Rolling Meadows alderman leaving town

Barb Lusk says it’s bittersweet to be leaving Rolling Meadows for practically the first time in her life, especially since that means resigning her seat on the City Council.

Lusk, a nurse case manager, and her husband, Ryder, will be moving to Nevada, where she will pursue potential career opportunities and her husband is planning retirement.

“I’m excited and I’m sad,” said Lusk, who steps down April 15 after serving six years as alderman for the city’s 2nd Ward. “This is not the easiest thing to walk away from. I’ve enjoyed it a lot.”

Mayor Kenneth Nelson called Lusk “one of the hardest working alderman I’ve had the pleasure of working with.”

Nelson is asking any resident of the ward who is interested in filling the last two years of Lusk’s term to send him a letter and resume. However, he intends to turn the applications over to the new mayor chosen in the April 5 election.

The new mayor will make a recommendation to the newly elected city council, expected to be seated in early May.

Gathering candidates and giving the two candidates for mayor, Jonathan Trapani and Tom Rooney, a chance to plan a process for selecting a new 2nd Ward alderman will hopefully save time, Nelson said.

Lusk, 51, was born at Northwest Community Hospital in Arlington Heights and says she has lived in Rolling Meadows all but eight months of her life.

She chairs the city’s Urban Affairs committee and is known for her work on the health subcommittee, especially with cancer awareness.

“I love talking to the residents and helping solve what issues we can solve,” she said. “I love dealing with my community.”

She has a parting message for residents of Rolling Meadows: Call your alderman.

“If you have questions about what’s going on or things you like or things you don’t like, call” Lusk said. “I sit down and read the comments on news stories, but after the fact that doesn’t do any good. I need to know ahead of time.”