Fox Valley mayors look back on 2020

The Daily Herald asked Fox Valley mayors and village presidents to look back on 2020 and identify the greatest accomplishment in their community. Here's what they said ...

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Debby Sosine, Algonquin

Adapt. We adapted our budget to address revenue losses and kept it balanced without layoffs or reducing services. We adapted our online services to meet community need and keep our employees and residents safe. We provided pathways for restaurants to serve outdoors. We reduced our water/sewer rates to support those struggling in our community. Algonquin continues to rise to the challenges it faces.

<h3 class="leadin">Richard Irvin, Aurora

During this year of uncertainty, we have come together in Aurora to focus on health and safety amid COVID-19 and doubled down in other areas as well. Even during the pandemic, the City of Lights has continued to see progress in economic development, public safety, education, and community engagement.

<h3 class="leadin">Jeffery Schielke, Batavia

A most important event took place this past year directly impacting the future of Batavia with the ground breaking and commencement of construction of the newest accelerator at Fermilab. Since Fermi's arrival in our town on Dec. 16, 1966, we have enjoyed the presence of a well run research facility which has been recognized for its involvement in the creation of the internet and invention of the MRI medical research device, both of which have enjoyed massive positive international acclaim. The newest project underway will no doubt lead to further good work for our world.

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Mark Kownick, Cary

This year has been a challenging year, but the village of Cary still made 2020 a productive year. We are proud to say that we completed the design and started construction on our new Municipal Center that will house our village hall and police department operations.

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John Skillman, Carpentersville

Carpentersville has had great success converting distressed properties into new opportunities for development. The Huntley Square building is being demolished, and we have had several interested developers express interest in establishing a sustained long-term business model there. We are also taking possession of the M & M Paving property in midtown, and we are in discussions with developers for that property as well. We are actively pursuing several other new business and development opportunities throughout the town, from east to west, and are excited to see Carpentersville become a destination for new businesses.

<h3 class="leadin">Dave Kaptain, Elgin

The Elgin community came to grips with the COVID pandemic and the death of George Floyd in a peaceful and productive manner in 2020. Conversations and learning opportunities on racial bias and policing have started to augment those already in existence. Elgin health professionals have taken a leadership role in combating the virus.

<h3 class="leadin">Kevin Burns, Geneva

The most important thing Geneva accomplished in 2020 was navigating the unexpected, untested and unimaginable impact of a global pandemic while continuing to provide essential city services, financial relief to citizens and businesses and positioning Geneva for a strong 2021 fiscal year.

<h3 class="leadin">Jeffrey Magnussen, Hampshire

The first item we accomplished was a flood relief project on Highland Avenue. That was finished in December. The other major accomplishment is that the village was approved to move forward with our $1 million downtown streetscape project. The project will be 100% funded through DCEO.

<h3 class="leadin">Dale Berman, North Aurora

The largest accomplishment for the village of North Aurora was the completion of our Silo Restoration and Illumination Project. The village has been working for some time to establish a community focal point as we do not have a traditional downtown. Being able to preserve the silo and keep that historical element of North Aurora's history, as well as highlight our beautiful parks and the Fox River, was incredibly important to me. I'm delighted to be able to share this literal beacon with our community for them to enjoy for many, many years to come. The village has been invested in this project since 2017, and we have worked incredibly hard to see it not only come to fruition but be as cost efficient as possible. It is an incredible addition to our community and we could not be happier with how it all came together.

<h3 class="leadin">Steve Ward, South Elgin

Our Panton Mill Park project was our big project of 2020. We now have a riverfront park with a permanent band shell, pavilion, concession stand/permanent bathrooms. We even have a splash pad for the kids in the summer to use. Looking forward to using it next year for our Riverfest, concerts in the park and other events.

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Ray Rogina, St. Charles

The city of St. Charles was able to navigate COVID waters with determination and creativity. An active Chamber of Commerce and Business Alliance disseminated information, the city council provided relaxed policies to accommodate unpredictable pandemic swings, and city staff reallocated resources to respond to community needs.

<h3 class="leadin">Sean Michels, Sugar Grove

Sugar Grove accomplished the intersection improvements at Route 47 and Bliss Road. These improvements also included pedestrian crossings so that residents can safely cross Route 47 to get to the Virgil Gilman Trail. The other major project was the completion of the quiet zone on Gordon Road. This allows trains to travel through town without blowing their horn. For residents living close to the railroad, this has been a wish for 15 years.

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Christopher Nelson, West Dundee

This year required extraordinary and difficult decisions to be made for the village of West Dundee. The year began with such promising fashion but then quickly deteriorated into a pandemic with shutdowns of major sections of our business community and our economy, along with societal concerns over social injustice.

The year has really required the village to be adaptive and responsive to our business community constituents and larger community as a whole.

Overall, 2020 has been a challenging year for both the area and the West Dundee community but I believe we have met the challenges we were faced with and, given our strong foundation and principles, had the resources and ability to mitigate the impact this difficult year has had on everyone.