Many want to be mayor, but is it worth the hype?
Everyone wants to be mayor, it seems.
On Tuesday, Election Day, dozens of Northwest suburb residents - from sitting trustees and aldermen to ordinary citizens - will strive to rule the roost in their towns.
And that's beside the many incumbent mayors and village presidents looking to hang onto those jobs.
If growing up to be president is an ambition in the same lofty league as going to the moon, getting elected mayor has always been a more down-to-earth goal - like starting one's own business.
One of the hotter mayoral races Tuesday is in Palatine, where longtime incumbent Rita Mullins is fending off a three-way challenge from ex-councilman Warren Kostka, former Chicago Bear Jim Schwantz and local businessman Vito Manola.
With term limits ending the rule of Des Plaines Mayor Tony Arredia, his job is up for grabs among Ward 2 Alderman Martin Moylan, former 4th Ward Alderman Dick Sayad, former Maine Township Supervisor Mark Thompson and retired precision machinist Mike Lake.
Control of the Wheeling village president's job is being contested by current trustees Judy Abruscato and Patrick Horcher as well as Chicago Executive Airport board member David Kolssak.
Barrington Hills, Deer Park, Lake Barrington and Streamwood are among the villages where sitting trustees are challenging incumbent presidents. In Inverness, insurance executive Nanci Staten Robinson hopes to start her involvement in local government at the top, by ousting longtime Village President Jack Tatooles.
While the job of mayor comes with an expectation of prestige and authority to get things done, some who have the job say there's some truth - and some myth - to that.
"I think sometimes there's a perception that the mayor actually makes decisions," laughed Schaumburg Mayor Al Larson, who's in the midst of his sixth term. "But you eventually realize you have to find consensus with your fellow board members."
Larson said he's seen first-term mayors who felt the job allowed them to boss around and even insult other board members. In most cases, they ended up one-term mayors.
"The only power a mayor has, the only power I have, is the power of persuasion," Larson said.
While in many suburbs the mayor votes only to break ties, the position does allow more authority than that of trustee or alderman to set the agenda. Citizens and the press seem to think mayors have something to say, Larson joked.
But there's certainly truth to the notion that recognition and opportunities come with the job. Larson said he's been invited to many ribbon-cuttings, golf outings and even to the Rose Garden of the White House as a result of being mayor.
He's enjoyed meeting with students and scouts over the years, but one humbling moment came when he was recognized by a wedding party at Schaumburg's Renaissance Hotel. The groom told him that Larson had once spoken to his fourth-grade class.
Barrington Village President Karen Darch, who's uncontested in her re-election bid, said the job brings the obligation to be the face of the government at all times, both good and bad.
"It's not a 9-to-5 job," she said. "You are the head of the government to the outside world, and the head of the government in running the meetings."
Like Larson, she said the job has allowed her to be part of many positive events. But even after a decade as a trustee, there were aspects of the village presidency she didn't discover until after her election four years ago.
And while prior government experience can be most helpful in being mayor, Darch said it's not absolutely necessary if you've got the right attitude and have acquired the right skills in other areas of life.