Campton Hills deputy clerk resigns to head back to school

Campton Hills Deputy Clerk Bill Beith, who helped organize the village's incorporation in 2007, has resigned to focus on a master's degree in public administration.

Beith, 57, said his last day at village hall was Wednesday, though his college studies are likely to bring him back often for research.

He said his concentration of study at Northern Illinois University in DeKalb is urban management, with a thesis on, fittingly, municipal incorporations.

"My paper will be looking at what led up to (the incorporations of) Homer Glen and Campton Hills," he said. "There's a lot of regional development pressures, and these lead to other problems and issues. The only way to get a seat at the table, to have your voice heard, is to incorporate."

The resignation comes just weeks after the village's first police chief announced his departure for a job in Oak Park. Like outgoing Police Chief Greg Anderson, Beith said he is leaving on good terms.

"I'm sad to be going, but it's a growth opportunity I couldn't pass up," he said. "Together, working with (Village President) Patsy Smith, the boards and both clerks, we've learned a lot and made meaningful contributions."

Beith has been among Smith's closest allies in the village's controversial incorporation two years ago and its day-to-day operations since.

A volunteer-turned-employee, Beith helped open and run village hall as deputy clerk, a job with broad duties that included answering phones, assisting the village clerk, and doing odd jobs as needed.

"It's just not going to be the same without Bill Beith at the front desk," Smith said Thursday. "We just wish him the best with his educational pursuits."

Beith, a retired mental health specialist, also is a home recording artist who designed a brand of reverb and has produced music and taught college recording classes.