FOR VILLAGE PRESIDENT

Ernesto (Ernie) Lopez, Jr has been a resident since 1969. Ernie is a proud graduate of School District 194 and Marian Catholic High School.

Ernie has been married to his wife Maureen for 44 years and are the proud parents of 5 grown children Ernie, Nicholas, Marc, Matthew and Sean who have blessed them with 8 grandchildren.

Ernie’s pride and commitment to the Village of Steger started at a young age of 19 when he began coaching basketball at St. Liborius. Ernie went on to coach and mentor hundreds of area youth for 20 plus years through the Steger Recreation basketball program, the Steger Little League program, the Steger Pony League baseball program and as a baseball and basketball coach at Marian Catholic High School. Ernie also held many board positions including serving as the Board President of Steger Little League for 2 years.

As a professional Ernie as worked in the waste industry over 40 years in various management positions. Ernie has accumulated substantial expertise in negotiation, organization, budgets and human resources.

Ernie has received numerous awards throughout his career such as being named to the prestigious Winners Circle Platinum and Gold Tier for negotiating and securing multi-million dollars in growth for his company. Ernie’s knowledge and skills also earned him the distinguished honor of being named Manager of the Year.

Ernie was elected as a Steger Trustee in 2008. During his tenure he has served as a liaison to the Recreation Board, Human Resource, and Finance Departments. Ernie has helped establish new guidelines for hiring village employees, employee evaluations, and training. Ernie helped implement a paperless program for a virtual village wide personnel and records systems. Ernie has assessed and evaluated insurance costs, claims, and processing which resulted in $200,000 in annual savings for the Village of Steger. Ernie has worked closely with state officials to secure grants for the Village of Steger.

Ernie is the proud recipient of the Patriotic Award given by the Secretary of Defense of The United States of America.

Ernie is a member of The South Suburban Mayors and Managers Association as well as the Southwest Suburban Mayors and Managers Association.

FOR VILLAGE CLERK

My name is Joe Zagone and I am 68 years old. I was born in Chicago Heights to Joe and Julie Zagone and have lived my whole life in Steger. I was baptized at St Liborius Church and have been a lifelong member there. I attended St Liborius grade school followed by four years at Marian Catholic High School. My parents opened Steger Flower Shop in 1951 and after high school I joined my dad working in the Flower Shop. I married my wife Marielle in 1987 and we have three daughters, Jackie, Katie and Margaret. All three of our girls went to St Liborius School where I was a member of the School Board for nine years. We have seven grandchildren, twins Eddie and Alaina, Clare and Mary, Brayden and Jack and our latest addition, Josephine.

After my parents retired in 1993, Marielle and I continued to operate the flower shop until it closed in November of 2011. At that time, Steger Flower Shop joined forces with Hofmann Florist in Chicago Heights where I continued to work for seven years as a manager and floral designer. In 2018, the owners of Hofmann retired, and I joined the staff at Eighner’s Florist in Homewood where I continue to work today.

I have been a member of Steger Kiwanis Club since 1980 and have been chairman of the annual Kiwanis Peanut Day for many years. I was an appointed member of Planning and Zoning Board, a position I held from the late 1990’s until my election as Village Clerk in 1917 and took part in Steger’s Economic Development Committee from 2002-2006.

At St Liborius I am active in music ministry where I sing and play guitar at mass on Sunday twice a month. I was Chairman of the Stewardship Commission and a member of the Parish Pastoral Council for over 20 years. I am also a member of the Knights of Columbus.

I was elected Village Clerk here in Steger in 2017. For the past 8 years I have worked closely with the Village Board, Administration and staff.

FOR VILLAGE TRUSTEE

Lenny Skrezyna is a lifelong resident of Steger where he attended St. Liborius School, Bloom Trail High School and Prairie State College. He servedtwo terms for the Village of Steger as Trustee from 2012 to 2020.

Lenny and his wife Michelle have three children Ryan, (Sammi) LoBue, Tiffany, (Eddie) Castillo and Payton Skrezyna who is attending Aurora University as a nursing student. They are blessed with five beautiful grandchildren, Edward, Finley, Sutton, Easton, Kaia, and another on the way.

