Aurora rep leaving Kane board
Arlene Shoemaker's second stint on the Kane County Board will soon come to an end, but this fan of the forest preserves plans to continue her work.
"The forest preserve has really been one of the most important things to me on the county," Shoemaker, 78, said.
Shoemaker, D-Aurora, is retiring early from her District 3 seat, ahead of the 2010 elections.
On Tuesday, the County Board is expected to vote on the appointment of Aurora resident Jennifer Laesch to replace Shoemaker.
Laesch is the wife of John Laesch, who ran against Bill Foster in the 14th Congressional District Democratic primary. She worked as her husband's campaign manager for part of his run.
Jennifer Laesch also will face Juan Reyna of Aurora in the February Democratic primary.
Shoemaker said she had asked Laesch to run.
"I think she is smart and she cares. That's what I think about her," Shoemaker said.
Shoemaker served in the District 3 seat before retiring from the board in the 1990s. While on the board the first time around, she become the first Democrat and first woman to serve as president of the Kane County Forest Preserve District, Shoemaker said.
Ken Griffin, who was serving in the County Board District 3 seat in 2006, approached Shoemaker about replacing him after he retired.
"He said, 'You can still talk and you can still think,'" Shoemaker said.
Shoemaker plans to volunteer for the forest preserve and work on community outreach. She said she wants to research and document the histories of the county's forest preserve areas that remain unknown.
"Nobody knows the history of them," Shoemaker said.
Shoemaker also plans to help develop a program to generate more community awareness of the district, in part by having forest preserve staff, volunteers and board members reach out to the community. Part of the public relations also will include developing a new Web site for the district.
Though she is moving to a smaller townhouse, Shoemaker said she intends to still be a part of her district.
"I'll still be serving the East Side all my life," Shoemaker said.
