**Exhibit      31.1**

**CERTIFICATION**

| 1. | I                have reviewed this quarterly report on Form 10-Q of CFS                Bancorp, Inc. (Registrant); |
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| 2. | Based                on my knowledge, this report does not contain any                untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact                necessary to make the statements made, in light of the circumstances                under                which such statements were made, not misleading with respect to the                period                covered by this report; |
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| 3. | Based                on my knowledge, the financial statements, and other                financial information included in this report, fairly present in                all                material respects the financial condition, results of operations                and cash                flows of the Registrant as of, and for, the periods presented in                this                report; |
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| 4. | The                Registrant’s other certifying officer(s) and I are responsible for                establishing and maintaining disclosure controls and procedures (as                defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e)) and internal                control over financial reporting (as defined in Exchange Act Rules                13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f)) for the Registrant and                have: |
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|   | (a) | Designed                such disclosure controls and procedures, or caused such disclosure                controls and procedures to be designed under our supervision, to                ensure                that material information relating to the Registrant, including its                consolidated subsidiaries, is made known to us by others within those                entities, particularly during the period in which this report is                being                prepared; |
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|   | (b) | Designed                such internal control over financial reporting, or                caused such internal control over financial reporting to be designed                under                our supervision, to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability                of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements                for                external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting                principles; |
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|   | (c) | Evaluated                the effectiveness of the Registrant’s disclosure controls and procedures                and presented in this report our conclusions about the effectiveness                of                the disclosure controls and procedures, as of the end of the period                covered by this report based on such evaluation;                and |
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|   | (d) | Disclosed                in this report any change in the Registrant’s                internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the                Registrant’s most recent fiscal quarter (the Registrant’s fourth fiscal                quarter in the case of an annual report) that has materially affected,                or                is reasonably likely to materially affect, the Registrant’s internal                control over financial reporting; and |
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| 5. | The                Registrant’s other certifying officer(s) and I have                disclosed, based on our most recent evaluation of internal control                over                financial reporting, to the Registrant’s auditors and the audit committee                of Registrant’s board of directors (or persons performing the equivalent                functions): |
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|   | (a) | All                significant deficiencies and material weaknesses in the                design or operation of internal control over financial reporting                which are                reasonably likely to adversely affect the Registrant’s ability to record,                process, summarize and report financial information;                and |
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|   | (b) | Any                fraud, whether or not material, that involves management                or other employees who have a significant role in the Registrant’s                internal control over financial reporting. |
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| Date:                November 9, 2005 | By:              /s/ Thomas F. Prisby                                             |
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|                                  | Thomas                F. Prisby                                                   |
|                                  | *Chairman                of the Board and Chief Executive                Officer* |

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