Skokie Mayor George Van Dusen shared a look at what is facing the village in 2025, from new businesses to continued development and more. After 40 years in Skokie government, 25 as mayor, Van Dusen is not running in the April 1 election. That in itself will represent a big change for the village.
Elections
Voters will choose local government, school board and other local candidates in the April 1 election.
In addition to Van Dusen choosing not to run, the village’s longest-serving trustee, Edie Sue Sutker, who has served since 2004, is also not running for election. Neither is incumbent Trustee Ralph Klein.
This election will also see the village comply with changes to its electoral code by instituting term limits, staggered terms for trustees, non-partisan elections and a change in structure of how trustees are elected, including some elected from districts and some elected at large.
Trustee James Johnson, along with the grassroots organization FairVote Illinois, turned in their petitions on Dec. 30 to place Ranked Choice Voting on the ballot so that voters can determine whether they desire that voting system to be in force for future elections.
Naema Abraham and Joseph Nowik, both currently members of the Niles Township High School District 219 Board of Education, are aiming for elected positions in Skokie village government instead, running for village clerk and at-large trustee, respectively. Currently, four newcomers are vying for the open seats on the Board of Education.
In other school board elections, Evanston/Skokie School District 65 currently has 13 candidates running, at last count, according to the Cook County Clerk’s office, which administers suburban elections. Six candidates are vying for a seat on the Skokie School District 73.5 school board, four are running for a seat on the East Prairie School District 73 school board, five are vying for a seat on the Skokie School District 68 school board, three are running for seats at Fairview School District 72 and five candidates are running for seats on the Morton Grove School District 70 board. Additionally, four are running for a position on the Golf School District 67 Board and one candidate is running for Skokie School District 69.
Illinois Science + Technology Park
Van Dusen confirmed that Singerman Real Estate bought a 135,851-square-foot life science building at 8030 Lamon Ave. and a building at 8131 Niles Ave. from American Landmark Properties from the Illinois Science + Technology Park in December.
“We’ve built a new building over there (at the Illinois Science + Technology Park)… and I think within the next couple years, Singerman is going to have that building filled.”
“How are we going to raise the revenue in the next 15 years to support the tech parks? Van Dusen said. “We’re doing well right now, but we need to start planning for the future.”
Community Land Trust Proposal
Van Dusen said his successor will have the task of further developing the village’s concept of a community land trust, which the village had previously considered in 2023.
A land trust is an entity providing affordable housing to low-to-moderate-income households with a written agreement and managed by a nonprofit organization or board, per previous reporting.
“It sounds very good while sitting and talking, but in practical terms, what’s the source of the funding for the land trust? Who will administer the land trust?” Van Dusen said. “We’re kind of just putting together the questions that we need to be asking if we talk to the National League of Cities or municipalities.”
Van Dusen said he has hinted to Village John Manager John Lockerby that areas of Skokie’s North Side could benefit from having a land trust.
“It may mean the village will have to purchase some property. We may even have to build some property,” Van Dusen said.
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“The land trust will take a little bit of time… I’ll put that on the plate for my successor,” he said.
Crawford Avenue reconfiguration
Crawford Avenue is one of Skokie’s main north-south thoroughfares, and will be reconfigured to include a bike lane from Golf Road to Oakton Street in the near future.
Construction is slated to begin Spring 2026, according to Van Dusen. In 2025, the village will acquire property along Crawford to post new signs and new lights along the avenue.
Of the construction to take place in 2026, Van Dusen said it will be a “complete gutting of the street and complete reconstruction of the road.”
A traffic study was done in 2022 to find what suited Crawford Avenue the best for cyclists and vehicles.
Capital projects
According to Van Dusen, the village has until 2026 to submit to the state its estimated $80 million plan to replace 10,000 lead pipe outlets.
“Under the existing Illinois law, we will have to plan on doing 400 projects every year for the next 30 years,” Van Dusen said.
Funding for the project is still a challenge, he said, but the village did receive a $2 million grant from the federal government with assistance from U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky.
In response to heavier recent rainstorms causing flooding, the village created a stormwater task force to look at what it could do to mitigate flooding, Van Dusen said. The task force also hired an engineer to suggest solutions.
The storm water management program is also estimated to cost $80 million, Van Dusen said.
Future restaurants in downtown Skokie
Asian fusion restaurant The Spot Rotary Hot Pot at 7909 Lincoln Avenue is slated to open soon, and Ascione, a white tablecloth Italian restaurant, is expected to open at 8000 North Lincoln Avenue in Skokie’s downtown, Van Dusen said.