Meet the Mayor and the Village Board of Trustees

Kenneth Klein, Mayor 
kklein@crestwood.illinois.gov

Mayor, 2021-Present

Ken Klein was sworn in as Mayor of Crestwood in November 2021. Mayor Klein is a lifelong resident of Crestwood who has raised his family in Crestwood and attended school in District 130 and 218. Mayor Ken Klein's sons, who are now grown, remain here in Crestwood where they are raising families of their own.

Throughout Mayor Klein's life in Crestwood, he was always eager to volunteer his time and efforts, working with children and businessmen and women to make the Village of Crestwood a better place. Before being sworn in as Mayor, Ken served as a Village Trustee and served as a member of the Recreation Commission and the Crestwood Zoning and Appeals Board.  He also served as an elected school board member of district 130 where he took part in helping with reducing issues of overcrowding in classrooms and worked on district contracts.

In Mayor Klein's professional career, he has had extensive experience as a high-level manger within in the automotive industry at the Hawk Auto Group. He has overseen several dealers, directed hundreds of employees, and supervised in multimillion dollar property developments. Ken has been successful with earning respect and trust from both business owners and employees, which is necessary to form productive and effective teams in both union and non-union labor environments.

Catherine Johnson, Village Clerk
cjohnson@crestwood.illinois.gov

Village Clerk, 2017-Present

Village of Crestwood, 2000 - Present
Cathy has been an employee of the Village of Crestwood since 2000.  She began as a CSO with the Police Department and is currently the Water Department Superviser.

• Awarded "CSO of the Year" by the Crestwood Police Department
• Member of the organization Municipal Clerks of Illinois
• Parishioner of Elim Evangelical Free Church

Cathy has been a Crestwood resident for 40 years. She is the mother of 4 children; Matt, Erin, Amy and Katie and she has 10 grandchildren.

Anthony J. Benigno, Village Trustee
abenigno@crestwood.illinois.gov

Village Trustee, 2013-Present

Crestwood Police & Fire Commission Member, 2009-2013

• United Parcel Service (UPS), Teamster 24 years, Safety Team
• Police Commander, Village of Merrionette Park (Retired 21 years)
• Holds a degree in Public Safety Management
• Past President of Illinois South Suburban Juvenile Association
• Parishioner of Incarnation Parish

Anthony has been a Crestwood resident for 19 years.  He is married to his wife Paulette and has a 17 year old son named Anthony.

Linda M. Madlener, Village Trustee
lmadlener@crestwood.illinois.gov

• Village Trustee, 2013 - Present
• Crestwood Parks Volunteer, 1991-2016

Beginning in 1991 through 2016, Linda has managed and scheduled various recreational and Village events at Walker Park fors many years. Starting as a T-Ball Volunteer, she then went on to co-found the Crestwood Fastpitch league and served as the president from 1998-2016. 

• Parishioner for St. Christopher Catholic Church, 1989 - Present

Professional Career

Linda has been a nurse for over 45+ years.  She has worked in various fields throughout her career in medical/surgical care, cardiology, orthopedic, geriatrics and industrial.

• Corporate/Industrial Occupational Health Nurse for employee health and safety for 500+ employees. (OSHA, Workman's compensation, Human Resources and Hearing Conservation).

 Linda has been a resident of Crestwood since 1985.

Kevin Wasag, Village Trustee
kwasag@crestwood.illinois.gov

Village Trustee, 2019 - Present

Planning/Zoning Board of Appeals Commission

Commission Member, 1999 - 2019 and Commission Chairman, 2015 - 2019

• Vice President, Aluminum Coil Anodizing Corporation, 2011 - Present
• Laboratory Manager, Scientific Control Labs, Inc.,  1991 - 2011

Kevin is a licensed, professional Engineer and holds degrees in the following;

• B.S. in Metallurgical and Materials Engineering, Illinois Institute of Technology
• M.S. in Materials Engineering, Illinois Institute of Technology

Kevin has been a Crestwood resident since birth. His grandparents moved to Crestwood in 1940.  He is married to his wife Gosia and they have three children.

Frank Caldario, Village Trustee
fcaldario@crestwood.illinois.gov

Crestwood E.M.A., Emergency Management Agency, 2016-Present
Crestwood Police & Fire Commission Member, 2019-2021

• Account Executive, Frito Lay, Retired after 41 years of service
• Standard Parking, Chicago Bulls, Chicago Blackhawks and the Chicago White Sox

Frank has been a resident of Crestwood for 30 years. He is married to his wife Diane and they have 3 children; Frankie, Jason, and Lori. 

Brian Skala, Village Trustee
bskala@crestwood.illinois.gov

Crestwood Planning/Zoning Board of Appeals Commission, Member

22 2 NONE "Fight the Fight" (Charitable Organization), Board Member

Professional Experience

• Government Account Manager, Sprint (Past)
• Union Plumber, Current

Brian Skala is a Village Trustee and  board member for Crestwood's Planning/Zoning Commission.  He has been a Crestwood resident for 20 years and has three wonderful children. 

Denise M. Pietrucha, Village Trustee
dpietrucha@crestwood.illinois.gov

Village Trustee, 2023-Present

Denise Pietrucha and her extended family have lived in Crestwood for over 30 years.  Denise is a graduate of Benedictine University. She has extensive experience in finance and development in both the non-profit and corporate sectors. Now that she has retired, she has time to devote to the Village of Crestwood. As for hobbies, she loves to crochet and tend her garden.