Longtime Prospect Heights alderman may return in different ward

Eighteen months after he resigned as Prospect Heights' 4th Ward alderman for a move to the 2nd Ward, Patrick Ludvigsen's appointment to replace the recently resigned Kathleen Quinn there will be voted on by the city council Monday night.

Ludvigsen had represented the 4th Ward for 17 years by the time of his November 2020 resignation, and he also served for a time as acting mayor following the 2007 resignation of Rodney Pace.

"I heard that Kathi had resigned and I was always interested in getting involved again," Ludvigsen said Friday. "I continuously followed what was going on with the city and the city council."

Another acting mayor - 5th Ward Alderman Matt Dolick - nominated Ludvigsen for Monday's appointment vote.

Dolick said it took only a couple of weeks after Quinn resigned to accept the job of executive director of the Northbrook Chamber of Commerce & Industry to learn of Ludvigsen's availability.

"He has always had an interest in serving," Dolick said.

Beginning in 1997, Ludvigsen was elected twice to the Prospect Heights Park District board, but his second term was cut short by his running for and beginning his service on the city council.

He now meets the one-year residency requirement at his new address, Dolick added.

Though Ludvigsen's service on the council was interrupted, he would again be the most experienced member if confirmed on Monday.

He said he knows he wants to continue serving beyond the next year but hasn't yet decided whether he would seek election as alderman or run for mayor.

Dolick was appointed acting mayor shortly after three-term Mayor Nick Helmer's death in January but said he intends to run for 5th Ward alderman again next year rather than mayor.

Ludvigsen's former 4th Ward seat was filled by Helmer's appointment of Danielle Dash, who had been on the city's planning/zoning board of appeals for 10 years and its chairman for the last five.

Last spring, Dash was elected in her own right to the final two years of Ludvigsen's term after defeating a challenge from tax accountant Mariusz "Mark" Folta.

Quinn was three years into her first term when she resigned earlier this month to be eligible for her job offer at the neighboring Northbrook Chamber. She had succeeded Larry Rosenthal when he unsuccessfully challenged Helmer for mayor in 2019.

Rosenthal died in January.