The Mundelein Village Board recently welcomed three of its four new faces to its ranks, with the newly elected officials sworn in at the first meeting of the village’s new fiscal year.
Those sworn in at the May 10 board meeting included new trustees Sol Cabachuela and Jenny Ross, reelected Mayor Steve Lentz and new Village Clerk Karen Walsh. Trustee Tim Wilson, who is also new to the board, was not in attendance.
To open the meeting, Lentz welcomed the new members and also gave thanks to his wife and presented her with a bouquet of flowers after noting that she had supported him through four political campaigns.
Cabachuela, who was the village clerk before becoming a trustee, said it was a little strange not taking notes on the actions and goings on in the meeting. She said it was also a struggle to not chime in as the clerk whenever it was time for a the board to vote.
That said, she added that she was happy to be able to vote as a trustee, and she thought her time as village clerk prepared her for the new role.
“Going into this for the first time, it can be overwhelming,” she said. “But (being the village clerk) has totally warmed me up.”
Ross said she wasn’t nervous for her first meeting and felt prepared. She also said with her previous experience, namely from her time on the Fremont Public Library board, she felt she understood the meeting process.
“Village staff and the mayor did an excellent job making sure all of the new Trustees were brought up to date on the status of ongoing projects,” Ross said.
Walsh said she was nervous for her first meeting as village clerk, but that she still managed to get some sleep the night before.
“People here have been very good,” she said. “They’ve been great at setting me up and getting me notes.”
Cabachuela, Ross and Wilson replaced former trustees Ray Semple, Dawn Abernathy and Robin Meier, while Walsh replaced Cabachuela in the role of clerk.
Semple opted not to seek another term in the April 6 election. Both Abernathy and Meier ran for the village mayor seat, but came up short to Lentz, who was the incumbent seeking his third term.
The meeting itself was short, with the agenda filled with contract renewals and new board appointments.
The Mundelein Village Board meets on the second and fourth Monday of each month.
