Pradel pledges to 'still be around' in Naperville after retiring as mayor
Naperville Mayor George Pradel keeps his rooms full of people, his words full of gratitude, his heart full of kindness, his weekends full of fundraisers and his downtime full of family.
He keeps his mind full of Naperville — the city's past, present and future, its police and firefighters and government employees, its schools and parks, businesses and nonprofits, leaders and average residents, and of course, its children.
Pradel keeps his hands full, even as he approaches Sunday, his final day in office. Most of all, he keeps his calendar full.
Being busy is the best way to preserve the routine Pradel has known for the past 20 years as mayor — be everywhere, greet everyone, always bring a smile and don't forget the booming voice, “Welcome to Naperville!”
Being busy is the only way to avoid the saddest parts of Pradel's tenure coming to a close: completing the “terrible” task of cleaning out his office and coming to terms, emotionally, with the drastic changes this will bring in the life of the 77-year-old who always has called Naperville home.
It's taking a long time, Pradel says, to sort through mementos and letters and all the artifacts from leading a city for longer than every teenage resident's life — and not just leading that city, but winning the admiration of many of its residents.
“I'm a sentimental person, so I save everything,” he says during one of his final days in office. “I have mixed emotions about how to just take all the past and throw it in the trash because I think about the interactions I've had with people in town.”
On a recent Thursday in his fifth mayoral term, those interactions continue.
There's a radio show in the morning and a Rotary lunch at noon. A liquor license seminar for hundreds of licensees in the afternoon and a fundraising concert for the nonprofit KidsMatter in the evening.
The chair to Pradel's right sits open during a Rotary lunch of duck leg confit with cinnamon apples, wild mushrooms and white wine sauce over sweet rice. But it keeps filling up as seemingly everyone in the 80-person crowd needs a turn to greet Naperville's biggest cheerleader, shake his hand and personally thank him.
Pradel applauds heartily when a representative of the nonprofit 360 Youth Services tells the story of a formerly homeless man who now has a job and a promotion and is taking classes toward an associate degree. He sheds small tears when a teen four years removed from suffering devastating injuries in a car crash shares the story of her recovery. He's present not just in body but in mind and spirit.
“George really feels things,” says Jim Rothermel, who sits to Pradel's left during what could have been his last Rotary lunch as mayor.
“He's really emotional about the end of his service to the community,” says Paul Lehman, who sits two seats to the left. “It wasn't really a job for him.”
Being liquor commissioner wasn't a job Pradel ever envisioned for himself, he tells a crowd of more than 300 gathered at the municipal center to pick up their liquor licenses for the city's next fiscal year. But then again, neither was mayor, and neither was police officer — a job Pradel held for 29 years until the day before he was sworn in for his first term.
“That's the way life goes,” he says.
On this afternoon, he's wrapping up one of his final duties as liquor commissioner, presiding over the annual liquor seminar designed to bring license holders up to speed on relevant changes to local or state code. He strides into the council chambers at 1:57 p.m. and has time for a couple of brief conversations.
And by exactly 2 p.m. he's up on stage.
“Welcome,” he begins, in the same voice he uses to celebrate a new business opening or to start the annual Bubble Bash countdown to noon on New Year's Eve at the DuPage Children's Museum. “It's very important that you're here.”
He introduces himself, as if anyone doesn't know who he is.
“My name is George and I'm the mayor of Naperville for ...” — he starts a countdown, then admits his tenure lasts only a few more days.
Each of the next eight speakers takes his or her opportunity to add to the barrage of thanks Pradel has been receiving since nearly a year ago, when the Naperville Area Chamber of Commerce kicked off a period of gratitude to the city's longest-serving mayor by giving him its Lifetime Achievement Award.
Scott Wehrli, a liquor commissioner and Naperville Development Partnership board member, says what everyone says when they have to take the podium after the ebullient Marine veteran.
“Nobody ever wants to follow Mayor Pradel,” Wehrli begins, before praising what he sees as Pradel's biggest contribution to the management of liquor service in the city.
“Cooperation is the legacy I want you to remember of Mayor Pradel's tenure as liquor commissioner,” Wehrli says. “He was tough, he was fair, but overall, he cared.”
The meeting ends and Pradel asks everyone who's about to exit for the lower-level parking garage to head instead to the lunchroom and enjoy a piece of cake.
One woman grabs a final selfie with the mayor. Another restaurateur tells of his father's long-standing respect for Pradel and of plans to name a sandwich after the retiring leader. Everyone asks: What is Pradel going to do next?
“I don't feel like I'm going to walk out the door Sunday and it's over,” the mayor says.
It can't be over just like that. It's been his life for the past two decades, this handshaking, hometown-promoting, meeting-leading life as Naperville's frontman.
“I really would like to stay with it as much as I can,” he says.
While he hasn't had specific discussions with Mayor-elect Steve Chirico, Pradel plans to stay involved.
He's envisioning a new title, something along the lines of “Mayor Emeritus,” “Naperville Cheerleader” or “Naperville Ambassador.” He knows plenty of people in town, old-timers and newcomers alike, will continue to call him “mayor.” And he doesn't expect any fewer phone calls inviting him to community functions, fundraising events or ribbon-cuttings.
When those calls come, it's not that he'll say “no,” because Pradel admits he isn't good at turning anyone down. But he plans to remind each event organizer who requests his presence that Naperville has a new mayor, and Chirico is who they should invite if they want a word from the city's elected leader.
Pradel says he knows his desire for a continuation of official status, granted by some sort of title, is just him being selfish.
“People will always honor my contributions to Naperville,” Pradel says, and he knows that will be true with or without a new title.
But Pradel wants to become “Mayor Emeritus.” That's his answer when many in the long line of liquor license holders ask about his next steps. He knows how to act the part, and he trusts he'll get it.
Pradel is looking forward to more time with his wife, Pat, who has bone cancer but still made it to Pradel's final State of the City address in January. He's planning to stay busy until the moment his tenure ends.
The last event on his mayoral calendar — starting the race for the 360 Youth Services Spring Ahead 5K, 10K, high-heeled dash, wheelchair sprint and obstacle course — comes Sunday, May 3, the very morning of the ceremony to swear in the city's new mayor and council members.
Until that final moment as mayor, the refrain will remain the same: “We're going to miss you as mayor,” the city is saying to Pradel.
His response is always the same.
“I'll still be around.”