Longtime Hinsdale Official 'Enjoyed My Time Here'

HINSDALE, IL – Hinsdale's assistant village manager, Brad Bloom, took part in his final Village Board meeting Tuesday. He is retiring.

His family surprised him by appearing by video at the meeting.

Because of their appearance, Bloom said speaking would be a little harder. His voice cracked at times.

Bloom has been with the village since December 1984. He started as a police officer and later served as chief from 2003 to 2016. He then became the village's assistant manager.

"When I started here 38 years ago, I remember putting on the uniform for the first time and looking in the mirror, and I was proud. And my parents were there. It was at their house," he said.

His parents were among those in the video.

"These 38 years have gone by like that," Bloom said.

At the 20- and 30-year marks, he said, people would ask whether he planned to leave.

"I never thought about it because I really enjoyed my time here," Bloom said. "I can tell you without a doubt that this is a fantastic place to work."

He said the leadership of Village Manager Kathleen Gargano was the reason he joined the manager's office.

Village trustees adopted a resolution in honor of Bloom's service.

He was a member of the task force that created the DuPage Narcan Program, which is credited with saving 500 lives, according to the resolution.

He was commended for his work in managing the construction of the downtown parking deck, which opened three years ago and provides more than 300 parking spaces.

"Brad's partnership with the businesses and civic groups to support their offerings to the Village Community has been exceptional," the resolution said.

Taking Bloom's place is Andrianna Peterson, La Grange's former village manager. She started with Hinsdale a few months ago in preparation for Bloom's retirement.