Member community spotlight: Sauk Village

Sauk Village Mayor Derrick Burgess and Cook County President Toni Preckwinkle at the June 27 Unite Don’t Fight Ride/ Image courtesy of Facebook

Sauk Village hosts Unite Don’t Fight Ride/Complete 2020 Census & Voter Awareness event

A “Unite Don’t Fight” Ride kicked off in Sauk Village last weekend. More than 100 motorcycle riders from throughout the region participated in the event to help unite Southland communities, raise awareness in the communities to vote, and be counted in the Census. It was organized by the Neighborhood Transformation Project, and attended by Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle, Cook County Commissioner Donna Miller, and Lynwood Mayor Gene Williams along with a host of other elected officials who came out in support.

Sauk Village Mayor Derrick Burgess has been Village President since 2017. Prior to that, he was a trustee since 2005. Derrick and his wife Juanita have been residents of Sauk Village for 28 years and have raised three children there. He is currently employed at the University of Illinois at Chicago as an Operating Plant Engineer. Before his election, Mayor Burgess proposed the Burgess Plan for Progress which was what he called the “Roadmap Toward a Pathway to Progress.” The Village Board of Trustees formally adopted his plan as the Strategic Plan for Progress.

The area, which is now Sauk Village, was originally opened to American settlers in 1838 and was known as New Strassburg. Since its incorporation on March 12, 1957, Sauk Village has undergone considerable change and expansion. Today Sauk Village has a population of 10,506 and over 3400 households and is home to a 425-acre master planned Business Logistic park with rail spur access. Sauk Village is less than a 15-minute drive to the City of Chicago and is strategically located along Sauk Trail and Illinois 394. Neighboring towns include the Illinois communities of Lynwood to the northeast, Ford Heights to the north, Chicago Heights to the northwest, South Chicago Heights to the west, Steger to the southwest, and Crete to the south. The town of Dyer, Indiana, is the nearest community to the east.

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