Trustee says goodbye as Elburn welcomes rookies

Elburn leaders bid a fond farewell to a longtime village trustee Monday and welcomed several new members to its board.

Jeff Metcalf sat in on his final village board meeting after serving for eight years and turned over his seat to Patricia Romke, who was elected in April. Metcalf decided not to seek re-election to the board in order to concentrate on the growth of his Kaneville-based business.

"It's been a pleasant eight years with Jeff Metcalf on the board," Elburn Village President James Willey said.

The departure did not come easy for Metcalf, who said his decision not to seek another term on the board was a difficult one.

"We've accomplished a lot on this board and in this building," he said. "Elburn is a great place to live and work, and I'm proud to live here."

Metcalf will not completely disappear from Elburn village government. On Monday, Willey appointed him as a member of the zoning board of appeals.

In the process of building a new home in Elburn's Blackberry Creek subdivision, he says he looks forward to paying the village impact fees.

Romke was sworn in as a trustee by Willey after Metcalf's departure.

Several others were appointed to positions with the village including; part-time patrol officer Jonathon Hyslop of Sugar Grove, a 26-year law enforcement veteran of the DuPage County sheriff's police department, and Erich Schlachta of DeKalb, who joined the Elburn Police Department in 1998, and was recently promoted to corporal.

Village trustees also approved Willey's appointment of Paul Molitor to the Planning Commission and Tree Board.

By Charlotte Norgaard
Daily Herald Correspondent

Posted On: May 2007