General Assembly Retirement System and the Judges Retirement System.

Zalewski said the conference committee was waiting for actuarial reports on the projected savings and that he would have a better idea on when a compromise bill would be available once those reports were received.

"We're working as hard as we can on getting those reports back," he said.

Not fast enough for Gov. Pat Quinn apparently.

The governor, who set July 8 as the deadline for a compromise, said Wednesday he would use his budgetary veto powers to hold back paychecks for state legislators until they come up with a solution to the pension crisis.

Zalewski, a staunch supporter of the Madigan proposal to solve the state's pension crisis, said he was mildly surprised to be named to the conference committee.

"I had been doing a lot of work on pension reform," he said. "Maybe somebody wanted me on the committee because I was familiar with the proposals."

Rudy's Grill now open in Summit

Rudy Ananbeh opened Rudy's Grill last week in Summit.

By Bob Bong
Southland Savvy 

A new fast-food restaurant called Rudy's Grill opened last week at 7509 W. 63rd St. in Summit.

Owner Rudy Ananbeh said he chose that location because as a cabbie he would see the foot and vehicle traffic along that stretch of 63rd Street.

"It's a very busy street," he said.

"We're here to stay," Ananbeh said. "I even bought the building. We don't plan to be here for just a couple of months."

Ananbeh said that though this is his first restaurant he has 16 years of restaurant experience. He said it also was a family affair.

"That's my son and his cousin," Ananbeh said pointing to the two cooks whipping up hamburgers, gyros and hot dogs on a grill.

The menu also includes steaks, beef, barbecue chicken, Greek chicken, salads, meal combos and shakes.

Ananbeh said his contractor worked since November on renovating the building, even though it had been a restaurant.

"We had to redo everything. It's all new," he said. "He did a good job."

The building is small but has a handful of counter seats and there is a newly paved parking lot in the back of the building.

Rudy's is open daily from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Ananbeh said business has been very good, so far.

For information, call 708-594-1600.

Orland Spree to merge with Savers

The Spree thrift store at 15052 S. LaGrange Road in Orland Park will close on July 15 and merge with its Savers sister store that opened last year at 15625 S. 94^th Avenue in Orland Park. Savers is open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday to Saturday and from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Sunday. For information, call Savers at 708-460-3655.

Papa’s Fresh Foods closes in Palos

Papa’s Fresh Foods closed recently at 12207 S. Harlem Ave. in Palos Heights. The phone number has been disconnected and workers were seen last week moving inventory and equipment out of the business.

A listing updated a week ago on the LoopNet website said the 2,300-square-foot business was for sale for $180,000 because the owner was relocating. The business opened three years ago in a former convenience store.

Deal of the Day: Free Slurpees at 7-Eleven

Celebrate 7-Eleven Day today with a free small Slurpee from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. at participating locations. 

If you see a new business in town or wonder what happened to an old favorite, drop me a line at bobbong@hotmail.com.

You can also follow business happenings at Comings & Goings.

Bonefish Grill restaurant under construction in Orland Park

Work is underway on a Bonefish Grill seafood restaurant at
156th Street and LaGrange Road in Orland Park.

By Bob Bong
Southland Savvy

Several readers have asked what is being built at the corner of 156th Street and LaGrange Road in Orland Park next to the LongHorn Steakhouse.

A 5,800-square-foot Bonefish Grill seafood restaurant is under construction at 15537 S. LaGrange Road. The project has an estimated cost of $1 million.

Florida-based Bonefish Grill was started in January 2000 and has grown to more than 100 locations in more than a dozen states.

The Orland Park location will be the chain’s fourth in Illinois and the first in the Southland.

Construction is expected to be complete by the end of summer or early fall.

The project is the last outlot in the Lowe’s Home Improvement footprint, and makes for quite a restaurant row with LongHorn, Chick-fil-A, Red Robin Gourmet Burgers and Jersey Mike’s lined up along that stretch of LaGrange.

Rue 21 opens at River Oaks

Rue 21, a clothing store that caters to young men and women with fashions for 21-year-olds, recently opened at River Oaks Mall in Calumet City.

The store is the Pennsylvania-based chain’s 33^rd location in Illinois. The company has more than 900 locations in 47 states.

Victoria’s Secret opens at Orland Square

Victoria’s Secret lingerie store opened recently in its new location at Orland Square Mall in Orland Park.

The store can be found in the lower level by Macy’s, next to the newly opened Vera Bradley store.

