Accolades pour in for Aurora Mayor Tom Weisner as he prepares to step down
Come Sunday, Aurora Mayor Tom Weisner is going to have more free time than he's had in decades. And he's going to need it learn how to ice skate and practice his hip-hop dance moves.
The Rotary Club of Aurora's renaming of the annual Festival of Lights skating pond after the resigning mayor and the Simply Destinee youth dance group naming him an "official honorary dance team member" were just a few of the accolades laid upon the mayor during Monday evening's farewell open house celebrating Weisner and his nearly 12 years at the helm of Illinois' second-largest city.
From representatives of the city's aldermen's office to U.S. Rep. Bill Foster to the Rev. Julian Spencer of Main Baptist Church, community members lined up in the Grand Gallery of the Paramount Theater to praise Weisner and his wife, Marilyn.
"When I came into public service, I knew everything that a scientist knows about the business of politics, and so I talked to Tom a lot. And what I found is that every time an issue came up, the thing that was his core principal was 'What can I do, realistically, to help improve this for people?'" Foster said. "And that is why Aurora has seen such a tremendous upward growth as Tom has been mayor."
The three-term mayor announced in late August that he will step down Sunday, saying his long-running battle with colon cancer has taken a toll and that he no longer can meet his job expectations.
On Monday night, Weisner thanked the city's employees and residents for making the job he loves so easy.
"While I'm getting these accolades tonight, the reality is the people in the room right now and the people who have already gone made my job so easy. They're always involved in making this community a better place," a teary-eyed Weisner said. "No matter the problem, there have always been people willing to step up and move the city forward.
Weisner ran unopposed when he was elected to his third term in April 2013.
In listing his accomplishments, he has pointed to the revitalization of the city's riverfront - including creation of RiverEdge Park - promotion of improved development practices, and reductions in crime.
Before being elected mayor, Weisner spent nearly 20 years overseeing a variety of city operations, including emergency management, public properties and organizational development.
Before becoming active in the city, he and his wife served in the Peace Corps, helping people who lived in the rainforest in the highlands of Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands.
Yorkville Alderman Joel Frieders, a longtime family friend of the Weisners, said he admired their Peace Corps service so much that he also joined. He then decided to run for local office and said he has leaned on Weisner heavily.
"I'm going to take this torch from you, and I'm going to run really far really fast," Frieders said. "Nice work, man."
Robert J. O'Connor, a 31-year veteran of the Aurora City Council, will assume the city's mayoral duties Monday.