Wilmette Village Board member Steve Leonard resigned Tuesday, after less than a year on the board. Leonard, 55, said he will be moving to take a job in Michigan.
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Village President Bob Bielinski now has 60 days in which to name someone to fill his position until the next municipal election in April 2019.
Bielinski said he is considering appointing a former board member or president to the post.
Leonard said the decision to take a real estate development position with a Detroit-based private education firm was extremely hard.
“I was, and am, very distraught at this. Serving on the board was something I really loved doing, and I really felt like I was contributing to the village,” he said.
Leonard praised his board colleagues, saying he knows he leaves matters in good hands.
“I’m very proud of the way we’ve been able to address controversial issues without letting the conversation become personal or antagonistic,” he said.
Leonard also praised village staff, saying he has never encountered a more highly-qualified team of professionals.
Bielinski thanked Leonard for his service, and said his real estate expertise had served the board well.
Leonard is a Wilmette native who spent his first seven years, and the last 23, living in the village. He is a commercial real estate developer who was a member of the village’s Downtown Master Plan Advisory Committee.
When he ran, he named the village’s stormwater control issue, and the challenge of developing downtown Wilmette and the Linden Square district, as two important issues.
“I ran on the issue of reaching a stormwater resolution,” he said. “I feel like we’re heading towards action which is going to address as many homes in the village as possible, but will do it in a way that’s going to be fiscally responsible.”
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