Burr Ridge Area Lawmaker Resigns After 10 Months

BURR RIDGE, IL – After 10 months in the state House, Rep. John Egofske, a Lemont Republican who represents parts of Burr Ridge, Darien and Western Springs, among other towns, has announced that he plans to resign Friday.

A couple of months ago, Egofske revealed that he would not run next year for a second term as the 82nd District state representative.

In February, he was appointed to replace Western Springs Republican Jim Durkin, who resigned after winning re-election. He was the House GOP leader.

Two candidates have filed to run in the March primaries – Burr Ridge's Suzanne Akhras as a Democrat and Homer Glen's Nicole La Ha Zwiercan as a Republican. The general election is in November.

La Ha Zwiercan is a former Homer Glen trustee, the 2022 Mrs. America and the former Illinois State Senate secretary. She has Egofske's endorsement.

Akhras is the founder and executive director of the Syrian Community Network, which supports Syrian refugees settling in the United States.

The candidate filing deadline was Monday.

In September, Egofske said he was not seeking re-election because of his responsibilities as Lemont's mayor.

Under Illinois law, party insiders have the power to select Egofske's replacement as part of a secretive process. Given La Ha Zwiercan is the sole Republican candidate, she is likely the favorite to be appointed.

Because Illinois has no special elections, state lawmakers often resign in the middle of their terms.