Esposito named acting mayor of Oakbrook Terrace

An Oakbrook Terrace alderman has been chosen to finish the term of former Mayor Tony Ragucci, who resigned Friday, just weeks after news surfaced that federal agents had seized $60,000 in cash from his home last year.

Paul Esposito will serve as the city's acting mayor until the next general municipal election in 2021, officials said. The longtime resident was appointed to the position by other aldermen during a special meeting Wednesday night.

"This city means everything to me," Esposito said after the meeting. "It's a wonderful city. Everybody is like family in this community. And it's all about this community for me."

Esposito, who has been an alderman since 2013, said the first thing the council must do is "work through our issues here."

"We're going to unite as a council," he said, "and we need to put the pieces back together."

He declined to comment further.

Ragucci's sudden departure Friday came after the Chicago Sun-Times reported Jan. 2 that a document revealed federal agents had raided his home in October.

That revelation came amid a federal investigation unfolding in Chicago and the suburbs. In the fall, FBI agents raided former state Sen. Martin Sandoval's office in Springfield, along with the village halls in Lyons, McCook and Summit. Sandoval, a Cicero Democrat who chaired the transportation committee, resigned from the Senate in November. He has not been charged with any wrongdoing.

An FBI search warrant indicates investigators were interested in items related to highway and construction companies, red-light cameras, lobbyists and communications with Illinois Department of Transportation officials.

Ragucci drew scrutiny from federal agents because of Oakbrook Terrace's use of the company SafeSpeed to operate red-light cameras. SafeSpeed is a focus of the ongoing federal investigation, with agents looking into whether company representatives landed deals through payoffs.

Ragucci has not been charged with any wrongdoing.

In late November, Ragucci's campaign paid $30,000 to attorney Thomas Crooks for legal fees, according to the Illinois State Board of Elections.

Ragucci was serving his third term as mayor. He was first elected in April 2009.