Home in La Grange

After living throughout the Northeast, in 1990 I found myself settling in La Grange with my new wife to start a business for IBM.  Back then downtown La Grange was a different place, with vacant storefronts an only a few restaurants, but the Village had a plan and plenty of charm and character.

I’d moved a lot in my jobs and what a treat it was to stay in one place – to put down roots!  To have a family in a neighborhood, walk to school with my children, see them run from yard to yard playing with lots of friends and neighbors, and walk to the train past beautiful, well kept homes on quiet tree-lined streets for a 20 minute train ride to get to work.  I had grown up in the country, with gravel roads, no sidewalks or streetlights and a few neighbors that were a 5-10 minute walk.  This new environment was surreal for me.  I was living the American dream, and the more I got to know my neighbors, the community, and the Village, the more fulfilling it was.  The schools were great and welcoming when we asked to be involved.  The churches were plentiful and beautiful, well-attended houses of worship.  And everyone, whether young or old, was friendly!  This Midwestern charm was fantastic, and I was not interested in being anywhere else.

We had two children a few years later and as we took them around in strollers and to the various parks, we got to know so many more great people, and our kids had about a dozen "neighborhood grandparents".  There was so much to do in our beautiful Village, and we swapped babysitter and nanny names, took turns with play dates, and enjoyed walks to downtown for "ice cream excursions" to Tates and the carnival when it came in the summer.

It was easy to get involved in the community because people from all walks just rolled up their sleeves and got it done!  Denise became head of the PTA for Spring Avenue School and Gurrie, and served on the technology and curriculum committees.  She was also chief of the "cookie bar" at our house for a constantly changing collection of kids every day after school.  My kids and I had a blast in Indian Guides and Princesses, and I became a two-time chief, a ref as my kids played in AYSO soccer, and also became involved with the finance committee for School District 105, the Hospital and Pillars.  The people we volunteered with became good friends - fun, smart, caring people of all ages; the kind of people you just wanted to hang out with.

I also had plans to renovate our home and had questions about development and building, so I attended the Zoning Board of Appeals planning session.  I made some suggestions that I guess were helpful because after a few months, I began my service to the Village by serving on the ZBA.  This was a great opportunity to give back to this community we loved and enjoyed growing with, and after 9 years, I was asked to move to the Plan Commission.  Through these commissions and the past 4 years as a Trustee, I got to learn so much about my community, the residential and the commercial sides, and how fantastically La Grange really worked.  It doesn't just look good, it was way ahead of so many others, so that we didn't just get by in the recession, we thrived, which you can see with all the awards, the vibrant downtown and the development that continues today.

I’m running for another term as a Village Trustee because I’ve been blessed to have served and been part of the reason La Grange works so well, and want to help it work even better long into the future.  I hope you will vote for me, Mark Langan and Dave McCarty, who have even more experience serving this community we love on April 9th.  Help us to Keep La Grange Working!  Find out more at: www.keeplagrangeworking.com