Since 1990, Glencoe has had six village presidents, five village managers and scores of village board trustees.
And then there has been David Mau.
Mau, the village’s public works director since 1996, is set to retire August 1, concluding a 33-year run in Glencoe.
“It is just time,” Mau said in an interview. “I love the work I do and the people I work with but the grind of the schedule takes its toll. For the past year, I have focused on finishing some projects that were ongoing and prepared to hand the reins of the department off to someone new. Nothing more than that.”
At the July 20 Village Board meeting, Village President Howard Roin read a proclamation honoring Mau listing a series of his accomplishments and highlighting notable moments of his time leading the public works department.
“I don’t know how we are going to go on,” Roin said.
Village Manager Phil Kiraly reflected on a professional relationship dating back nearly 10 years as Kiraly was hired in late 2013.
“I don’t know if there is a corner of this place that Dave doesn’t know, hasn’t been knee deep in, hasn’t had some conversation with some resident at some point about,” Kiraly said, his voice occasionally quivering. “As a resident of this community I sleep better at night knowing the work that he and his team have done make Glencoe a better place. I’m just grateful that I’ve had the opportunity to work with him for this past decade.”
Mau spoke briefly at the meeting thanking both past and present colleagues but in an interview he recalled how he came to Glencoe. He remembered after college he worked for a large general contractor with stops in Kansas and Texas where he often worked with municipal employees.
“I saw that it was a good fit for me to be on the local government side with those kinds of public improvements and services,” he said.
He also wanted some more stability as he went through four moves in six years.
“I was ready to put some roots down,” he said.
Initially hired in Glencoe as assistant village engineer in 1990, Mau was later named deputy director of public works and then, when public works director Robert Hogue was promoted to village manager, Mau moved to the top spot in the department in 1996.
The village proclamation lists many accomplishments under Mau including the redevelopment of the Lakewood Drive Timber Bridge, enhancements and redesign of Tudor Court, the renovation of the village’s public works garage and restoration of the Village Hall cupola.
“I’ve been fortunate to be with the department during a period of fairly intense focus on the village’s capital infrastructure,” Mau said, adding there was a time in the 1970s and 1980s when that was not as much of a village priority.
Technology has also evolved in many ways since 1996, one of them being predictions of the weather.
“The upgrades in forecasting services allows the department to be better prepared for storm events so we are not often surprised with what is coming at us,” Mau notes. “That helps us to better respond when they get here.”
Today, Mau oversees a department of 44 full time employees and expressed gratitude that he was part of what describes as an “excellent” management team, which he believes has recruited many highly qualified individuals to work for the village.
He offers no regrets about his run.
“Any mistakes along the way were just learning experiences,” he said.
Yet it is a time-consuming role, Mau points out. At the Village Board meeting, he estimated he has attended over 900 meetings and he acknowledges he will not miss the grind of the position.
“To do the job well, at times it is seven days a week and meetings are part of that,” he said.
He has no specific plans in his future outside of spending more time with his grandchildren and doing some traveling, but he does leave the door open to volunteer opportunities.
Mau believes he will miss most the relationships with the staff, elected officials and Glencoe’s residents.
“When you are fortunate enough to be somewhere this long, you do develop friendships and professional relationships. That is what I miss,” he said. “The people made it the most rewarding.”
Kiraly said Public Works General Superintendent Don Kirk would serve as interim public works director until a permanent replacement is hired.
Daniel I. Dorfman is a freelance reporter with Pioneer Press.