Lenny has volunteered many years to youth programs which involves serving on the Steger recreation board for four years. He coached Steger

basketball for three years and Steger girls fastpitch softball for ten years. He was a member of South Suburban Softball League for six years which

included two years as league president. He also managed NWI Sox Fastpitch Softball for nine years

Lenny has worked as a tool & die maker for over 40 years at Do-rite Die & Engineering in South Chicago Heights. He is semi-retired and enjoys fishing when he's not repairing something or spending time with his family.

Lenny has always been an honest and straightforward person and looks forward to serving the Village of Steger.

FOR VILLAGE TRUSTEE

Brittany Stone is a passionate and dedicated candidate for Village Trustee whose vision for Steger is one of unity, support, and growth. A devoted stay-at-home mother to five beautiful children, Brittany has embraced the rewarding challenges of parenting in today’s world and made it her life's mission to provide her children with a nurturing and enriching environment. She prioritizes education and has taken on an engaging role in her children’s academic careers by choosing to home school, tailoring their learning experiences to their individual needs and interests, and fostering a love for learning that she hopes will last a lifetime.

As a 26 year resident of Steger, Brittany is deeply rooted in the community and has a great appreciation for the town and its values. Her father, Roy Stone, is a dedicated member of the Steger Public Works Department and her stepmother, Julie Stone, is a devoted fourth grade teacher for Steger School District 194. Growing up, Brittany participated in Steger’s youth basketball program, was an active member of Immanuel Lutheran's Youth Group, and a Girl Scout. Brittany attended Steger schools, graduated from Bloom Trail High School, and went on to Prairie State College, where she received honors recognition for her academic achievements. She is married to her high school sweetheart, Joseph Sarek, and they recently celebrated their 18th anniversary. In her spare time, Brittany enjoys traveling, exploring nature, baking, and the quiet company of a good book.

Brittany has served the Village of Steger as a Fire & Police Commissioner since October of 2021. As a Commissioner, Brittany is responsible for the hiring, promoting, and discipline of the officers within the Steger Police Department. Her experience in public service has deepened her understanding of the challenges faced by Steger’s residents and fueled her desire to create positive change. As your Village Trustee, Brittany Stone is eager to bring her passion for community, education, and family values to the forefront, ensuring that Steger remains a thriving community for generations to come.

FOR VILLAGE TRUSTEE

Cindy has been a resident of Steger for 30 years. She and her husband Joseph are proud parents of two beautiful independent daughters. While working full-time in Chicago, she earned a Bachelor of Science Degree (Business Management) from Trinity Christian College.

She brings valuable corporate experience that stems from working at a global consulting firm (PricewaterhouseCoopers) and consistently recognized by her peers as a top performer. She has worked with property casualty and life actuaries ranging from Partners, Directors, Managers, and Associates. Cindy’s experience includes administrative, marketing, technical, and human resource assistance. She has experience as a legal assistant filing property tax appeals.

Cindy seeks innovative ideas, sets ambitious standards, and seeks resident support to revive our town. She believes in giving back to our community by volunteering. Cindy promotes businesses, invites entrepreneurs to invest in our town, improves parks, volunteers with organizations, listens to our residents, supports our schools and veterans, along with researching grants.

Cindy’s volunteer time includes initiating Steger’s Earth Day and Electronic Recycling events. She is an active member of Steger’s Kiwanis Club and volunteers with veteran events. Her contributions also consist of organizing a Wounded Warrior 5K Race ($2,225 donation) and a grant from the National Association of Realtors ($20,000).

Cindy is a Trustee for the Village of Steger. Her position entails overseeing the adoption of ordinances, resolutions, and the annual budget. She is a member of the South Suburban Landbank Association, Illinois Municipal League, and South Suburban Mayors and Managers Association. Cindy is honored to hold the position of Trustee and understands that our residents deserve true dedication, integrity, transparency, accountability, communication, teamwork, and impressive results. She looks forward to serving the community.