Coladipietro unseats Iden in Bloomindgale

Former state Rep. Franco Coladipietro on Tuesday unseated 20-year incumbent Bob Iden in the race for Bloomingdale village president.

Coladipietro, who retired from the state House last year, captured 1,584 votes to Iden’s 1,410, according to unofficial results.

“It’s humbling to have the vote of the people to lead the village,” Coladipietro said, praising Iden for his 20-year reign as mayor and 14 years on the village board. “You have to commend a person who has given 34 years of his life to public service in their community. Having served in Springfield for a only short time gives you a great perspective about what a commitment that is.”

He said his first priority is redevelopment of the Lake Street corridor and Bloomingdale’s Old Town area. He said he believes the village is in a “new era” that requires a fresh, competitive approach to growing commerce.

“Part of it is increasing communication with the residents,” he said. “We’re going to start a mayor’s advisory council where we’ll try to get representatives from the homeowners associations, state-based organizations and charitable organizations to have input on the future of the town and what we do.”

For his part, Iden said he was at peace with leaving public office after more than three decades, especially if it means traveling more often and spending more time with his wife and grandchildren.

“I’ve accomplished a lot in this community and I’m blessed to have been able to do it,” he said. “I’m disappointed (with the election), but I’m kind of looking forward to getting back to a normal life.”

Coladipietro, an attorney, was a state representative from 2007 to 2012 and has been a board member with the Bloomingdale Chamber of Commerce, the Glen Oaks Hospital Foundation and the DuPage Area Community Project.