New Antioch village trustee appointed

Newly appointed Antioch village trustee George Sakas says he feels right at home in his new position. A former village employee, Sakas said he's looking forward to working to improve all aspects of the village.

Mayor Larry Hanson appointed Sakas to fill an unexpired trustee term during a board meeting earlier this week. The seat was held by Hanson and became open when he won the mayoral race in the April 7 election.

Sakas, 43, was Antioch's senior planner from 2002 to 2005. Currently, he works as the community development director for Schiller Park.

Even though there's only two years left on his trustee term, Sakas says he's bringing a long-term vision to the board. "A community with a diverse mix of commercial and residential development is one that can thrive even in hard times," Sakas said. "Right now, Antioch is heavy on residential. We need to look to push for more commercial in the long term."

Sakas said his experience as Schiller Park's development director will serve him well as a village trustee.

"This is something I do every day," Sakas said. "As a professional planner, I'm dealing with these issues on a daily basis. I believe I bring a level of expertise in this area."

Hanson said he chose Sakas because of his extensive knowledge of community development and planning.

"He is somebody we can go to that has the knowledge we need," Hanson said.

In addition to Sakas, newcomers Ted Poulos and James Jozwiak were sworn-in as trustees along with veteran trustee Scott Pierce. Hanson also appointed Robert Long as village attorney replacing Adam Simon.

Sakas' appointment didn't come without controversy, however.

Poulos and Pierce complained Hanson didn't provide enough information about Sakas' background before the Monday night meeting.