If you see a new business in town or wonder what happened to an old favorite, drop me a line at bobbong@hotmail.com.

You can also follow business happenings at Comings & Goings.

Hodgkins DARE officer ends 12-year run

Hodgkins Police Chief Ernest Millsap presents Sgt. Michael Cimino with a statue honoring his years of service as the DARE officer for the police department.

From Staff Reports
Desplaines Valley News

Hodgkins police Sgt. Michael Cimino recently ended his 12-year stint as the police department's DARE officer.

Cimino addressed the 2013 DARE graduates on April 24 in his last official act as the coordinator of the anti-drug program.

“It’s helped me to look at law enforcement through the eyes of sixth-graders, and how they view police officers,” Cimino said. “It’s made me more mindful and aware of our image in the community. 

"I’m proud that, as a DARE officer, I was able to be a positive adult figure, and in particular a positive law enforcement figure, in so many children’s lives.  Often, because I taught multiple siblings in succession over several years, and interacted with their parents and siblings over and over, I had the feeling of being a part of their family.”

Cimino will now assume other police duties as Officer Matthew Hosteny takes over as DARE officer.

“I think what I will miss most is seeing the enthusiasm of the kids when I would walk in.  Kids get very excited about DARE activities," Cimino said.

"I’m sure [Hosteny] will do a great job, as he’s young and he already has a good relationship with the kids,” said Cimino.

The Hodgkins DARE program was started in January 1991 by former Chief Phil Kringlie, who was then a youth officer, at the behest of Chief Rich Stewart.

A year later, Sgt. Chris Milojevich was invited to run the program, and did so for nine years. 

During his tenure as DARE officer, Milojevich started the practice of taking the kids on field trips and doing community service projects, such as raking leaves for the elderly and fundraising for flood victims and a children’s home for the abused.

He first contacted Cimino, who had already been a juvenile officer for two years at that time, about DARE in 2000, to see if he would be interested in becoming the new DARE officer.  He turned the program completely over to Cimino in 2001.

“I wanted him to run DARE as he saw fit, to make the program his own,” Milojevich said.  “I didn’t want to intrude on his ideas.  I was given free reign, and I wanted him to have the same opportunity.” 

Milojevich was pleased with the results. 

“I think Mike did a wonderful job,” Milojevich said.  “He was committed to making the program work, sacrificing a lot of time away from his family.  And the kids really loved him.”

Hodgkins Police Chief Ernest Millsap, who taught DARE in Countryside for 12 years, had modeled his own program in the much the same way as Milojevich, taking the kids on field trips, doing fundraisers, and participating in various community service projects. 

In addition, he started doing end-of-year video slideshows to highlight the activities of each graduating DARE class, and that was something Cimino incorporated as well. 

At the recent graduation, Millsap gave a public recognition of Cimino and expressed both his personal appreciation of the hard work Cimino has done, as well as the appreciation of the department for the many years of service given.

Millsap also relates to the sentiments Cimino expressed.  “The bonds you make with students are always there, as well as with parents,” he said. 

The Hodgkins Police Department is now at work developing further school-interaction programs, which Millsap will unveil in the coming months.

“We are in the process of developing DARE-type programs for some of the lower grades, which will cover anti-bullying, avoiding bad situations, and knowing who to call if help is needed,” Millsap said.

Fireworks, festivals on tap for 4th of July

By Bob Rakow
Desplaines Valley News

There’s no shortage of  4th of July celebrations in the area next week as several communities host parades, fireworks shows and festivals to mark Independence Day.

The Bridgeview Park District will host its annual fireworks show at dusk on July 3 at Commissioners Park, 8100 S. Beloit Ave.

The show will be preceded by the inaugural Art in the Park Expo from 3-7 p.m.

Artists and budding artists 18 years old and younger are invited to submit their work for display. Participants are asked to label their work with their name, age, school and phone number. Only one submission per person is allowed. Artists must drop off their work by 5 p.m. July 2 at park district office, 8100 S. Beloit Ave.

In Summit, the Summit Park District will host an Independence Day celebration July 3 at the park district offices at 5700 S. Archer Road.

The event will include children’s games from 6-7 p.m. as well as free throw shooting and bean bag throwing contests at 6 p.m. Interested participants must sign up before the events. 

A concert of patriotic music performed by the West Suburban Concert Band will begin at 7:30 p.m. followed by the fireworks display at 9 p.m.

