THE JOURNAL & TOPICS NEWSPAPERS | WEDNESDAY, APRIL 30, 2008
First Year Success For Brad
'New' Mayor Stephens Marks 1-Year Anniversary At Village's Helm
By TODD WESSELL
Journal & Topics Editor
Tomorrow (Thursday) marks the one year anniversary of Brad Stephens' appointment to the village's mayoral position that his late father held for more than five decades.
The last 12 months have been a time of planning, preparation, learning and guiding for the 45-year-old Stephens who just a few months ago married. It was also a period that Stephens calls a true bright spot for him: working with a staff of professionals who strive hard to serve Rosemont's 4,200 residents.
An 18-year village board member and lifelong Rosemont resident, Stephens succeeded his father who died on Apr. 18, 2007 following a long battle with cancer. On the day he was sworn into office in village hall, the younger Stephens acknowl edged that his late father groomed him to take the reins. During his father's illness, Brad stood in for him at various functions and chaired village board meetings.
"It's never dull or boring," said Stephens during a telephone interview with the Journal Tuesday morning. "We've picked up the ball and are running with it. You realize when you meet with developer after developer that some are worthy of the meeting and others are a bit of a waste of time. They are the ones who want local land for nothing. Everybody has a deal that will save the Village of Rosemont. Not a lot of people come in who will help the village. Really they are looking to help themselves."
Still the last year for Stephens and Rosemont cannot help but be regarded as lively and successful. Like his late father, work has progressed at a brisk pace lining up developments ranging from several new hotels, hundreds of thousands of square feet of office space, new restaurants, refinancing existing bank loans, and improving the village's bond rating in order to obtain more favorable interest rates, and looking ahead to build a new giant entertainment district and land a casino.
And even with all of this, Stephens says that a top priority of his is to spend quality time with his new wife and three children. He refuses to miss the kids' baseball games and other activities.
"We have many big issues, here," Stephens explained. "There's the whole picture of redevelopment throughout the village and working on transportation needs to move people around from hotels to restaurants to bars. Not only are we looking to eliminate some of the auto traffic, but hopefully to bring more people here through new entertainment venues."
The mayor says he is confident an entertainment district will be developed along the Tri-State Tollway south of the new Movico Theater. The village, he said, plans to send representatives to the giant annual shopping center convention in Las Vegas in May where efforts will be made to encourage companies and developers to settle in Rosemont.
"Next year, hopefully I will get elected to my first full term as mayor so I can guide Rosemont in the years ahead," said Stephens. "I took a big pay cut when I took this job. But I never thought twice about it. I love getting up and going to work every day." Stephens receives an annual salary of $90,000 as mayor and another $15,000 as the village's liquor commissioner.