In an outdoor ceremony just after sunset May 4, Lincolnwood’s newly-elected officials were sworn in to office.
Jesal Patel was inaugurated as the village’s new mayor on the promenade between Lincolnwood’s municipal buildings as his friends and family watched.
“I’m excited to get to work,” Patel told the assembled crowd in a brief speech, shortly choking up when acknowledging his family. “The thanks that I am going to offer the village is in the work that I along with the village board is going to do over the next four years. We are going to work tirelessly, our dedication will show, we will be determined and we will achieve everything that we set out to do.”
After the ceremony’s conclusion, Patel exchanged greetings with those who came by and then spoke of his initial priorities for the office including a desire to implement a “service first” organization.
“Every interaction that people have with the village, whether it be a customer or appointment-getter, a business license-getter, a new business coming in, we want them to have a great experience,” he said.
Patel said other issues that he wants to take on include the scheduled redevelopment of the former Purple Hotel site at the corner of Touhy and Lincoln Avenues and the future of the Lincolnwood Town Center Mall.
Community Development Director Scott Mangum confirmed the Lincolnwood Town Center is facing foreclosure and is currently in receivership, and that the village is expecting new ownership of the mall in the future.
“Once the new ownership comes in, we will have the opportunity to sit down with them,” Patel said.
Set to work with Patel, who had been on the village board since 2007, is Trustee Jean Ikezoe-Halevi, who was sworn in for a second four-year term after being re-elected last month.
“I think Jesal brings a new vitality, I think he is an extremely bright guy and he knows his stuff,” Ikezoe-Halevi said. “He has been on the board for 14 years, he has all that experience and he has retained all the knowledge. I think he is going to be a great mayor because he will apply all that knowledge.”
Also taking oaths were newly elected village board trustees Mohammed Saleem and Grace Diaz-Herrera, in addition to Village Clerk Beryl Herman.
In a sign of carryover of ongoing village efforts, the village board unanimously directed Village Attorney Steven Elrod to draft a new employment agreement with Village Manager Anne Marie Gaura. In addition, they authorized a continuation of her present agreement with the village until the new pact is reached. Her previous agreement came to an end with the conclusion of outgoing Mayor Barry Bass’s term.
Patel narrowly defeated fellow trustee Georjean Hlepas Nickell in the April 6 municipal election as the two competed to succeed Barry Bass, who did not seek a second term.
Before the inaugural ceremony, the previous village board met for the final time with Bass, Hllepas Nickell and trustee Ronald Cope (who appeared virtually) receiving proclamations honoring their service.
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