The new Skokie village board looks identical to the old one, with all incumbent members sworn-in April 19 at Skokie Village Hall.
The mayor, six trustees and the village clerk, all of whom belong to the Skokie Caucus Party, ran unopposed in the April 4 election.
Three current or former judges — all of whom live in Skokie — swore in Mayor George Van Dusen, Trustees Ilonka Ulrich, Edie Sue Sutker, Randy Roberts, Karen Gray-Keeler, Ralph Klein and Michele Bromberg and village Clerk Pramod Shah to new terms.
The room was filled with family, friends and supporters of the candidates, many of them also members of the Caucus Party.
Van Dusen said the Caucus Party has held village board seats for so many years because of the open village manager form of government he said the party established close to 60 years ago. That form of government includes multiple citizen commissions and groups working hand-in-hand with the village.
“We have kept that commitment as members of the Skokie Caucus Party,” he said. “And one generation has passed it on to the next. What we ask for is that our residents do participate and be a force for good — share with us their expertise.”
Van Dusen was elected to his fourth term this year and has served as mayor since 1999. He began on the village board as a trustee in 1984.
“This village welcomes everyone — not just to live here, not just to enjoy the services, but to become involved and to be part of it,” he said.
Roberts and Bromberg are senior members of the board, having been first elected in 2001.
Klein, Ulrich and Shah were elected to their second terms after being elected to their current posts for the first time in 2013. Shah, however, served as a trustee before he became clerk.
The Skokie Village Board held two meetings April 19 . The first one was held by the “old board,” which adjourned so the new members — the same office holders — could be sworn in by Judges Barbara Meyer, Shelley Sutker-Dermer and Moshe Jacobius.
Sutker-Dermer had the honor of swearing in her sister, Edie Sue Sutker.
Members of the new board then took their seats and promptly adjourned the meeting to celebrate.
@SKReview_Mike