Western Springs Appoints New Trustee

WESTERN SPRINGS, IL — A longtime Western Springs resident swore in Monday as the village's newest trustee, replacing William Siffermann, who died three days after the Village Board's last meeting. Now retired, Scott Lewis, a former vice president of governmental relations for Nicor, was one of three applicants for the position.

At the Village Board meeting, Village President Alice Gallagher announced Lewis' appointment to the position. Clerk James Horvath then promptly swore in the new trustee. His term runs until May 2021. The board did not vote on Lewis' appointment. It was unclear why.

Lewis has served on the village's Infrastructure Commission since 2015 and has lived in town for a quarter century.

Gallager said she and Trustee James Tyrrell interviewed three candidates for the vacant seat.

"All three candidates had very strong resumes Any one of them would have been an asset to the board," Gallagher said at Monday's board meeting.

Gallagher noted Lewis was joining the board with extensive experience in federal and state legislative processes. "It seems that we are increasingly dealing with legislative issues at both the state and federal levels," she said. Among those issues is the regulation of 5G antennas, which many residents oppose.

Lewis and his wife, Ann, lived in the Field Park neighborhood. They have two grown daughters, who both live in Milwaukee.

Siffermann, who was elected to the board in May 2017, had a work history that included being a probation officer and a juvenile justice consultant. He died March 19.

The board paid tribute to Siffermann's memory Monday.