New leaders take office tonight in Northwest suburbs

Municipal governments across the Northwest suburbs will see a makeover this week as newly elected village trustees, city aldermen and village presidents take their oaths of office beginning tonight.

Perhaps the most significant transition of power comes in Buffalo Grove, where Beverly Sussman will be sworn in as the town's new village president.

Sussman, who served six years as a village trustee, edged out incumbent Village President Jeffrey Braiman following a hard-fought campaign that culminated with her Election Day victory April 7.

Sussman will take her oath after a special reception for her, as well as other newly elected and outgoing leaders, that begins at 6:30 p.m. at village hall, 50 Raupp Blvd. She'll be joined in the swearing-in ceremony by newly elected Trustee David Weidenfeld and incumbent trustees Jeffrey Berman and Steven Trilling.

In Wheeling, Mary Papantos will be sworn in as a trustee along with incumbent trustees Ray Lang and Dave Vogel. However, questions remain over how long she will retain the seat.

Write-in candidate Joe Vito filed a lawsuit last week asking a judge to order the Cook County Clerk's Office to count 33 votes for him that had been ruled invalid. If those votes were counted, he would have defeated Papantos for a seat on the village board.

Elsewhere, incumbent Arlington Heights trustees John Scaletta, Mike Sidor, Carol Blackwood and Robin LaBedz will sworn in for additional terms in office; and in Palatine, newly elected District 3 councilman Doug Myslinski will take his oath of office along with returning council members Scott Lamerand of District 2 and Kollin Kozlowski of District 5.

In Des Plaines, 4th Ward Alderman Dick Sayad, who had to overcome his arrest on a trespassing charge to win re-election, will be sworn in for another term, along with election winners 7th Ward Alderman Don Smith, 6th Ward winner Malcom Chester, 2nd Ward Alderman John Robinson and 8th Ward Alderman Michael Charewicz.