Andrew Goczkowski sworn in as Des Plaines mayor Des Plaines Mayor Andrew Goczkowski, center, recites the oath of office Monday night at city hall with assistance from retired Judge Bruce Lester, left. Courtesy of City of Des Plaines New Des Plaines Mayor Andrew Goczkowski recites the oath of office Monday night at city hall. Courtesy of City of Des Plaines Andrew Goczkowski
Posted5/4/2021 5:30 AM
After two years as alderman for Des Plaines 8th Ward, Andrew Goczkowski began his tenure as the city s mayor Monday.
Goczkowski, 38, took the oath of office during the evening s city council meeting. He replaces Mayor Matthew Bogusz, who had to step down after eight years because of local term limits.
New Des Plaines mayor to take office Monday
Updated 4/30/2021 3:49 PM
Des Plaines Mayor-elect Andrew Goczkowski will take the oath of office when the city council meets Monday night. So will incumbent council members Mark Lysakowski of the 1st Ward and Carla Brookman of the 5th Ward, new aldermen Sean Oskerka of the 3rd Ward and Patricia L. Smith of the 7th Ward and Clerk-elect Jessica Mastalski. The meeting is set for 7 p.m., and it will be held remotely due to the COVID-19 crisis. The meeting can be viewed at desplaines.org/accessdesplaines and on local cable Channel 17. The meeting may also be viewed in person at city hall, but attendance will be limited.
Updated 4/20/2021 1:11 PM
Former Des Plaines City Clerk Gloria Ludwig s write-in campaign to unseat 1st Ward Alderman Mark Lysakowski appears to have come up short.
Now that nearly all of Cook County s mail-in ballots have been counted, unofficial results from the April 6 election showed Lysakowski ahead 370 votes to 264 votes.
The deadline for mail-in ballots to arrive at the Cook County clerk s office is Tuesday afternoon.
Lysakowski was the only 1st Ward candidate on the ballot. The apparent victory gives him a second 4-year term on the city council.
On Tuesday, Lysakowski said he expected the race would be close but was confident he d win based on conversations with 1st Ward voters.
Updated 4/8/2021 11:59 AM
Des Plaines Alderman Mark Lysakowski got 351 votes on Election Day and was the only candidate on the ballot but he may not retain his 1st Ward seat.
That s because the number of votes for write-in candidate Gloria Ludwig hasn t been determined yet. If every 1st Ward resident who pulled a ballot but didn t vote for Lysakowski voted for Ludwig, he d be ahead by only 12 votes.
That hypothetical lead could narrow or disappear if Ludwig got enough people who voted by mail ahead of Election Day to support her instead of Lysakowski.
The winner may not be known until after April 20, the deadline for mailed ballots postmarked by Election Day to arrive at the Cook County clerk s office, said Edmund Michalowski, the deputy clerk of elections.