Oswego Village Board Bids Farewell To Trustees, Village President

OSWEGO, IL — The Oswego Village Board of Trustees will get some new faces with the departure of several trustees and the village president. At Monday’s special meeting, members of the board took time to thank the outgoing officials for their service to the community.

Among those leaving the board are Village President Gail Johnson and Trustees Ryan Kaufmann, Karin McCarthy-Lange and Joe West.

“On behalf of the staff, I just want to give a sincere thank you to Ryan, to Gail, to Joe, and to Karin,” Village Administrator Dan Di Santo said. “It’s been a pleasure to serve you and to work with you these past several years. On behalf of the staff, I’m just appreciative of all your time and the service you’ve given to this village.”

Johnson, who served as the village’s first female president, said she has enjoyed every part of the experience.

“This has been a sheer joy,” she said. “I will miss it terribly, but I have no regrets.”

Johnson fell short of votes during the April 2 election. She will be replaced by Troy Parlier, an educator for Oswego Community Unit School District 308.

Trustee Judy Sollinger thanked the outgoing village president and trustees for their service. She said the village remains in good hands.

“We’ll watch for things coming up,” Sollinger said.

West, who lost his independent bid for village president, said he wanted to thank fellow board members, staff and the residents.

McCarthy-Lange said it’s been an honor to serve the community.

“This has been one of the best experiences — first female president, first female majority board,” she said. “I don’t take that lightly.”

Trustee Luis Perez expressed gratitude for having had the opportunity to work with the village president and the board.

“It’s an absolute honor to serve with some board members who became friends,” he said. “That’s when you know you’re not working anymore.”

Kaufmann said the last four years have been some of the best of his life. He gave kudos to staff, fellow board members and the village president for everything they’ve done. Kaufmann expressed appreciation for the residents and is excited to know where the village is headed.

“It’s just a wonderful time to be here,” he said.