Village Council

Mayor Bob Barnett was sworn in as Mayor for a second term on May 2, 2023. Previously, Bob served as a Village Council Commissioner from 2009 - 2019 where he served as Council Liaison to the Stormwater and Floodplain Oversight Committee, the Library Board, the Human Service Commission and the DuPage Mayors and Managers Legislative Subcommittee.

Prior to being elected to the Council in 2009, Bob's service to the Village included the Downers Grove Park District Outdoor Pool Advisory Committee from 2001-2002, the Grove Foundation from 2002-2006, the Stormwater and Floodplain Oversight Committee in 2008 and the Downers Grove Liquor Commission from 2002-2008, where he took a lead role in amending the Village's Liquor Ordinance.

He earned a degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Evansville and a Master of Business Administration from Keller Graduate School of Management.

Bob has a history of community service involvement in Downers Grove. He previously served as the Downers Grove Township Republican Committeeman for the 8th Precinct from 2000 through 2009. Mayor Barnett also served on the Board of Elders and as the Congregation President at Immanuel Lutheran Church here in Downers Grove from 2000-2010. He and his family volunteer for PADS and Feed My Starving Children and he is a regular "cook" at the Annual HGNA Pancake Breakfast.

Bob and his wife Cary have lived in Downers Grove since 1998 and are proud to call the Village home for their three children. Their most recent family member - Ottie, a Humane Society rescue - joined the family in 2013.

His hobbies include gardening, music, hunting and photography.

Current term expires May 2027.

Leslie Sadowski-Fugitt was sworn in to a second term on May 2, 2023. Leslie grew up in a family that valued service to the community. Her mother is a retired teacher and her late father was a civil engineer. Leslie graduated from Case Western Reserve University with a bachelor's degree in Biology. She then went on to get her master's degree in Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology from The Ohio State University. Leslie began her career with the Ohio Department of Natural Resources at Old Woman Creek State Nature Preserve in Huron, OH, where she participated in everything from trail maintenance to education to stormwater trainings.

Leslie and her husband Jason moved to Illinois in 2011. Leslie worked at the Museum of Science and Industry, overseeing a $1 million NASA grant with partners from other non-profit organizations and three NASA Centers, and later at Lincoln Park Zoo as Manager of Student and Teacher Programs. She currently works at the American Hospital Association, where she engages the members with innovative tools and resources to provide more equitable care within their hospitals and health centers.

Leslie prioritizes data-driven decision-making and improved communication and transparency with both residents and businesses. Leslie places a high value on the services the Village provides, as well as the human capital within the Village.

Leslie and her husband Jason have been residents of Downers Grove since 2012 and live in the Fairmount area with their daughter, Madeline. She enjoys spending time with her family, reading, hiking, and nature.

Current term expires May 2027

Chris Gilmartin was sworn in for his second term on May 6, 2025. Chris is a successful entrepreneur who founded, and currently serves as CEO for two successful service-based organizations, working with Fortune 500 companies both nationally and internationally.

With a degree in Public Relations and Communication from Western Illinois University, Chris has worked in marketing for his entire 25-year career. After college, Chris worked with/for well-known brands such as Orbitz, Bank of America, Lowes, and Discovery Channel, honing his digital marketing expertise. In 2006 he started his own agency, Lever Interactive, bringing his expertise and experience to a wide variety of clients and industries. Lever Interactive is a Premier Google Partner, a designation given to only three percent of marketing firms in North America. Chris is renowned for being a thought-leader and widely respected in the digital marketing space.

In 2019, Chris was appointed to the Village of Downers Grove Human Services Ad Hoc Committee, where he worked to help identify the social services needs of the Village, and helped to craft specific recommendations on how to better serve our residents who are most in need.

Chris' priorities for the Village are to increase the vibrancy of our Village for both residents and businesses alike, and address the challenges we face with data-driven decision making and consensus building. Having successfully navigated his own businesses through multiple economic downturns, Chris will use his experience to help the Village make smart financial decisions to ensure the success of our initiatives. Chris takes the time to understand issues and opportunities and strives to make timely decisions based on information and experience. Chris excels at making fact-based determinations and articulating them into clear action plans.

Chris is an active parent, youth sports coach and mentor in the Downers Grove community, supporting local groups financially and through volunteering.

Chris lives with his wife and three children in the Washington Park area.

