Two new members have joined the Glencoe Village Board with two departing trustees reflecting on their work over the last eight years.
On May 11, Village President Howard Roin swore in Georgia Mihalopoulos and Hilary Scott onto the Village Board as well as to Trustee Joe Halwax who was reelected to a second four-year term in last month’s municipal election.
All three ran uncontested after receiving the endorsement of the Glencoe Caucus.
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Mihalopoulos has lived in Glencoe for almost 10 years and previously served on the village’s plan commission. A civil engineer, she said one of her priorities now that she is a board trustee is for the village to continue to invest in infrastructure enhancements.
“So the community we know and love today continues to be here for the generations to come,” she said.
She added she supported the recent $15 bond sale referendum for an upgrade at the Glencoe Golf Club. Voters approved the question in last month’s election.
“It will become another jewel in our community where the community can connect and gather,” Mihalopoulos said.
Scott said she grew up in Glencoe and moved back to the village in 2011. She recently was a member of the Glencoe Council for Inclusion and Community, which got her interested in joining the Village Board.
“It broadened my horizons and I didn’t realize there was so much happening,” she said.
She identified some of the issues her colleagues now face include stewardship of the golf club project, the future of the nearly 100-year-old village water plant and hiring officers for the public safety department.
“That’s a considerable challenge in this environment,” she said.
Mihalopoulos and Scott were inaugurated as they succeed Jonathan Vree and Peter Mulvaney, who were both elected in 2015 and then served the traditional eight years.
Roin praised Vree and Mulvaney presented them resolutions honoring their efforts.
“It was my good fortune to have Jonathan and Pete on the board in the two years I have been village president,” Roin said. “It is the village’s good fortune to have their services for the last eight years.”
Vree, who was the finance committee chairman, said he was happy with the work keeping the village on solid financial ground.
“I’m proud to keep that tradition going,” he said. “It’s more keeping things in great shape.”
On a larger level, he acknowledged not all decisions are easy as many community stakeholders are involved.
“There is always the challenge of balancing what is worth doing and what may not be worth doing,” Vree said.
Roin said Trustee Gary Ruben would succeed Vree as the Village Board’s finance committee chairman.
Mulvaney mentioned his work the village’s environmental efforts as he served on the Glencoe’s Sustainability Task Force.
He took great pride in having the village remove an assault rifle that had been a part of a larger emblem after being questioned by his son why it was there.
“Getting that changed was pretty cool,” Mulvaney said.
As for another test the Village Board faced in his eight years, Mulvaney spoke of hearing from residents.
“The biggest challenge was getting the community involved and informed to make sure that we are getting feedback in making the right decisions,” he said.
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Both Vree and Mulvaney said they were open to joining other civic-related efforts in the future.
Daniel I. Dorfman is a freelance reporter with Pioneer Press.