'Reluctant Mayor' Gives Last Speech To Elmhurst Council

Elmhurst IL

26 April, 2021

8:32 AM

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ELMHURST, IL — Elmhurst Steve Mayor said in a speech last week that he spent the last eight years as mayor trying to avoid talking about himself. "If I had help with my speeches, I had the I's taken out and turned them into we's or what have you," Morley said in his final speech to the City Council. "I had the campaign manager the first time I ran, Jeff Redick, and I said to him at the very first meeting we had, 'Well, the only problem I have about running for mayor is I don't like to talk about myself'... He said, 'Yeah, well, you're gonna have to get over that.'" Morley said he had to talk about himself for four months in his campaign. But he said he was lucky he didn't have to repeat that experience because he ran unopposed in 2017. Morley, an alderman for six years before becoming mayor, said he had no goal to serve as mayor while a council member. He said other aldermen turned to him to run. Ultimately, he said 10 of the City Council's 14 members supported his bid. "So I kind of looked at myself as the reluctant mayor, but I was happy to do it," Morley said. "Any successes we have achieved over the past eight years are as a team. He said it was daunting serving as mayor in one's hometown because "you really don't want to screw up." "You give it your all every chance you get," Morley said. Morley cited among his mentors — his late stepfather and former Republican state Rep. Gene Hoffman, who taught the mayor that politics could be honorable; former Mayor Tom Marcucci, who knew how to control a council meeting, the "herding of 14 cats"; and former Alderwoman Susan Rose, "who taught me to take the politics out of it and just do your job." Morley praised a number of officials, including City Manager Jim Grabowski. "A lot of residents don't know Jim, and the city manager is kind of put in this thankless job where they're not supposed to be in the limelight, but the guy we give the money to and he's supposed to make the tough decisions," Morley said. "Jim's very good at taking responsibility when the buck stops here." He said residents should know Grabowski is the "best we have for the job. He makes my job easier." Morley decided against running for another term in the April 6 election. Alderman Scott Levin, who defeated two other candidates, takes office May 3.