Illinois' General Assembly will get a new member Wednesday afternoon. Chris Nybo will take the oath of office, even though the election is still several months away.
Nybo, an Elmhurst attorney, will have to beat out Democrat Suzanne Glowiak of Western Springs to win a full term in the State Senate.
But the Republican will represent the western suburbs for now.
Nybo's replacing Kirk Dillard, who stepped down as a Senator to chair the Chicago area's mass transportation agency, known as the RTA.
It's one of several changes in the makeup of Illinois' legislature of late.
The House got two new members in July, when two longtime representatives -- an Antioch Republican and a Democrat from Rockford -- retired.
That's on top of three other changeovers, all in the House, earlier in the two-year-legislative session.
There could be more pre-election seat swaps to come before this fall's election.
Illinois' constitution bans anyone convicted of a felony or bribery from holding state office, and Democratic Rep. Derrick Smith of Chicago was found guilty of bribery. But Smith is still getting a legislative paycheck. Though the jury's verdict came down in June, legal proceedings, like his sentencing, aren't over yet.
