Robert Gilliam, a lifelong Elgin resident and the city’s longest serving council member passed away on the morning of Dec. 30 at the age of 69. He served on Elgin’s city council for 40 years, from 1973 to 2013, the longest tenure of any councilperson in Illinois outside of Chicago. The Elgin City Council voted unanimously to honor Gilliam’s leadership and commitment to public service by renaming city hall and the civic plaza to The Robert Gilliam Municipal Complex, marked by a dedication ceremony in September 2014. Under Gilliam’s leadership, the City of Elgin undertook several major projects to ensure the safety of employees and residents and the continued delivery of services, including the construction of the police station, Leo Nelson Water Treatment Facility, fire stations 6 and 7, among many others. His creativity and perseverance to negotiate intricate and exciting projects have added tremendous value to the community such as construction of the Centre of Elgin, Festival Park, The Highlands and Bowes Creek Golf Courses and the Riverside Promenade. In the 40 years that Gilliam was involved in the budget, he helped guide the city through several recessions. During his tenure on city council, he improved the city’s credit rating to AAA, (the best municipal rating in the country) thus providing the city an enviable level of fiscal stability. “Bob’s tenure as city councilman was marked by extraordinary accomplishments, all unified by the goal of making Elgin the best community for future generations to enjoy,” said Sean Stegall, city manager. “His perseverance and dedication were unmatched. I am honored to have worked under the leadership of such an incredible man.” Gilliam’s legacy is his calm and reasoned leadership paired with a personal style that is compassionate and kind. Through the years, Gilliam contributed a steady hand and eye towards the long term and his wisdom and foresight were a reassuring force in Elgin city government. His determination helped lead the city through the difficult decades of the 1970’s and 1980’s to a period of unprecedented growth and revitalization and remained committed to nurturing and restoring the city’s older neighborhoods and serving the needs of a culturally diverse community. On numerous occasions, Gilliam expressed his pride in the construction of the Leo Nelson Water Treatment Facility. Gilliam worked with then city manager Leo Nelson, and his colleagues on the city council, to advocate for the construction of the Riverside Water Treatment Plant. True to character, Gilliam looked ahead to the future needs of the community instead of reacting to current political pressures. He knew that making Elgin independent from relying on Chicago and using the Fox River to provide the water supply would, in future years, help Elgin attract new businesses and development and provide a guaranteed and unlimited quality supply of clean, reliable water to its residents. Gilliam is a former School District U-46 employee who retired in 2002 after 34 years of service in a variety of capacities, including as a teacher, dean of students, personnel assistant, and assistant superintendent. He was also a commissioner of the Elgin Housing Authority for 25 years, from 1988 through 2013. He is survived by his wife, Marianne, and two children. –Suburban Chronicle news sources The post Gilliam served Elgin for 40 years on council appeared first on Chronicle Media.
Posted on: Wed, 07 Jan 2015 07:39:14 +0000