Profiles

Tony Ragucci has served as mayor of Oakbrook Terrace since 2009. His professional experience includes serving in the Oakbrook Terrace Police Department, the Hinsdale Police Department and the Bloomington Police Department. A vice president of the Oakbrook Terrace Police Pension Fund from 2007 to the present, he was awarded the Medal of Valor by the Oakbrook Terrace Police Department as well as the Hinsdale Police Department, and is a member of the DuPage County Award of Valor 100 Club.

Dr. Darlene J. Ruscitti has served as the regional superintendent of schools for DuPage County, and is running for re-election. She is the first woman elected to the position since its inception in 1854. Ruscitti has been a school board and PTO president, teacher, staff developer, administrator and the assistant regional superintendent of schools for DuPage County. Community and professional involvements include the DuPage County Strategic Planning Initiative, DuPage Work Force Investment, DuPage Youth Council, DuPage Juvenile Justice Commission, Congressional Conference on Civic Education and Illinois Task Force on Education Accountability. Awards and recognitions include the Leonardo da Vinci Award …

Frank Saverino Sr. has served as mayor of Carol Stream since 2007, having previously served as a village trustee for eight years and Fire District commissioner for six years. He also serves on the DuPage Water Commission. Saverino began his career in the food service industry in 1964, and in 1981 formed his own company, Saverino & Associates Inc. Confectionery and Food Brokers, located in Carol Stream. He was honored as 1st Broker of the Year in 1993 and as Mentor of Year in 1997 by the Automatic Merchandiser Magazine, and he received a Friendship Award in 1993 from the …

Angelo “Skip” Saviano has served as village president of Elmwood Park since 2013. He recently retired as minority leader of the Illinois House of Representatives, having served in the state legislature since 1992. During his tenure as a state representative, he was a member of several influential committees, and was the first member of a minority party to hold a committee chairmanship in the modern history of Illinois politics. Known for his advocacy on behalf of the young, the elderly, individuals with special needs and public safety, Saviano has been honored by Children’s Place, Suburban Area Agency on Aging, Northeast …

Ronald Serpico has served as mayor of Melrose Park since 1997. A lifelong resident of Melrose Park, he runs a successful law practice in the city. During his tenure as mayor, Serpico has instituted programs that have decreased crime, increased property values and improved the schools as well as the overall economy. He was responsible for the Melrose Park Water Project, a new $40 million water transmission system involving local, state and federal agencies as well as private industry. He and Bellwood Mayor Frank Pasquale were instrumental in the creation of the 25th Avenue Railroad Relocation and Development Authority, which …

Larry Suffredin has served as a Cook County Board commissioner since 2002. He is chairman of the Legislative and Intergovernmental Relations Committee and Rules Committee, and a member of the Finance Committee, the Human Relations Committee, and the Botanic Garden Committee of the Forest Preserve District. Suffredin has extensive state and federal trial experience thanks to a legal career that has spanned over three decades; he has argued cases before the United States and Illinois Supreme Courts, as well as circuits of the United States Court of Appeals and the Illinois Appellate Court. He is a board member of the …

Joseph Tamburino has served as mayor of Hillside since 1981. During his tenure, he has launched countless initiatives on behalf of Hillside residents, including the Taxi Cab Program for Seniors, Youth Athletic Parade, spring clean-up program, summer concert series, and the annual Memorial Day Service and Veterans Day Parade. One of the founders of the Hillside Chamber of Commerce, Tamburino was instrumental in the development of the 32-acre shopping development known as the Hillside Town Center. A lifelong resident of the Hillside/Berkeley area, he previously served as village trustee and chairman of the Finance Committee and Community Affairs Committee.

John Valle has served as York Township supervisor since 2005. While in office, he has improved and stabilized township finances and established a fiscally responsible cash reserve. A resident of York Township for 35 years, he has served as a township trustee, Oakbrook Terrace alderman, president of the Oakbrook Terrace Fire Protection District, president of the Oakbrook Terrace Lions Club, chairman of the DuPage County Crimestoppers and board member of the Illinois State Crime Commission. He is a member of the Elmhurst Masonic Lodge #941 and a Medinah Shriner.

Richard Veenstra has served as mayor of Addison since 2013, having served as deputy mayor since 1992. A village resident for 40 years, he is chairman of the Addison Town Center Planning Committee; past chairman of the Building, Zoning and Development Committee, Public Health, Safety and Judicial Committee, and Substance Responsibility Commission; and president of the St. Philip the Apostle Parish Council. A licensed pharmacist, Veenstra is general manager of Specialty Pharmacy for CVS/Caremark, a past board member of the Illinois Pharmacists Association and a past president of the DuPage Pharmacists Association. A member of the Americans of Italian Descent, …

From a young age, Drew DeSantis, (grandson of the late Anthony DeSantis, founder of Drury Lane dinner theatre) recalls helping his grandfather update the Rolodex, clean banquet chairs and peel carrots in the theater kitchen. It was good, honest work that prepared him to follow the family dream, and prepare it for a robust future. Having recently graduating from the University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business with a masters degree, DeSantis serves as the CFO of Drury Lane, where he’s helped produce more than 41 productions. It’s still a family affair; his brother Kyle is Drury Lane’s CEO. And …