Mundelein trustee resigns to take county job
Mundelein Trustee Sol Cabachuela has resigned less than two years into her term.
The village's first Latina trustee, Cabachuela stepped down from the board effective Tuesday because she's taking a job with the Lake County clerk's office as the chief deputy of civic engagement and external affairs.
She has been employed as Mundelein High School's equity and community coordinator.
Cabachuela announced her resignation during Monday's village board meeting. She said she wants to focus on the new job but also is concerned about a potential conflict of interest, as her new job oversees the electoral process in Lake County.
"I'm very excited to learn from the individuals that work very hard to make sure our democracy works flawlessly and to serve Lake County residents in a much larger capacity," she said.
Cabachuela was elected to a four-year term in 2021 and would've been up for reelection in spring 2025. She previously had served as Mundelein's village clerk.
Cabachuela said she was "privileged and honored" to have held those posts.
Mayor Steve Lentz read a proclamation describing Cabachuela's public service after her announcement. He noted Cabachuela "is widely recognized for her passionate devotion to community service," including roles with Mano a Mano, Mundelein United and other groups.
"Thank you for your service," Lentz said.
Lentz gave Cabachuela a copy of the proclamation and an honorary, green-and-white street sign bearing the designation Cabachuela Court - a traditional parting gift for trustees in Mundelein.
It'll be up to Lentz to nominate Cabachuela's successor and to the village board to ratify or reject that choice. The eventual nominee will serve until 2025 and then can run for election.
Lentz said he plans to wait until after the April 4 election to name a nominee.
Five candidates are seeking three seats on the board in that election: incumbents Eric Schwenk, Kara Lambert and Kerston Russell; former Trustee Robin Meier; and newcomer Ramesh Sharma.