Fall sidelines Prospect Heights alderman

John Styler, alderman of Prospect Heights' Second Ward, is very active, especially for his 83 years.

But Styler's determination to do things himself got him into trouble earlier this month.

On April 12, Styler successfully put his outdoor Christmas decorations up in the attic of his garage in the Rob Roy community. Then on his way down the ladder, Styler stepped off the second step, thinking it was the bottom one.

As he was falling, his first thought was of his new, replaced knees. He managed to protect those, but broke his wrist and a heel in the fall.

“It's really miserable,” the alderman said in a phone interview this week. “All I can do is watch TV from a wheelchair.”

Styler will be using a wheelchair for at least another month, including for his trip to the annual Mayor's Community Breakfast, which he organized. The event takes place Saturday, May 3, at Atlantis Banquet Hall, 1273 N. Rand Road.

After the accident Styler attended a city council meeting by telephone because he thought it was important to take part in the unanimous vote naming the new city administrator, Kenneth Lopez.