Buffalo Grove remembers longtime attorney who helped shape village

Buffalo Grove officials took time during Monday’s board meeting to pay tribute to its longtime village attorney William Raysa who died last month at 79.

Raysa was appointed village attorney in 1977, two years after receiving his law degree from Loyola Law School in Chicago, and served until 2018.

During that time, he provided the village with his expertise in governmental procedures, zoning and personnel issues.

An expert in the field of municipal annexation, he had a hand in 154 village annexations and also helped draft legislation that amended the annexation sections of the Illinois Municipal Code.

Those annexations helped create the modern Buffalo Grove, former Village President Jeffrey Braiman said Tuesday.

“He had incredible historical knowledge of the village,” Braiman said. “He was always there whenever any of us had any questions or concerns about the legal aspect of anything we were doing. He always gave good advice. He never pushed his position.”

Raysa served three years with the U.S. Army and was also in the U.S. Army Reserve as a judge advocate general before retiring with the rank of colonel.

He received the Illinois Local Government Lawyers Association's Award for Longevity of Service.

“In many respects, he was the living repository of institutional knowledge of the village and one of the key players in the conceptualization and development of the village into the community it is today,” former village Trustee Jeffrey Berman said Tuesday.

When Raysa took over as village attorney, he was following in his father’s footsteps. Richard Raysa served 19 years as village attorney.

“Buffalo Grove is 66 years old,” longtime village Clerk Janet Sirabian said during Monday’s meeting. “Bill Raysa and his father were our attorneys for the first 60 years, so they had a significant impact on what this community has become today.”

Beyond his work as an attorney, Raysa was remembered for his humanity.

“I worked with Bill closely for 40 years,” Sirabian added. “Bill Raysa was one of the nicest, kindest, most helpful, ethical, generous people that I've ever met. He never had a bad word to say about anybody, and he will be missed.”