[5] Silvestri succeeded Richard G. Torpe as Village President, defeating Jo Ann Serpico and Jeanne Ohr.
[13] As a political centrist,[12] Silvestri often voted for the positions supported by Toni Preckwinkle and her floor leader, Chuy García.
Silvestri voted for the positions of Preckwinkle and García more frequently than his Republican colleagues on the Board.
From 2014 through 2017, there were even four Democratic members of the Board that voted against Preckwinkle and García's positions at a greater frequency than Silvestri.
[13] Due to his popularity with his constituents and his moderate politics, in the 2018 elections, Silvestri was the only Republican incumbent that County Board President Preckwinkle did not make an effort to have a Democratic challenger unseat.