The Oswego Village Board Tuesday had its final meeting before the new members elected in early April join the board.
Voters recently elected three new trustees to serve the next four years on the board from a field of six candidates.
The new members coming in are Tom Guist, a licensed professional engineer and member of the Oswego Planning and Zoning Commission for the past two years; Jennifer Jones Sinnott, an independent insurance agent; and Kit Kuhrt, who works in private enterprise.
Trustee Judy Sollinger, the longest serving member of the Village Board, decided not to seek reelection. Sollinger served two terms as Oswego village clerk, having been elected in 1985 and re-elected in 1989. Sollinger was appointed trustee in August 2007 to fill the remaining two years of former Village President Brian LeClercq’s unexpired term. She was elected to four-year terms in 2009, 2013 and 2017.
“It’s been my privilege and honor to serve,” Sollinger said.
The outgoing board member had a message for the future Village Board.
“The ball is in your court. There’s a lot to be expected of you and we expect you to do a lot,” she said.
Sollinger encouraged the future Village Board to recognize the expertise of staff members.
“Our staff is outstanding and if we follow their recommendations, along with our own good thoughts, we are moving in the right direction,” Sollinger said.
Trustees Pam Parr and Luis Perez were not reelected in the recent election.
Parr was first elected to the Oswego Village Board in 2013 and was seeking her third four-year term. She previously served as a member of the Kendall County Board from 2002 through 2010. She remarked about the work of Village Administrator Dan Di Santo.
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“Dan is the best thing that could have happened in the administration. Right behind him is our outstanding staff,” she said.
Perez was appointed to the board in October 2015 to fill a vacancy and was seeking his second four-year term in the April election. Perez previously served on numerous Oswego-based School District 308 citizen-appointed committees.
Village Trustee Brian Thomas thanked the outgoing board members.
“It’s been a pleasure to work with you the past two years. We didn’t always agree on everything but the main thing we did agree on was to do what we can in the best interest of residents,” Thomas said.
“We appreciate that you are looking out for us. It really is in our court,” Thomas said of the future direction of the village. “You are part of the progress the village has seen. It’s amazing what is going on and you are at the forefront of it. We thank you.”
Trustee James Marter thanked the outgoing members for their hard work and dedication to serving Oswego residents.
“You have put in a lot of hours beyond the meetings,” Marter said.
Village President Troy Parlier made remarks to the outgoing board members as well.
“You were my training wheels,” Parlier said of his election in 2019. Parlier said he received their help “right out of the gate as a new mayor.”
Linda Girardi is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.