Rookie suburban mayors navigate growth, conflict and change during first year

The suburbs saw significant turnover in municipal leadership after the 2025 election.

Eight new leaders assumed the helm of their communities in the Northwest suburbs and Lake County, while 12 took over in DuPage and Kane counties.

Now that these first-term mayors and village presidents are celebrating their anniversaries, many are looking back on a year faced with challenges as diverse as the communities they serve — from budget shocks and staff shake-ups to landing an NFL team.

Having a wonderful term

Arlington Heights Village President Jim Tinaglia described his first year in office as “wonderful,” crediting his service as a village trustee since 2013 with preparing him for the job.

He cited his 35 years as a practicing architect as vital experience in helping guide development of the Chicago Bears’ proposed stadium project on 326 acres in the village.

He has a standing weekly call with the Bears organization, and outlined four criteria for any development: safety, economics, traffic and infrastructure.

“If the ball gets dropped — no pun intended — on any one of those, the next 100 years could be really uncomfortable,” he said.

A big vision for a small town

Barrington Village President Mike Moran, who succeeded longtime President Karen Darch after five years as a trustee and with a background as a trucking firm owner, said there was a learning curve. But he sees the new job as an opportunity to put his stamp on the village, and that has meant focusing on the town’s revitalization.

“How do we rebuild our infrastructure? How do we address those infrastructure needs that are desperate — roads, sewers, wastewater treatment, water systems,” he said.

Moran is especially focused on downtown upgrades. The village is completing a downtown streetscape project, has expanded the communications team and hired a business development staffer. It also has launched a social media campaign called “Where is President Moran” highlighting local businesses.

He also is working to upgrade the village’s public profile — saying “Barrington is open for business” — and to position the community as a hub for surrounding areas, emphasizing that Barrington serves as a church, bar, restaurant and grocery center for nearby towns such as Barrington Hills and Inverness.

Smooth transitions

In Vernon Hills, Thom Koch Jr. succeeded Roger Byrne, who served as village president for 32 years. During Byrne’s entire term, Koch was a trustee and mayor pro tem since 2022.

“I’ve been on the board for so long that it was a pretty easy transition,” he said.

His administration aims to guide the redevelopment of Hawthorn Mall. The goal is to create a more pedestrian-friendly, downtown-style area. Plans include street-facing storefronts, a second apartment building with retail on the ground floor and a redesigned streetscape. This project should finish by late 2027 or early 2028.

In neighboring Mundelein, Mayor Robin Meier has experienced a similarly smooth transition. She succeeded Steve Lentz, who had served for 12 years. Meier served as trustee during three separate stints, beginning in 2008.

“He was very accommodating and very gracious, and provided lots of information on transition,” she said.

Period of adjustment

Mayor John Laesch said the biggest surprise of his first term was closing a $35 million to $40 million budget deficit, forcing him to pivot from his agenda and work on strengthening the city’s finances.

“I didn't realize that the city’s budget would be in such a state of disaster,” he said.

Despite fiscal challenges, the city created its first department of sustainability and opened a workforce development hub to train people for the green economy.

He also acknowledged tension with council members aligned with the previous Richard Irvin administration who, he said, want to see his own administration fail, and resistance to an ethics reform measure that would cap campaign donations at $1,000 from those doing business with the city.

Putting the house in order

West Chicago Mayor Daniel Bovey acknowledged a “somewhat bombastic beginning” to his term.

It was consistent with the history of how he came to be mayor. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Bovey became embroiled in a dispute with the city over permitting issues with a 26‑foot-diameter geodesic dome greenhouse in his backyard that led to a $20,000 municipal fine. He paid it under protest and is appealing the case in the appellate court.

The case spawned a movement that resulted in Bovey’s candidacy.

Once in office, Bovey found holdover staff unwilling to leave, including a city administrator whose contract would have cost four years of salary to buy out. Legal proceedings resolved the standoff.

Now, he said, the city is moving forward with an agenda focused on downtown revitalization, improved responsiveness and broader community representation.

The city received a $2 million grant supporting a $7 million downtown revitalization project set to begin next year. In addition, Bovey is proposing to develop 15 city-owned acres on West Washington Street into a public plaza and city center featuring a year-round market building, a train-themed retail space in a historic station, and small-business incubator spaces.

Meanwhile, decades of environmental remediation at the former Kerr-McGee factory site, which was contaminated with radioactive thorium, is nearing completion. The city plans to convert it into a public park.

“Instead of doing cleanup, we’re going to be building a park, which is really exciting,” Bovey said.