'Cheerful' Voice At Hinsdale Village Hall Soon To Be Gone

HINSDALE, IL – If you've called Hinsdale Village Hall, you may well have spoken with the village clerk, Christine Bruton.

"She always answers the same way, 'This is the village of Hinsdale. May I help you?'" Village President Tom Cauley said at Tuesday's Village Board meeting. "She always says it in a very friendly and cheerful manner."

Bruton is retiring from the village Dec. 2. She started in 2005.

By the village's count, Bruton has attended 340 Village Board meetings (missed three), sworn in 30 trustees and handled more than 5,500 Freedom of Information Act requests.

"No one in the 16 years I've been on the board has ever had anything to say but good things about Chris," Cauley said. "She is the face of the village. That is the best service she has provided to the village. She deals with residents more than most of us, and she does it in a very pleasant manner."

Bruton, Cauley said, also handles one of the most "unenviable" duties in the village government – responding to Freedom of Information Act requests.

He said such a function is needed to make sure local government is open, but from a public body's point of view, it's "really a pain."

"Anytime something is potentially controversial or maybe controversial, the village gets a Freedom of Information Act request, which asks for all documents and all emails related to a certain topic," Cauley said.

Village trustees also praised Bruton's service, reflecting Cauley's comments.

Bruton said Hinsdale has been part of her family's life for nearly two decades. Her daughter worked for the village pool. Her son got married at the village's Katherine Legge Park. Her brother and sister-in-law used to have a booth at the craft fair on the Fourth of July. Her children were born at the Hinsdale hospital.

Bruton also spoke about her responsibility for taking minutes of village meetings.

"At the risk of being a municipal nerd, I think about how in 10, 20, 30, 40, 50 years people will look up the minutes I wrote and talk about the work you've done," Bruton said. "While it's not exactly a great American novel, I feel a little bit published. I'm proud of that work."

Village officials gave her a standing ovation.

Assistant Village Manager Andrianna Peterson is set to serve as the acting village clerk until a successor is appointed.