‘It’s an honor’: Attorney appointed as Glen Ellyn village trustee
An attorney with deep roots in Glen Ellyn has been sworn in as a village trustee.
Robert Duncan fills the seat made vacant by the passing of the late Trustee Steve Szymanski, who died only months into his first term.
Duncan will bring “additional balance, insight and professionalism to our board, as well as empathy and understanding of what our residents experience in daily life,” Glen Ellyn Village President Jim Burket said.
“Although he greatly admires Glen Ellyn's past and its traditions, he understands that our community must change with the times in order to remain vibrant and relevant,” Burket said.
Duncan has been an attorney for nearly 25 years. He’s the founder of the personal injury firm that bears his name, Duncan Law Group, which has offices in Chicago, Oak Brook and Moline, Illinois. He’s also president of the dean’s advisory board for the University of Illinois College of Law.
In Glen Ellyn, he’s served on the Civic Betterment Party nominating committee, the group that recruits and puts forward a roster of candidates for elected office. Duncan is currently a member of the board of directors of the Glen House Food Pantry. He is an alum of Glenbard West High School.
“It's a privilege to serve Glen Ellyn, a community that I care deeply about, and it's an honor to fill Steve's spot and finish out his term with his reputation and characteristics of leadership and stewardship in mind,” Duncan said.
Szymanski was elected to the seat this past April. Before that, he helped steer major infrastructure projects — from the Taylor Avenue pedestrian tunnel and the Civic Center parking garage to the downtown streetscape and utility overhaul — during his tenure on the village’s capital improvements commission.
“Steve's very unfortunate and untimely passing just three months into his term came as a large shock to the community, to staff and certainly to all of us who had worked closely with him on Glen Ellyn’s boards and commissions,” Burket said.
The village received 11 applications from residents interested in the position. Trustee vacancies are filled by appointment by the village president, subject to the advice and consent of the board. The five sitting trustees unanimously confirmed Burket’s appointment of Duncan to the role Monday night.
“I'm happy to say that each one brought an array of experience and enthusiasm to the table that makes everyone proud to be a citizen of Glen Ellyn,” Burket said. “And we are hopeful that these citizens will stay engaged going forward in the many volunteer opportunities that the village offers.”
Duncan will serve the remainder of the term. The seat will be up for election in April 2027 for a 2-year term.