Buffalo Grove’s mayor eyes running for Lake County judge

Just months after winning election as Buffalo Grove’s mayor, Jeffrey Braiman said Sunday he will run for a Lake County circuit judge seat in March’s Democratic primary.

Braiman confirmed he is circulating petitions for one of the two available seats in the 3rd subcircuit of the 19th Judicial Circuit. The subcircuit, one of six in the county, includes Buffalo Grove, Long Grove, Vernon Hills and Mundelein.

If Braiman is successful in his primary bid, and then wins in November’s general election, he would have to step down as village president. The board’s president pro tem, Trustee Jeffrey Berman, would serve as his replacement until the next round of municipal elections in spring 2013.

Braiman, 59, ran unopposed in April after longtime Village President Elliott Hartstein stepped down. Prior to that he had been the longest serving member of the village board, having sat as a trustee since 1991.

While saying he would miss serving on the village board, Braiman added, “You have to make choices sometimes.

“Being mayor is not my occupation,” he said. “I have been trained as an attorney and served as a lawyer for 34 years. I think I can make an impact on the bench.”

In the past, the village board has served as a springboard to the 19th Judicial Circuit. Former trustee Charles Johnson serves as an associate judge assigned to the circuit’s Family Division.