Sussman wins, ushering in new era for Buffalo Grove

Backed by an electorate that got riled up over a large development that never happened, Buffalo Grove Trustee Beverly Sussman bested sitting President Jeff Braiman Tuesday night and will be sworn in as the village's next mayor.

With all 30 Buffalo Grove precincts counted as of 12:30 a.m. Wednesday, including early votes cast in both Lake and Cook counties, Sussman led Braiman by 229 votes, effectively ending his 24-year career on the village board.

As Sussman and her supporters celebrated Tuesday night at the Continental Restaurant in Buffalo Grove, she said she got a message from Braiman congratulating her. "That was very, very nice," she said. "I appreciate it very much.

"I am very excited. I'm very happy. I'm very proud that the residents have picked me to be the president of the village of Buffalo Grove," she added. "It's a very humbling experience and I just feel wonderful about it."

Braiman, suffering from a bout of laryngitis Tuesday night, confirmed he congratulated her.

Sussman unofficially has 2,060 votes to Braiman's 1,831.

With her win, Sussman gains two seats - her own as village president and her former village board seat she will appoint someone to.

Clearly, she will have to work hard to gain consensus. If the board is consistently divided, Sussman will likely utilize her tiebreaking function a lot more than Braiman has as village president.

She also congratulated trustees Jeffrey Berman and Steven Trilling, who won re-election on Tuesday, and said she will call them.

Earlier in the evening as the incoming results did not look favorable, Braiman sent a statement, saying he is "very proud of what the Village has accomplished over my past 24 years as Trustee and Village President.

"Buffalo Grove has grown in many ways during that period and has earned many accolades," Braiman said. "I like to think that I was a part of those accomplishments."

He acknowledged the defunct downtown redevelopment proposal was a key factor in his loss.

Sussman cast several key votes trying to stop the project from going ahead, and in doing so garnered the support of the group Save Buffalo Grove and neighbors of the golf course.

Braiman said he became a "lightning rod" for people opposed to the downtown proposal.

"I have no regrets," he said. "I did my job - I listened to a proposal that had great potential for the village." The proposal was eventually scrapped because the board decided it didn't make sense financially.

Braiman, 62, was a village trustee from 1991 to 2011, when he was elected village president. Along with other community service, he was on the zoning board of appeals and the village plan commission.

Sussman was first elected to the village board in 2009 and re-elected in 2013.