Tom Livingston keeps his promise to step down after two terms as La Grange village trustee

La Grange Trustee Tom Livingston Monday night said his decision not to seek a third term fulfills a campaign promise he made when he first sought election to the village board in 2003.

La Grange Trustee Tom Livingston

It's a promise Livingston says he never reconsidered.

"When I was sworn in for my second term [in 2007], I knew it would be my last," Livingston said following a village board "town meeting" held Monday night at the Ogden Avenue School.

He said it was time to step aside and provide some other resident with an opportunity to serve the village.

Livingston said he informed the La Grange Citizens Council of his decision in an Oct. 4 letter to its chairperson, Katie Justak. He received the endorsement of the council during each of his two successful village board bids.

But Livingston's decision was not publicly revealed until Monday.

Two other village trustees whose terms expire next year, Mark Kuchler and Jim Palermo, have said they will seek re-election. Kuchler reportedly also is seeking endorsement from the Citizens Council, but Palermo said he will not, running instead as an independent candidate.

While Livingston will officially step down next May, when the winning candidates of the April election are seated, he said he has not ruled out pursuing another elected office in the future—possibly on the Cook County Board of Commissioners. In the meantime, he says he will spend the extra time he will have with family and other interests.

A native of La Grange, Livingston left the village to attend the University of Illinois, where he had the distinction of serving as the school's mascot, Chief Illiniwek. The mascot was retired by university officials in 2007, ending a controversy over its portrayal of Native American Indians.

Livingston later entered the political world as a senior assistant to Illinois Gov. Jim Edgar.

He returned to La Grange with his wife, Catherine, in 1999. That same year, Livingston accepted the post of executive director at the Illinois Medical District Commission in Chicago.

In 2003, Livingston joined CSX Corporation as resident vice president, responsible for attracting and retaining business customers along its rail lines. He also serves as a government liaison for the company.