Ald. William Donnell said this week he will retire from his 4th Ward aldermanic seat at the end of his current term in the spring of 2025 after 12 years on the Aurora City Council.
Before running for the 4th Ward seat, Donnell served 27 years with the Fox Valley Park District – the job he retired from – and spent several years before that working in the public sector in his hometown of Columbus, Indiana.
While working at the Fox Valley Park District, Donnell spent 26 years on the Aurora Planning Commission, 10 of those years as chairman.
“I think it’s time,” Donnell said. “I’ve really enjoyed serving as an alderman, I really have.”
Donnell said by announcing his intention to resign now, it gives anyone interested in running plenty of time to consider it, and pass nominating petitions. He said he has no one in mind to replace him, and is not endorsing anyone right now.
The alderman called the redevelopment of the former Copley Hospital campus into Bloomhaven as “the big project” in his ward during his 12 years. He said before the redevelopment, his neighborhood meetings were packed, and the Copley campus was the main topic.
Now, there are fewer people at the meetings, it’s never a topic and the meetings are held in the East Aurora School District administration building that was part of the redevelopment.
“I give credit to the mayor,” Donnell said. “I certainly was a champion for that project.”
He also said he is pleased with “the transformation of the Aurora University neighborhood,” part of which lies in the 4th Ward.
He said the city’s new boarding house ordinance was a big factor in getting cars off the street, as well as the parking garage built by the university.
Donnell also said he is pleased with the support he has shown for the work establishing more residences, restaurants and entertainment entities downtown, even though it’s not in his ward.
“After people are done asking about their neighborhood, they ask about downtown,” he said.
The 4th Ward is one of the two wards that run across the river onto both the west and east sides of town. It presents a diverse set of issues.
Donnell said he lived on the East Side before moving to the West Side, and said he understood issues on both sides of town.
“I listen to people,” he said. “People call me with big problems and small problems.”
slord@tribpub.com