Public safety was the focus in La Grange Park as village officials approved adding a new full time police officer position, promoted two firefighters and recognized the graduation of new firefighter/paramedic into full time status.
Anthony Zito was hired as a paid-on-call firefighter candidate in January 2024, and now after completing his probationary period requirements, was sworn in by Village Clerk Meghan Kooi and had his badge pinned on him by his wife, Lauren, during a La Grange Park Village Board meeting last week.
“And just so you understand what that means, he went to the state Firefighter Academy, he had to go to EMT school, he had to learn how to drive all our apparatus, how to operate them, and he has done this all as a paid-on-call firefighter,” Fire Chief Dean Maggos said. “That is very unique and very critical to our community.”
Retirements in the La Grange Park Fire Department created openings in the department’s officer ranks.
Deputy Chief Norm Rick retired and was replaced by Captain John Psenicka, whose position was filled by Chris Baudler. Baudler has been with the department since being hired as a full-time contract paramedic/firefighter in January 2005. In 2008, he joined the department as a paid-on-call firefighter. In 2015, he was promoted to paid-on-call Lieutenant.
Baudler’s expertise during his service to the department has been with both the Technical Rescue and Hazardous Response teams. His full-time job is as a supervisor with the Illinois Tollway Authority.
With Baudler moving up to captain, Evan Lilly is being promoted as his replacement in the lieutenant position.
Lilly completed his probationary period with the La Grange Park Department as a paid-on-call firefighter in 2018. He has been instrumental in the activities of the Foreign Fire Insurance Board, and has been heavily involved in the La Grange Park Fire History FaceBook page.
Lilly also works full time as a contract firefighter/EMT in a nearby village.
Maggos said that Lilly was “always someone you could count on,” and “for those of you who are not aware, he runs our FaceBook Fire Department History page and is actually considered our department historian.”
Although the village has recently loosened its boundaries to allow paid-on-call firefighters to live in nearby towns, Zito, Baudler, and Lilly all live in La Grange Park.
The village’s 2025/26 draft budget authorizes one additional police officer, and the board unanimously approved its hiring last week.
The hiring will take place three weeks before the beginning of the 25/26 fiscal year on May 1.
Trustee Mike Sheehan, who has been vocal in his support of full police staffing, got assurances from staff that the position would be permanent and not used as a fill-in for retirements or transfers.
The new officer will be subject to the police contract approved by the Board in April 2024.
In addition to participating in health care and retirement benefits, the new officer will start at a salary of $78,000 per year, with a step increase to $80,730 the second year, and $83,152 the third year.
The next La Grange Park Village Board meeting will be 7:30 p.m. April 15, at the La Grange Park Village Boardroom, 447 N. Catherine Ave.
Hank Beckman is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