Current term expires May 2029

Commissioner Martin T. Tully returned to the Village Council on May 2, 2023, after having previously served two terms as Mayor from May 2011-May 2019, stepping down at that time due to local term limit requirements, and having previously served two terms as a Village Council Commissioner from May 2001-May 2009. During his time as Mayor, Martin also served as President of the DuPage Mayors & Managers Conference, the District 3 municipal representative on the DuPage County Stormwater Management Committee, and as a member of the DuPage County Health Department's Mosquito Abatement Taskforce.

In addition to his service as an elected official, Martin has a history of being involved in the community. He is a founding member of the District 58 Education Foundation, a board member of Hope's Front Door and the Friends of the Edwards House, a member of the Rotary Club of Downers Grove and the Downers Grove Lions Club, a board member of the 100 Club of DuPage County, and an Advisory Board member of NAMI DuPage. Past associations include being a member of the Belle Aire School PTA, a board member of the Orchard Brook Home Owners Association, and youth soccer coach with the Downers Grove Park District and Indian Boundary YMCA.

Professionally, Commissioner Tully is a partner with the Chicago office of the Redgrave LLP law firm, where his legal practice focuses on business litigation, eDiscovery, and data privacy & cybersecurity. He graduated cum laude from the DePaul University College of Law and holds a B.A. degree in Political Science from the University of Illinois at Chicago.

Commissioner Tully and his wife, Shanon Tully, have two sons. He enjoys running, soccer, history, cartography and legal technology.

Current term expires May 2027. 

Mike Davenport was sworn in as Village Commissioner on May 2, 2023. He has been a resident of Downers Grove since 1994.  

Mike and his wife Shelly graduated from the Illinois Institute of Technology. They were married in 1989 at First United Methodist Church of Downers Grove where they remain active and continue to serve in leadership positions. Both are partners in Davenport Architects, which they established in 1995. Their practice is focused on residential architecture. Thus far, they have designed nearly 1,000 projects, most of which are located in Downers Grove.  

From 2011 to 2023 Mike served 3 consecutive terms on the Community High School District 99 Board of Education. During that time he served as Vice President, Policy Committee Member, Board Representative to the Illinois Association of School Boards, and most notably as Board Representative on the Master Facility Plan (MFP) Core Planning Team. Mike is especially proud of his work on the MFP. Following nearly 10 years of community partnered planning, the MFP resulted in the passage of a $136.6-million-dollar referendum and construction of substantial additions and renovations for both District 99 High Schools.

Mike has served on several Village Board and Commissions including, the Ogden Avenue TIF Joint Review Board, the Building Board of Appeals, the Block 117 (Station Crossing) Advisory Committee, the 2009 Comprehensive Planning Commission, and the Architectural Design Review Board (ADRB) where he served for 16 years, including 12 years as president. During his tenure on the ADRB, Mike was instrumental in the development and implementation of the first downtown design guidelines, downtown façade improvement grants, adoption of the first Historical Preservation Ordinance, the Historic Building Survey, and the voluntary landmarking of many historic homes.

Mike and Shelly live in the El Sierra neighborhood with their four children. Both enjoy spending time with family, friends, and neighbors. Mike is an avid runner, completing 14 marathons (3-time Boston Marathoner), and countless other distance races. He is a strong advocate for pedestrian and bicyclist safety.

Current term expires May 2027

Tammy Sarver was sworn in as Commissioner on May 6, 2025, beginning her first term on Downers Grove Village Council. She is originally from a small town in western Pennsylvania and has lived in Illinois for almost 25 years. Tammy is the only child of the late Ronald and Bernadette Sarver who instilled in her an ethic of care towards others. Tammy earned her bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown, her J.D. from Duquesne University School of Law, and her PhD in political science (with a focus on American Government) from the University of South Carolina. Since completion of her doctorate degree, she has worked at Benedictine University as a faculty member, pre-law advisor, Title IX Coordinator, and for a short period, as Acting Dean of the College of Liberal Arts.

Tammy’s priorities for the Village include environmentally responsible development, equality and respect for all residents when implementing policies, and evidence-based decision making. She is an advocate for marginalized populations, the environment, and animal rights.

Tammy is an elected Precinct Captain in Downers Grove where she has lived for almost a decade with her two large dogs in a 100-year-old farmhouse. She enjoys working out, spending time with her partner and his daughter, and trying out new recipes.

Current term expires May 2029

Rob Roe was sworn in as Village Commissioner on May 6, 2025.

Current term ends May 2029.