Riverside has welcomed a new village board following the April 1 consolidated election.
Village Clerk Emily Stenzel swore in Trustee Joseph Fitzgerald at the village board’s May 1 meeting, following the Cook County Clerk’s certification of the election results. Fitzgerald is the sole new member of Riverside’s village board.
Stenzel also swore in reelected trustees Aberdeen Marsh-Ozga and Elizabeth Kos and Village President Doug Pollock. All four officials will serve a four-year term until 2029.
At the meeting, Pollock read off a list of “brief highlights” of the village’s achievements since 2021, when outgoing Trustee Megan Claucherty, who did not seek reelection this year, began her term.
He named the creation of business districts on Harlem Avenue at Longcommon Road and East Burlington Street and the opening of 10 brick-and-mortar businesses in town in 2024.
“I want to mention the rental registry and inspection program. Megan’s legal background [as an attorney] and measured … approach to that program helped us tremendously in getting that done. That’s a very important program for this village. It’s made a real difference in the lives of people who live in this village,” he said.
Riverside last month settled the legal action against the owners of a downtown rental property that led to the creation of the program.
Pollock also read a formal proclamation honoring Claucherty for her service as a trustee and contributions to the Riverside community.
Claucherty was gifted a framed copy of the proclamation as well as a framed copy of the general plan of Riverside, depicting its winding roads and green spaces.
“I’m so grateful to have had this opportunity to get a little closer to our village and understand how things work and to be an advocate. When I decided to run to be a trustee, I had a few goals in mind, and I’m very proud of the work that I’ve done here and that we’ve done as a group,” Claucherty said. “Priorities for me were to be a good steward of our resources, to advocate for the needs of families and children in our community, and to promote economic development. I also personally set out to make sure that when my daughter and all of Riverside’s daughters look at senior leadership in government, that they see something that they can relate to.”
