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COUNTY BOARD MEMBER - PUBLIC SERVANT
MARY ANN AIELLO WILL BE SORELY MISSED BY ALL
from the Rockford Register Star, by Corina Curry:
County Board member Aiello dies
Friends planned to gather at the Irish Rose Sunday to
celebrate Mary Ann Aiello and wish her well as she battled
cancer.
They had it all figured out: They’d serve some of
Aiello’s favorite foods, have a few drinks and set up video
conferencing that would allow Aiello to participate from her bed
at home. They’d be joyful and heartfelt. They’d make
her laugh. They’d show her how much they appreciate her.
They were three days too late.
A longtime Winnebago County Board member and community activist,
Aiello died Thursday morning. She was 59.
“She left us so quick,” said fellow County Board member
Karen Elyea. “We were just all talking about how we always
seem to celebrate people after they’re gone and how backward
that seems. That’s why we wanted to do this on Sunday. You
know, we’d carry on and hopefully make her smile. But it all
happened so fast.”
Friends still will meet at the downtown restaurant and bar Sunday
afternoon, but the mood will be different. Now, they’ll
“probably sit around and tell Mary Ann stories,” said
Irish Rose owner Mike Leifheit.
Like the time she fought tooth and nail to keep the city from
owning the Rockford IceHogs, the time she worked tirelessly to
help pass the county’s 1-percent sales tax for public
safety, or the time she and her cat, Smokey, came to a County
Board meeting wearing matching outfits.
Aiello represented District 9, an area of the county that
included Aiello’s hometown of Loves Park. It was a job she
held for nearly 21 years, earning a reputation along the way as a
strong advocate for the underdog.
In recent years, she championed battles to prevent a
hog-processing plant and an ethanol plant from opening in the
county. She threw her support behind a fired veterans museum
curator. She marched with Rockford police officers as they
protested the department’s leadership.
“For someone of such small stature, she was the
hardest-working member of the County Board,” said fellow
County Board member Doug Aurand. “It’s going to be
extremely hard to replace her. They don’t make many Mary
Anns.”
On Thursday, friends and fellow politicians spoke of her passion
for good government, service to her constituents, devotion to her
elderly mother and her love of animals. Winnebago County Board
Chairman Scott Christiansen said plans already were in the works
to dedicate the Winnebago County Animal Shelter’s adoption
center to Aiello.
“She was very much a public servant and a good friend,
too,” Christiansen said. “We wanted to do something for
her with the animal control office because the issue was so dear
to her. She spent a lot of hours volunteering at animal
services.”
Aiello was one of few County Board members to serve as both a
Democrat, in her early years, and a Republican, in her later
years.
“She wasn’t a partisan,” Aurand said. “Mary
Ann always looked at issues as what’s best for citizens of
Winnebago County. We have followers in government, but Mary Ann
always was ahead of the curve. She’d battle and move on and
be friends with everybody.”
The County Board will need to announce the vacancy of
Aiello’s position on the board, and the Republican Party
Caucus will nominate a replacement in the following months.
They’ll be big shoes to fill.
“You don’t find a lot of women with her kind of
strength,” Elyea said. “She had guts and courage and
strong independency. All of the things I want to be.”
Profile: Mary Ann Aiello
Age: 59
Hometown: born in Rockford, moved to Loves Park when she was in
third grade.
Employment: Aiello represented Loves Park and parts of Machesney
Park on the Winnebago County Board for 21 years. She took a
special interest in public safety, roads and animal services. She
worked as a human resources assistant at Illinois Central
Management Services.
Education: graduated from the former Muldoon High School in 1966,
attended Rock Valley College for two years.
Community involvement: attended St. James Catholic Church.
Volunteered with the Red Cross Homeless Shelter and Hunger
Connection.
Family: Aiello has two brothers who live out of town. Her
95-year-old mother still lives in Loves Park. She has two cats,
Smokey and Teddy Bear.
Mary Ann Aiello quotes:
On a proposed ethanol plant for Winnebago County: “I was
very skeptical from the beginning. It didn’t seem like they
had everything in order at that time,” she said of the
company proposing the development. “The problem is that they
hear of a program or a company coming in and saying, ‘We can
do this, we can do that,’ but they don’t check on
anything. There were enough red flags ... to show it wasn’t
going to work. Rather than look into it, everyone jumped on the
bandwagon.”
On the controversial firing of Memorial Hall curator Terry Dyer:
“It’s really a personality problem between Terry Dyer
and Eunice Bailey. Did Terry make some mistakes? Yes. But the
real problem was the two of them not getting along. I would have
just got them both together and told them to knock it off. It
never should have gone this far.”
On marching with the Rockford police union against department
leadership: “The union has a legitimate reason to be upset,
and it has nothing to do with the contract. There are not enough
officers on the street. They’re doing the best with what
they have, but it’s very dangerous for them and very
dangerous for the public. The chief doesn’t seem to realize
that crime is out of control in Rockford.”
