VFW post deeply grateful to Mike Kelly

All I know in the matter of lawyer and Mayor Mike Kelly is that he was reported to be late paying his property tax installments. Truth is, if those taxes go much higher and if some kind of relief is not devised, there are oldsters by the hundreds that will join the ranks of late payers and defaulters. But that latter is not what I really wanted to talk about.

I wanted to talk about the Mike Kelly the members of VFW Post 5151 know.

For years, lawyer Mike Kelly has been the legal advocate and spokesman for this VFW Post, and always on a pro-bono basis. On numerous occasions our post has turned to Mike for help in areas where we were not versed and in all circumstances he provided the correct action.

VFW Post 5151 will never forget the police escort and return greeting that Mike, as Hanover Township supervisor, provided for the busload of World War II veterans who were privileged to travel to Washington D.C. to spend a never-to-be-forgotten day at the World War II Memorial. There were tears of gratitude in the eyes of these 80-some-year-old men.

VFW Post 5151 will never forget the dozens of hours Mike spent in guiding us through a difficult new lease arrangement. He gave freely of himself and his time when I suspect there might have been billable hours elsewhere.

Let he, (or she as the case may be), who have never missed a deadline, or been late with a payment, let them raise on high their hands so that God may verify them. He (God) could count them with his fingers and with one hand held behind his back. Let them cast their stones in the house with the iron shutters and the roof of steel where no light will ever shine through.

We limit our judgment to the Mike Kelly we knew.

Joseph Russell Vannier

Former Commander, VFW Post 5151

Hoffman Estates