It would be understandable if Asif Yusuf felt an out-of-habit urge to venture over to the Butler Government Center two Tuesdays a month to attend Oak Brook Village Board meetings.
Yusuf currently is finishing a third consecutive four-year term, and fourth overall, as a trustee. He was first elected to the board in 2003 and unsuccessfully ran for village president in 2007, before again winning a board seat in 2011. An unsuccessful bid in the April 4 election for Village President means his tenure on the Village Board will come to an end in May when the new board is seated.
“I will miss being involved in the decision making process, and I will miss working with our wonderful village staff,” Yusuf said. “After 12 years. It is almost like a second family. I also am truly thankful from the bottom of my heart to the people in our village for offering me the opportunity to serve them.”
Yusuf said he initially decided to run for Village Board because he wanted to make a difference.
“I wanted a more responsive and common-sense-based government,” he said. “Each term was different in its own way.”
Yusuf said he decided to give it another shot this year of being elected Village President for the same reason he ran in 2007.
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“I felt there were areas we could have done a better job, and I wanted to play a more significant role in making things better,” he said.
As for highlights of his time on the board, Yusuf said he is most proud of being involved in:
* Bringing The Hub Group to Oak Brook
* Bringing the Chamberlain Group to Oak Brook
* The retention of Ace Hardware in the village
* The redevelopment of the McDonalds site on 22nd Street
* The Oak Brook Promenade shopping center redevelopment
* The opening of a new, much larger Restoration Hardware store at Oakbrook Center
* The widening of 22nd Street
Reopening of both the Drake and Le Méridien Chicago hotels and construction of the new Hyatt House hotel
Village Board member Michael Manzo, who has served with Yusuf since 2012, said he appreciates his time with Yusuf on the Village Board.
“Asif would always listen to all sides and was thoughtful in his deliberations,” Manzo said. “He also understood the issues and would usually bring a different perspective to the discussion.”
Ed Tiesenga has served with Yusuf on the board since 2015 and said the board and village are stronger as a result of Yusuf’s service.
“Asif has exemplified the importance of what I call ‘policy continuity,'” Tiesenga said. “Through his many years of service, Asif knows how all of the pieces of our government work and need to stay coordinated to implement good policy, and he has helped to guide that in the key areas of fire and police, public works and the Sports Core.”
Tiesenga said that Yusuf has become a good friend and reliable guide to what makes the most sense when there have been some various forks in the road or impasses.
“We have not always gone the same way at those times, but have maintained a good rapport and mutual respect for our points of view,” he said.
While he no longer will be on the Village Board, Yusuf said he plans to keep abreast of what’s going in Oak Brook.
“But I won’t get in anyone’s way,” he said. “As far as staying involved, that is really up to the current administration as to whether or not they want me to be involved in any way.”
Meanwhile, Yusuf said he has plenty to occupy his time, without the board duties to which he has been accustomed for several years.
“I have enough work stuff keep myself busy,” he said. “We are doing four solar farms and a second wind turbine project at our farms. Once those are done, I will spend more time in my garden, maybe a little more fishing, and my wife and I will definitely do more traveling.”
Chuck Fieldman is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.