On the Winnebago County Board considering a deal that would allow
the city of Rockford to own the Rockford IceHogs and commit the
county to giving $9 million to support renovations at the
MetroCentre: “The city has no business owning a hockey team.
I’ve never heard it before. I’ve never got a phone call
saying the citizens of Rockford want to buy a hockey team. You
can have your renovations. You can have your $9 million. But get
off your kick about buying a hockey team.”
On spearheading the effort to raise $8,920 in a month to purchase
pet-friendly oxygen masks for emergency rescue crews in Winnebago
and Boone counties: “My God, this went quick. It’s
amazing. It shows people care. People do love the animals.”
On the victory of Smokey, her cat, in a national contest to be
chosen “chaircat” of a feline advisory panel to test
pet supplies, and her next goal of getting Smokey a spot on David
Letterman: “We’ve got momentum now. Once Letterman sees
all Smokey’s done, with the national distinction he’s
gotten, there’s no doubt in my mind, he’ll have Smokey
on. Wouldn’t that be a hoot?”
from the editorial board of the Rockford Register Star:
County residents lose an advocate
Mary Ann Aiello was a fighter for decades, from her time as an
activist in the 1970s to her recent role as a member of the
Winnebago County Board.
On Thursday she lost her biggest fight. Aiello died of cancer.
She was 59.
Aiello was on the County Board for 21 years, and in that time she
kept a close eye on how taxpayer dollars were spent.
She was a critic of Rockford’s plan to buy a professional
hockey team to help pay for repairs to the Rockford MetroCentre.
She supported the county’s 1-cent public safety tax, but
questioned how the money was spent. She was critical of Winnebago
County Housing Authority expenditures. She constantly asked
questions so she could get answers that she knew county residents
wanted and deserved.
There were many other issues where Aiello fought for her
constituents’ health, quality of life and pocketbooks.
We did not always agree with Aiello, but we never doubted her
integrity.
We were enriched for knowing her. We offer our condolences to her
friends and family.
The eighth floor of the Winnebago County Courthouse will seem a
lot emptier on Thursday nights.
Eulogy for Mary Ann Aiello
given at her funeral July 1 at St. James Church by Scott H. Christiansen, Winnebago County Board Chairman
“UNIQUE, PASSIONATE, TENACIOUS,
COMMITTED, CARING, HUMOR, BIG HEART”-These are the words
that come to mind when thinking of Mary Ann Aiello.
Mary Ann served the people of Winnebago County and her
constituents for nearly 21 years. I remember back in July 1987
when she was first sworn in. It was clear that the County Board
would never be quite the same. I don’t think I have ever
known a person who loved being a County Board member as she did.
When calling her home phone number, even back then, her recording
said, “County Board Member Mary Ann Aiello, District
9.”
As issues came up, Mary Ann would always spend the necessary time
to research a problem. Whether it be riding in a squad car or
spending time in the booking area of the new Justice Center, or
checking on animal services, she was always thorough. While you
could disagree on a specific issue, you always knew where she
stood, and you knew she believed her position to be the best
possible position.
When people vote for a County Board member, they are voting for
the person who is going to be their representative at the County
Board meetings. I speak from experience when I tell you that Mary
Ann’s constituents were well represented and then some!
She loved public service, and that is why she excelled at it.
Mary Ann was a giant with a big heart in little shoes. She would
stand toe to toe with anyone on issues she believed in, and when
it was over, she could shake hands and move on.
Mary Ann spent many hours in the public safety arena, and two
areas in particular were juvenile justice and the 1-cent public
safety tax. She recognized that our future is our kids and
keeping them out of trouble, and seeing that they had a proper
education. She was instrumental in passage of the 1-cent public
safety tax and worked diligently to see it approved by the
voters.
Humor and being able to laugh at herself was also just a great
trait that she possessed. Recently when I called her at the
hospital, I asked what I could do for her. Her quick response
was-how about bringing me a top hat and a long trench coat so I
can sneak out for a cigarette?
Probably what Mary Ann was most known for was her devotion to
animals and concern for the welfare of the animals in our county.
She served on the animal services committee as a member of the
board, and volunteered many, many hours of her time.
In fact, I want the family to know, Mom, Mike, Candy, and kids,
that the County Board will dedicate the Adoption Center at Animal
Services to Mary Ann. You will all be invited to a special
ceremony in the near future.
Mary Ann’s devotion to public service and to animal welfare
was only surpassed by her devotion to her church and her faith.
Ultimately, the only one with the authority and the ability to
bring Mary Ann home was God himself. I am sure that Mary Ann will
have some further suggestions for Him, too!
To the family members from the County Board and the elected
officials and community activists, besides expressing our deepest
sympathy, we want you to know what a great friend Mary Ann was to
all of us and our community. Mary Ann’s accomplishments will
be long remembered and her presence sorely missed-GOD BLESS!
Read or post condolences at:
http://blogs.e-rockford.com/sat/2008/06/26/memories-of-mary-ann/
Winnebago County Animal Services honors Mary Ann
Listen to soundbites of Mary Ann speaking on the issues