About Lou

Lou Gale is a Richton Park native and has been raising his family in La Grange since 2009. Lou’s lifelong experience as a suburbanite and product of Illinois public schools drove him to run for La Grange Village Trustee in 2017. He’s worked to bring opposing sides and viewpoints together to keep our communities safe for families, invest in local infrastructure, prepare our communities for the impacts of climate change, and support a growing economy that allows workers and business owners to thrive.

Lou is a proud graduate of the University of Illinois three times over, earning a bachelors, masters, and law degree in Champaign-Urbana. He worked as an Assistant Attorney General for the State of Illinois before moving to the private sector and serving as General Counsel for an international architectural firm.

Before being elected to local office, Lou served on La Grange’s Community and Economic Commission and on the Citizen’s Council of La Grange, a non-partisan community group focused on good government and local issues.

Lou understands the needs of our suburban communities. He built relationships with business leaders to promote economic development while also supporting workers who want to provide for their families and work in dignity. That partnership will be especially important as we emerge and adjust to the short-and long-term effects of the pandemic on our economy.

As your Cook County Commissioner, Lou will focus on reducing gun violence in our community, putting more of our neighbors back to work in jobs that support their families, and providing the resources and leadership needed to maintain and enhance our natural spaces and forest preserves. Lou will work to strengthen our County Healthcare system, ready our communities and infrastructure for a changing climate, and make it easier and safer to get around the 17th District and Cook County.

When not working or serving as a Trustee, Lou like many suburban Dads can be found carpooling his sons and their friends to soccer, lacrosse, and other activities. He enjoys volunteering with the Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts and related activities, such as wreath sales, campouts, space derby rocket building, and pinewood derby car races. Lou still somehow finds time for family vacations and the occasional quiet night out to dinner with his wife.