The village of Lyons will celebrate its quasquicentennial during the town’s annual Independence Day parade, which steps off at 1 p.m. July 4 on Joliet Avenue. The theme of the parade is the village’s 125^th anniversary.

The village will host a kid’s party at 7 p.m. at Veterans Park, Ogden and Lawndale avenues, and Smith Park, which is located across the street. The family-friendly event is designed for younger children and will feature music, games and face painting.

The annual fireworks show will begin at dusk at Smith and Veterans parks. Organizers encourage people to walk rather than drive to the event, which drew nearly 10,000 cars last year. The show’s grand finale will be longer than usual this year in celebration of the village’s 125^th anniversary.

Brookfield also will celebrate the 4th of July with a parade, which begins at 10 a.m. at Washington and Cleveland avenues and proceeds down Grand Boulevard to Brookfield Avenue and ends at the Village Hall.

The parade will be followed by music, food and fun beginning at noon at Kiwanis Park, 8820 Brookfield Ave. The Neverly Brothers are expected to perform from 12:30-2:15 p.m. followed by Deja Vu from 2:45-4:30 p.m. Battle of the Bands winners Far Sighted and Something's Not Right are expected to take the stage from 5-6 p.m.

The Pleasant Dale Park District will hold its annual fireworks show on July 3 at dusk at Walker Park, 7425 S. Wolf Road, Burr Ridge.

The following day, Boy Scout Troop 69 will hold its 14^th annual 4^th of July Pancake Breakfast. The event will take place from 7:30-11:30 a.m. at Walker Park.

Breakfast will feature pancakes, eggs, sausage, egg strata, fruit, orange juice and Starbucks coffee. There will be raffles, door prizes and a bake sale at the event. The cost is $5.

Those who’d rather see tomatoes than fireworks explode can take part in the Tomato Battle on July 6 at Toyota Park in Bridgeview.

Some 5,000 participants are expected at the event, which will feature dancing, beverages and a food fight involving 300,000 pounds of over ripe tomatoes being tossed at each other. 

Organizers describe the event as a combination of a German Oktoberfest and Spain’s La Tomatina tomato-throwing festival.

Festivities begin at noon with live entertainment and costume contest. The tomato battle commences at 4 p.m. when bathing suit-clad participants converge on a giant pile of tomatoes and pelt them at one another for three hours.

Eye protection, shoes with good tread and a change of clothes are highly recommended. Participants must be at least 14 years old. The cost is $50. Register at www.tomatobattle.com.

Bedford Park police seek public’s help in finding hit-and-run suspect

Police sketch

From Staff Reports
Desplaines Valley News

Cook County Sheriff’s Police released a sketch last week of a man wanted for a hit-and-run crash that left a man critically injured in Bedford Park.

Sheriff’s Police, South Suburban Major Crimes Task Force and the Bedford Park Police Department are seeking the public’s help in finding the driver of the car.

A dark gray Jeep Grand Cherokee struck a man in his 30s about 10:15 p.m. on June 13 in the 5800 block of 73rd Street in Bedford Park, according to the Cook County Sheriff’s Police. The victim was left critically injured.

The motorist was described as a 5-foot-6, 150-pound Hispanic man with short hair, sheriff’s police said. He was driving the Grand Cherokee, which has front-end damage.

Calls to the Bedford Park Police Department for more information were not returned.

Anyone with information should call Bedford Park police at 708-458-3388.

State Rep. Zalewski named to Illinois pension reform conference committee

Zalewski

From Staff Reports
Desplaines Valley News

State Rep. Michael Zalewski, a staunch supporter of the Madigan proposal to solve the state's pension crisis, was one of the House members named to the conference committee charged with forging a compromise solution to the pension mess.

“I thought it was a good bill,” Zalewski (D-23rd), of Riverside, said earlier this year. “I spoke for it on the House floor."

Zalewski was one of three lawmakers named to the 10-person conference committee by House Speaker Michael Madigan, who sponsored a draconian House pension reform bill that easily passed that chamber before being shot down in the state Senate.

“The state is on the brink of fiscal collapse," Zalewski said. "We have to right the ship."

Zalewski said the Madigan plan was more painful than the one offered by Democratic Senate President John Cullerton and was tough on retired state employees.

“There were things in the bill that I wish we could have softened,” he said. “But the bill was necessary.”

Gov. Pat Quinn hopes the rarely used legislative conference committee can help both sides reach a compromise solution to resolve the state's daunting pension crisis.

