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Callero not seeking another Niles mayoral term
Niles Village President Robert M. Callero has announced he will not seek re-election in April. | Dan Luedert~Sun-Times Media
Updated: March 4, 2013 1:50AM
NILES — After dedicating many years of service to the village of Niles, most recently as village president, Robert Callero has confirmed he will not be seeking re-election in the April mayoral race.
Appointed village president in 2008 and elected to the seat in 2009, Callero issued a formal statement on Dec. 26, saying he will not run for another four-year term. Callero told the Niles Herald-Spectator he would have run for re-election if he did not believe there were any other qualified candidates who could do the job.
“It was a hard decision,” Callero acknowledged. “I would not leave the village in unwelcome hands.”
Callero said he is strongly supporting Trustee Andrew Przybylo in his mayoral bid. Also running for the seat is Trustee Chris Hanusiak.
A resident of Niles for more than 50 years, Callero joined the Pension and Fire Board in 1975. He was appointed trustee in 1995 and elected to the seat in 1997. The Village Board appointed him village president after the resignation of Nicholas Blase who led the village for over four decades.
At 75 years old, Callero said he is looking forward to spending time with his family and playing some golf.
“I’ll miss the people in administration,” he said. “People don’t realize how much these (employees) love Niles.”
Callero commended the employees of the village who dedicate much time and hard work to Niles’ success.
“With the help of our Niles employees we were able to bring new businesses into Niles, increasing our sales-tax receipts and enabling us to keep our real-estate taxes as one of the lowest in the surrounding communities,” Callero said in his statement.
He also stated that during his mayoral tenure the village began a beautification program for Milwaukee Avenue, initiated a program to help control flooding, formed an Ethics Committee and ethics plan, formed a comprehensive plan guiding the village through 2030 and was named the Best Place in the U.S. to Raise Kids by Bloomberg’s Businessweek.
“I trust our next mayor will continue these and other programs,” Callero said.
