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Steve Lentz

Stephen Jefferey Lentz is an American politician who has served as the fourteenth and current mayor of Mundelein since 2013.1

Early Life

Public records show that Steve Lentz was born on May 4, 19622, in the Los Angeles area3. He is the son of Joyce and Elliot Lentz, the former who is still alive and the latter passed away in 201714. He is an alumnus of Redlands High School, and was a member of the school's marching band.4 He is an alumni of the University of California with a bachelor's degree in business. He was formerly employed by Security Pacific National Bank13. Currently, it is unknown why he moved to Mundelein in particular, but public records show his residence moved from California to Illinois during the mid-1990s.

Pre-mayoral career

Before becoming mayor, Steve Lentz was a Village Trustee,5, a baseball and football coach6, and served on the Mundelein Junior Football League boards and local Little League boards. In his interview with The Daily Herald, Lentz claims that he worked as a "self-employed securities market researcher and trader".6 In 2013, he sucessfully ran for mayor on the "Pro Mundelein" with the plurality of the votes, defeating Robert Meier by 146 votes7, and Wally Frasier in third place.

Mayoral Career

In 2014, Lentz created a high school math competition, which still occurs annually today.8

In 2015, Lentz was criticised for citing the Supreme Court case Obergefell v. Hodges, which nationally legalized gay marrige as an example of a "moral crisis" in America.9

In 2017, Lentz narrowly defeated challenger Holly Kim for the position of mayor for a second term, winning only by 5 votes.10

In 2023, Lentz listed his "focus areas" during his State of the Village adress as follows:11

Personal life

Lentz is a Christian.

During the beggining of the Coronavirus pandemic in March 2020, Lentz tested positive for COVID-19.12

Lentz is married to Michelle (née Welsh). They married in 1986 in Santa Monica, California, and have been together for 37 years.13

References

  1. Elected officials. (n.d.). Mundelein.org. Retrieved March 24, 2024, from https://www.mundelein.org/284/Elected-Officials
  2. Ancestry.com. U.S., Public Records Index, 1950-1993, Volume 1 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010.
    Original data: Voter Registration Lists, Public Record Filings, Historical Residential Records, and Other Household Database Listings.
  3. Ancestry.com. U.S., Index to Public Records, 1994-2019 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2020.
    Original data:Voter Registration Lists, Public Record Filings, Historical Residential Records, and Other Household Database Listings.
  4. Ancestry.com. U.S., School Yearbooks, 1900-2016 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA
  5. Tribune, C., & Waters, D. (2013, February 4). Three candidates seek Mundelein mayor spot. Chicago Tribune. https://www.chicagotribune.com/2013/02/04/three-candidates-seek-mundelein-mayor-spot-2/
  6. Steve Lentz: 2021 candidate for Mundelein mayor. (2021, February 18). Daily Herald. https://www.dailyherald.com/20210218/news/steve-lentz-2021-candidate-for-mundelein-mayor/
  7. Tribune, C. (2013, May 17). New board sworn in at Mundelein village meeting. Chicago Tribune. https://www.chicagotribune.com/2013/05/17/new-board-sworn-in-at-mundelein-village-meeting/
  8. Lissau, R. (2014, March 6). Mundelein Mayor Steve Lentz launches math contest. Daily Herald. https://www.dailyherald.com/20140306/news/mundelein-mayor-steve-lentz-launches-math-contest/
  9. Jordan, K. (2015, July 5). Mundelein mayor on hot seat for comments on gay marriage, unwed parents. ABC7 Chicago. https://abc7chicago.com/steve-lentz-mundelein-mayor-same-sex-marriage-unwed-parents/832489/
  10. Kambic, R. (2017, May 12). 5 votes short, challenger concedes defeat in Mundelein mayoral race. Digitaledition.chicagotribune.com; Chicago Tribune. https://digitaledition.chicagotribune.com/tribune/article_popover.aspx?guid=fff04972-a0f5-450b-880e-208d7673ac3c
  11. Shaw Local News Network. (2023, February 16). Mundelein mayor shares 10 priorities for village. Shaw Local News Network; Lake County Journal. https://www.shawlocal.com/lake-county-journal/news/local/2023/02/16/mundelein-mayor-shares-10-priorities-for-village/
  12. Struett, D. (2020, March 24). Mayor of Mundelein tests positive for COVID-19. Chicago Sun-Times. https://chicago.suntimes.com/coronavirus/2020/3/24/21192659/mundelein-mayor-steve-lentz-test-covid-19-coronavirus
  13. Quad-City Times. (1986, Dec 7). Weddings Quad-City Times. https://newspapers.com/article/quad-city-times-marriage-of-welsh-len/144186389/
  14. Redland Daily Facts. (2017, Aug 8.) Elliot Lentz Obituary. Legacy.com; Redland Daily Facts. https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/redlandsdailyfacts/name/elliott-lentz-obituary?id=15284694