The committee was the result of a special session last week called by Quinn to address the pension problem.

That session, just like the recently concluded regular session, failed to deliver a plan to rectify the state's $100 billion unfunded pension liability.

The problem has been and continues to be the inability or unwillingness of Madigan and Cullerton to budge on their competing measures.

The conference committee, made up of five members each from the House and Senate, is designed to "bridge the differences and forge agreement on a comprehensive pension reform plan," a statement from Quinn's office said. 

Legislators used last Wednesday's session to vote to create the committee, and Quinn plans to call another session on July 9 to pass legislation, the statement added.

Legislative leaders said that was probably too soon for a deal to have been hammered out, if one can be reached at all.

Political paralysis over fixing the worst-funded state retirement system has led to a series of credit downgrades for Illinois, which now has the lowest ratings among U.S. states.

Quinn has expressed frustration over the inaction and its impact on the state's ratings and borrowing costs. Illinois is in the midst of a $31 billion capital improvement program, partly funded by the sale of bonds, and it is set for a planned sale of $1.3 billion of general obligation bonds this week.

The Illinois General Assembly last turned to a conference committee to hash out a compromise on legislation in December 2005.

Madigan has favored unilateral cuts to retirement benefits to reap savings of up to 30 percent over 30 years,  an approach labor unions have said violates the Illinois Constitution. Cullerton has advocated a plan, backed by labor unions and passed by the Senate, that gives workers and retirees choices between reduced benefits and continued access to state-sponsored healthcare in retirement. Actuaries says the Cullerton plan achieves just one third as much savings as the Madigan plan does.

A third plan that addresses only the State Universities Retirement System is being pushed by the heads of universities as a way to save as much as Madigan's approach, while having a better chance of withstanding a constitutional challenge in court, its backers allege.

That plan calls for higher worker pension contributions, gradually shifts pension payments currently made by the state onto the universities and community colleges, and ties pension payment increases to inflation. 

Both of the original authors of the toughest bill that's passed either the Senate or the House — Sen. Dan Biss (D-Evanston), and Rep. Elaine Nekritz (D-Northbrook) — are included on the 10-member panel.

Biss was named along with Sen. Kwame Raoul (D-Chicago) and Sen. Linda Holmes (D-Aurora), by Cullerton. Raoul will be the committee chairman. 

Madigan named Nekritz, Zalewski and another ally state Rep. Art Turner (D-Chicago).

Senate GOP Leader Christine Radogno, of Lemont, selected Sen. Matt Murphy (R-Palatine), her point person on budget matters, and Sen. Bill Brady (R-Bloomington), who ran for governor against Quinn in 2010.

Getty appoints Marine to fill trustee vacancy in Lyons

U.S. Marine Sgt. Jason Thomas is sworn in by Village of Lyon s Clerk Dawn Campos.

From Staff Reports
Desplaines Valley News

Lyons Mayor Christopher Getty and the Village Board last week named U.S. Marine Sgt. Jason Thomas, an Afghan veteran, to fill a trustee vacancy created by the resignation of Trustee Ryan Grace.

Thomas, a Brookfield native, enlisted in the Marines in 2005 and spent eight months in Afghanistan in 2010.

He moved to Lyons in 2012 with his wife, Nicki, and two sons Nicholas, 2, and Ethan, 1. Thomas, 28, has been an active participant in the Lyons community and is a Marine Corps recruiter in Lake County.

He was appointed trustee on June 19 to replace Grace, who resigned last week because of increased work responsibilities. Grace recently took on a new role with his employer and now oversees a multistate territory and does an extensive amount of traveling.

"I am honored to represent the residents of the Village of Lyons," Thomas said. "I vow to share the same unwavering pride, dedication, and loyalty to serving our village as I have our country."

"I thank Mayor Getty and my fellow board members for their trust and support, and I look forward to working with them as a team to keep improving our already improving community," he added.

Grace said he was humbly honored to have been able to serve the people of Lyons and will continue to be an active supporter of the village, Mayor Getty and the United Citizens Party.

Getty thanked Grace for his hard work and dedication over the years.

"It has been a privilege to work with Ryan throughout the years and I wish him nothing but the best on all his future endeavors," the mayor said.

Thomas will finish out Grace’s term, which runs through April 2015.

Getty said he was looking forward to working with Thomas for the next two years and was certain that Thomas's diligent work ethic and fresh perspective would make a great addition to the board and to the Village of Lyons.