Retired Westmont mayor Bill Rahn reflects on 30 years of service with the village

After 30 years of public service in Westmont — including 13 as mayor — Bill Rahn is ready to step aside.

Rahn retired from the mayor’s position earlier this month, citing his health and a desire to spend more time with his family.

After living in the village all his life, Rahn looks back at his public service with the village, what he is most proud of, his biggest challenges as mayor and where he sees the village going in the future.

Q: After 30 years in public service, and 13 years as mayor, why did you decide that now was the time to retire?
A: My term as mayor was set to expire this April, and I decided this was the best time to retire. I have had some health issues, and have not been well enough to attend board meetings.
Last year, I contracted the H1N1 virus, and just as I was getting over it last fall, I caught another flu called C. diff (Clostridium difficile) that set back my recovery. Because of this, I cannot do the duties of the position anymore.

I have accomplished all I wanted to do, and it is time to step aside and let new, younger people lead. I also want to spend more time with my family. I have son who lives in Wisconsin, and it will give me more time to visit him.

Q: What are you most proud of that was accomplished under your leadership?
A: Being able to bring in more businesses in to Westmont. Our strip of car dealers along Ogden Avenue is world class ... (they bring in) millions of dollars each year in sales tax. My goal has always been to do my part to keep up with out motto of Westmont being "the progressive village", and I believe we have been able to do that. Things were going really well until the recession hit, and that set us, and every other community, back. But we have always been frugal when it comes to spending money, and the village has very little if any debt and that will really benefit us we move forward.

One of the biggest things I am most proud of is the staff that we now have in place at the village. When I became mayor, we had people in positions that they were not qualified for. Now, I believe we have the best staff that you will find anywhere. People like Steve May, our public works director, Dave Weiss, our fire chief, and many others. They are the best at what they do.

Q: In the upcoming April election, the village will have a new mayor and three new trustees on the Westmont Village Board. Is the village in good hands with a leadership change?
A: It is important that the right people get elected in the spring. During my last term, members of the village board were not on the same page at some times. I won't name names, but there has been some bullying going on among at least one trustee, and that has set us back somewhat as a village. It is important that we get people on the board who not only have fresh ideas, but can work together for the good of the village.

... Ron Gunter, the only candidate who has filed to run for mayor, will be a great person to be mayor, and his involvement in the village over the years has been unprecedented.

Q: What are the biggest challenges the new village board will face?
A: The first will be how the loss of home rule status will hurt us. Things such as not being able to use hotel-motel tax revenue in the operating budget will be a challenge in how to make that up in the budget.
The village will also need to continue with implementing the South Westmont Business District Tax Increment Finance District. There has been some opposition to it, and some property owners are asking to be exempt. But I think setting up this TIF, the first in the history of the village, is important to redevelop the south corridor near 63rd Street.

... Our police department is also understaffed due to budget constraints, and that is something the new leaders will also have to look at.

Q: As you leave public service, where do you see the village in five years?
A: In five years, I hope we will start to see the results of the TIF project, and we can get in a big box retailer on that vacant land on 63rd Street, and hopefully address some of the issues in downtown and bring in some businesses that will invigorate the downtown area. We have a lot of good restaurants there, but we need more for people to do in downtown Westmont.

... The location of our village, being right in the middle of everything in the Chicago area, is an ideal thing that we need to continue to build on.