Biographies

Kenneth A. Peterson, Jr. for Village President

Ken has been the Village President of Steger since May 20, 2013. He served as a Village Trustee for Steger between 2003 and 2013 and was the Chairman of the Steger Fire & Police Board between 2001 and 2003. Ken also served as the Chairman of the Steger Economic Development Committee which created the downtown plan that still serves as the foundation for development in Steger. Ken also currently serves as a member of the Transportation Committee of the South Suburban Mayors and Managers Association. In 2015, in recognition of his work as your Village President, Ken was given the prestigious Municipal Leader of the Year Award by the Illinois State Crime Commission. Ken and his wife, Allie, raised their daughter, Kaitlyn, and three sons, Alex, Randy, and Cameron in Steger. Ken was born and raised in Steger, living his first 18 years on Butler and Phillips Avenue. He attended Eastview Elementary School, Central Junior High School, and Bloom Trail High School. Ken currently practices law at Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton LLP in municipal and corporate finance. Through his law practice, he has helped many governments and public bodies achieve their goals. Ken also volunteers his time for organizations like Kiwanis International and the Boy Scouts of America.

Joseph Zagone, Jr. for Village Clerk

Joe lived his whole life in Steger. He was baptized at St. Liborius Church and has been a lifelong member of that church. Joe attended St. Liborius grade school followed by four years at Marian Catholic High School. Joe’s parents, Joe and Julie Zagone, opened Steger Flower Shop in 1951 and, after high school, Joe joined his dad at the Flower Shop. Joe married his wife Marielle in 1987. They have three daughters, Jackie, Katie and Margaret, and six grandchildren, twins Eddie and Alaina, Clare, Mary and Brayden. After Joe’s parents retired in 1993, Marielle and Joe continued to operate the flower shop until it closed in November 2011. At that time, Steger Flower Shop joined forces with Hofmann Florist in Chicago Heights. Joe now works at Eighner’s Florist in Homewood as a manager and floral designer. Joe has been a member of Steger Kiwanis Club since 1980 and has been chairman of the annual Kiwanis Peanut Day for many years. Joe has been a member of the Planning and Zoning Board since the late 1990’s and he took part in Steger’s Economic Development Committee from 2002-2006. Joe is currently Chairman of the Stewardship Commission and a member of the Parish Pastoral Council. He is also a member of the Knights of Columbus.

Ryan Buxton for Village Trustee

Ryan Buxton, a Steger resident for 17 years, has served as a Trustee since June 2, 2014 and currently serves in a financial oversight role. He was initially appointed as Village Treasurer in August 2013 and developed regular treasurer reports, financial controls, and budget disciplines. Ryan was raised in Steger Estates and returned to Steger after serving on active duty as a U.S. Naval Officer specializing in logistics and financial management. As a reservist, he was recalled to serve on active duty in Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates in 2003. Ryan and his wife Lisa stay busy raising three young children.

Ryan is currently the Business Manager of a large technology function supporting the Commercial Credit Card business at JP Morgan Chase. He also has 15 years of risk and controls experience including 13 years as an internal audit manager in Commercial Banking. Ryan also co-owns Buxton Homes which renovates foreclosures for resale or rental purposes.

Ryan earned a B.S. degree in Industrial Engineering from Northwestern University in 1994. He received a Masters in Business Administration from the University of Phoenix in 1999 while serving as an active duty Naval Officer in San Diego.

Ernesto (Ernie) Lopez, Jr. for Village Trustee

Ernesto (Ernie) Lopez, Jr moved to Steger at the young age of 9. He and his wife Maureen have been married for 40 years, they have 5 grown children Ernie, Nicholas, Marc, Matthew and Sean who, like he, are all alumni of Steger District 194. Ernie has served as a Steger Village Trustee since 2008, during his tenure he has served as a liaison to the recreation board and parks programs where he helped set up a village wide recycle program. In 2012, Ernie was appointed to the human resource department. As the liaison to the HR department Ernie has helped establish new guidelines for hiring, evaluations and training. He also implemented a paperless system for personnel and other records. Ernie has assessed and evaluated insurance costs, claims, and processing which resulted in a $200,000 annual savings for the Village of Steger.

In 2015, Ernie received top honors by being named as a member of the prestigious Winners Circle Platinum Tier for negotiating and securing multi-million in dollars in growth for his company. Ernie’s knowledge and skills also earned him the distinguished honor of being named Manager of the Year in 2012.

Ernie was also the proud recipient of the 2012 Patriotic Award given by the Secretary of Defense of The United States of America.

Leonard "Lenny" Skrezyna for Village Trustee

Leonard “Lenny” Skrezyna, Jr. was elected as Village Trustee in 2013. As a Village Trustee, Lenny is the liaison for the Public Infrastructure Department which consists of Steger’s Public Works, Steger’s Water Department and Steger’s Building and Code Enforcement Department. Lenny is also the liaison for Steger’s Housing Department. In these capacities, Lenny supports many of Steger’s successful programs like Steger’s road maintenance and repair plan, our drainage action plan and Steger’s housing programs. Lenny is a lifelong resident of Steger where he attended St. Liborius School, Bloom Trail High School and Prairie State College.

Lenny and his wife, Michelle, have volunteered many years to youth programs. Lenny has served on the Steger Recreation Board for 4 years. He has been active in the community coaching Basketball 3 years and Softball for 10 years. He was a Member of South Suburban Softball League for 6 years including 2 years as League President. He is currently managing NWI Sox 16u fast pitch softball. They have two adult children and currently have a daughter attending high school.

Lenny has worked as a Tool and Die Maker for over 39 years at Do-Rite Die & Engineering in South Chicago Heights.