At what was the last Village Board meeting he would preside over as Morton Grove village president, Dan DiMaria got a send off from village leaders that left him nearly speechless.
Village trustees offered keepsakes representing his time in office, passed ordinances honoring his legacy and presented proclamations from local, state, and national figures.
“I don’t know what to say. This is all uncomfortable and awkward,” DiMaria said at one point as the tributes continued to pile up.
He also injected a bit of humor: “I’m not dead yet, by the way,” he said.
Each member of the Morton Grove Village Board took time during the May 13 meeting to express their appreciation for DiMaria’s mayoral tenure. The outgoing mayor decided not to seek reelection in the April Consolidated Election.
Trustee Saba Khan’s voice shook as she began her comments introducing a resolution that would temporarily change the road signs at Dempster Avenue and School Street to read “Dan DiMaria Drive.”
“You are the person who had introduced me to the village of Morton Grove,” Khan said. “You’ve not been a really great leader, but also a great brother.”
The resolution passed without any nays. But Trustee John Thill requested that the word “temporarily” be removed.
Some of DiMaria’s colleagues chose a musical theme to highlight his achievements, calling attention to his membership in the band “Face the Music.”
Village Clerk Eileen Scanlon Harford presented DiMaria with a concert-themed T-shirt that had a drum set on the front and his achievements as mayor listed on the back – like a series of tour dates.
“As you retire from public office, take pride in knowing that your legacy will be felt in Morton Grove for generations to come,” said Scanlon Harford before revealing the shirt design to the room.
After DiMaria was given the T-shirt, the rest of the board stood up and held up their own copies of the shirt.
DiMaria’s successor, Janine Witko, who was previously a trustee before making her mayoral bid, kept with the musical theme and announced that the band shelter at Morton Grove Days festival would be renamed in his honor as the “Mayor Danny D Sound stage.”
“We look forward to years of Mayor DiMaria continuing to entertain our residents during Morton Grove Days from the stage that will bear his name,” Witko said.
Other trustees presented letters and proclamations from state legislators, Governor JB Pritzker and Democratic U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth.
The statements all hit on similar notes, highlighting DiMaria’s success in attracting restaurants and other businesses to Morton Grove and helping to secure improvements residents had been asking for.
In his final remarks, DiMaria thanked his fellow officials and all of the civil servants who helped make his vision for the north suburban town possible. But he stressed that he didn’t want to use names out of fear that he would end up forgetting someone.
I’m gonna quote a few songs tonight. One of them is by Kenny Chesney. I’ve used it before, but ‘I didn’t get here alone.’” DiMaria said.
He also took a moment to express confidence in Witko, the incoming mayor.
“Handing the torch to Janine made it an easy decision,” he said about retiring and his successor, who ran unopposed.
Witko expressed her own appreciation for DiMaria’s mentorship.
“You’ve left a mark not just on this community, but on me,” Witko said. “And I’ll carry that with me every day.”
Alan Kozeluh is a freelancer.
