Common-sense leadership guided by community spirit!
Suzanne “Sue” Small
Candidate for Mayor
Village Clerk Suzanne Small proudly announces her candidacy for the office of Mayor/Village President in the April, 2021 municipal election. Having been elected to two terms as village trustee and one term as your own village clerk, being elected Mayor would be the highlight of her career in public service to the Village of Justice.
Sue is no stranger to the concept of leadership. From family to career she thrives in a bustling environment and has many achievements to add to her resume. In 1977 at the age of 18, she was promoted to restaurant manager at Jack-in-the-box. She became the first female multi-unit manager for PepsiCo that owned Taco Bell Restaurants, managing 13 restaurants that made up the Chicago, inner-city region. She has achieved many awards and accolades but her biggest talent is teaching and creating solid teams.
Sue’s degrees in Human Resources and Business Management have served her well. Still in the foodservice business, Sue operates her own consulting business training sales professionals and restaurant operators. Currently, she orchestrates bringing new brands to market. Sue’s motto: “In order to succeed we must continue to evolve, to learn and to act. The world won’t wait for us to catch up!”
Sue’s vision for Justice is to create a community where the residents demand the very best of their elected officials in order to enjoy the benefits of hard work, solid infrastructure, quality education, fiscal responsibility, and small-town, family values.
Malgorzata “Margaret” Garbacz
Candidate for Village Clerk
Malgorzata (Margaret) M. Garbacz immigrated to the United States in 1994. In November 2003, she and her husband, Wojtek, decided to call Justice their home when they bought their dream house on the north side of town and moved in with their 3 children Daniel, Joanna, and Aneta. Her children are alumni of Brodnicki Elementary, Wilkins Junior High and Argo Community High Schools. Currently, Margaret serves on the Board of Directors for Polska Szkola Im Marii Konopnickiej-NFP, and has held a seat on the board since 2009.
Margaret served the citizens of Justice proudly, working in the Finance/Clerk’s office, rising from customer service/accounts payable to Office Manager in her twelve-year tenure. While working at village hall, Margaret applied her Bachelor’s Degree in Administration and Accounting to streamline processes and eliminate unnecessary spending whenever possible. With collaboration from other departments, Margaret coordinated multiple Special Events hosted by the Village such as: Memorial Day, Veteran’s Day, Winter Wonderland, etc., where her rewards were the gratification of residents of all ages. Under Margaret’s management and due to cultivating excellent relationships with vendors, the Village established outstanding relationships with vendors that prior, were not willing to issue credit to the Village due to poor past debt experience.
As your Village Clerk, Margaret plans to assist residents with all of their questions and concerns. Applying her 12 years experience in the Finance/Clerk’s Office and the knowledge she gained of the history and the complex financial aspects of the Village of Justice, she will have the tools to serve the community well. Most importantly, she will make sure all residents are treated EQUALLY, with due respect, without favoritism and special treatment, and that new residents feel welcome in the Peaceful, Pretty, and Proud Village of Justice!
Edward “Ed” Rusch Jr.
Candidate for Village Trustee
Edward Rusch Jr. has lived in Justice most of his life. He is a product of our local school system, having attended Wilkins Jr. High and Argo Community High School. Ed attended Aurora University in Aurora where he earned his Bachelor of Arts Degree.
Ed and his wife, Kathy raised their four children and now enjoy their grandchildren here in Justice. A proud teacher at School District 109, Ed has taught generations within the Village of Justice for over 30 years. Ed currently teaches American History, Government, and Civics to students at Wilkins Junior High.
The son of a well-respected former mayor and a former mayor of Justice himself, Ed continues to provide outstanding and knowledgeable leadership to our community. Having served his community in multiple elected and appointed positions over the past 30 years, his knowledge of the operation of the Village of Justice is unparalleled.
Ed’s expectations have always been to focus, treat, listen, and respect all citizens equally and fairly. Maintain a balanced budget while spending taxpayer’s revenue wisely. Finally, to continue to seek out economic opportunities for community growth.
David W. Shipyor
Candidate for Village Trustee
A ten-year resident of the village, David Shipyor moved to Justice after graduating from St. Laurence high school to help take care of his aging grandmother. With a background in the trades, Dave has a deep value and appreciation for hard work.
While the youngest member of our slate, Dave has a unique perspective and many great accomplishments to his credit; he served as an ex officio member of the Moraine Valley Community College board and served for two years on the Justice Economic Planning board. Dave currently serves on the Indian Springs District 109 School Board where he was a driving force behind the phenomenal Wilkins Field Development.
Dave is a graduate of Moraine Valley and the University of Illinois at Chicago where he received his Bachelor’s Degree in Public Policy. He is currently continuing his education at UIC working towards his Master’s in Public Administration. David expects to graduate debt free and with high honors in May, 2021.
Should he be elected to serve the Village of Justice, Dave will use his education and regional relationships to focus on bringing sound economic development to the village and will work in cooperation with neighboring municipalities to implement cost sharing agreements to maximize services to the village, while reducing costs to taxpayers.
Kathleen “Kathy” Svoboda
Candidate for Village Trustee
Retired village clerk, Kathleen Svoboda seeks your support to once again return to public service and use her extensive municipal government experience to return to public service as a village trustee.
Having served as clerk for sixteen years following two elected terms as trustee, Kathy once again wishes to serve the village so that she may utilize her extensive expertise helping the Village Voice team led by Mayoral candidate, Suzanne Small, to lead the Village of Justice into a new era of leadership.
Boasting 40 plus years of village residency and a background in Real Estate and Income Tax preparation, Kathy and her husband, Roger, have raised their three children and now enjoy four grandchildren growing up right here in Justice.
A proud member of the Justice Senior’s Club and the Justice Lion’s Club, she is also well respected by members of the library, park and school districts. She cooperated with the Lyons Township Assessor’s office to provide workshops for property tax appeals and served on a committee to create a Mission Statement and a Vision Statement for Argo High School. Kathy was also instrumental in the creation of the Vehicle Tag Design Contest with Indian Springs School District 109. If elected, Kathy will once again bring much needed experience, dedication and proven leadership to the village board.
The Justice Village Voice 