SYCAMORE – Suzanne Willis got right down to business Wednesday on the County Board, the same night her appointment to fill her late husband’s seat was approved and she was sworn in by the county clerk.
“I know a number of people on the board, and I’ve been involved with local politics – more peripherally – for quite some time,” Willis said about her interest in taking a seat on the County Board. “I felt like I could make a contribution.”
Willis, 64, steps in after her husband, Frank O’Barski, died Feb. 9 after recurring battles with cancer. He was 69.
There were no objections to her appointment by any board members Wednesday.
DeKalb County Clerk Doug Johnson administered the oath of office to Willis, and she took a seat, literally, as the official Democratic 10th District representative.
Democrats selected Willis, calling her an obvious choice, and believing she will carry the same passion for the job that they laud her late husband for having.
County Board members noted that O’Barski would attend County Board meetings immediately after chemotherapy sessions.
“He’d have his stocking cap on, he’d have his mittens on, because he’d be freezing because of that treatment. But he would make sure that he was here. That amount of dedication is inspiring,” said County Board Chairman Mark Pietrowski, D-3rd District.
Willis and O’Barski had been high school sweethearts, but had parted ways for years. They reunited and married in May 2013, she said.
As his health deteriorated, Willis said she would drive her husband to County Board meetings and sit in on them. It was during those times, she said, she would pay attention to proceedings and issues that came up, to learn – and take interest – in county government.
"Seeing Frank on the County Board ... certainly got me interested in the role that it plays in local politics," Willis said. "And very much like him, I felt like I could make a contribution."
The retired Northern Illinois University physics professor said she is looking forward to possibly joining the board’s highway committee.
“I like to think that I think analytically about things. I’m comfortable with numbers, so budget numbers and things like that don’t phase me,” she said. “I’ve dealt with people from all walks of life just about ... and so I think I have the ability to get along with a variety of people.”
Her appointment runs through November and she would have to get on the ballot to be elected to the position in the Nov. 8 general election.
Voters would have to decide if she would carry out the remainder of O’Barski’s term, which expires in 2018.