The first of Crete’s Honorary Street Signs will recognize the achievements and contributions of longtime Village President Mike Einhorn.
After serving an unprecedented 10 terms – 40 years – Einhorn decided last fall to step down from the post and focus on regaining his health. He has been absent from village board meetings for months, as he has been undergoing treatment for leukemia.
“I was recently diagnosed with AML, a potentially fatal form of leukemia, if left untreated,” he said last fall. “I have had a stem cell transplant that, if totally successful, can take a year or more in duration and, during that time, I have to limit public contact.”
The Crete Board of Trustees opted to name the first honorary street sign for Einhorn during its April 28 meeting.
Suggested by Trustee John Phelan in September and adopted in October, the program is designed to “allow citizens to honor people who have made significant contributions to the community.”
Trustees are hopeful the street sign will be just one part of an effort to celebrate Einhorn’s years at the helm.
“We are struggling with how best to honor Mike in the transition,” Mayor-elect Mark Wiater explained. “His doctors still want him isolated from large groups of people. That makes an appreciation dinner/ceremony problematic. My hope would be, once his immune system gets somewhat back to normal, we can do something.
“Mike has been the mayor since 1985 and active in the fire department since 1972,” he added. “I was eight years old when he joined the fire department. That gives one some perspective on just how long he’s been serving the community.
“His knowledge and history of all things Crete are endless. His fingerprints run all through the town. Mike has the unique ability to look at any issue factually. While very difficult, he can remove the emotion and hype and make decisions based on facts. When you do that, people may not be happy, but they can’t argue your thought process to get to a final decision. Because you can’t refute the facts.
“You may not like what he says,” Wiater noted, echoing a comment made by many residents over the years, “but he’ll tell you the truth.
“He’s been very generous to me during the past 30 years with his time and knowledge, and I have some very big shoes to fill. I do know I can call on him during the transition, and he’ll be there to help any way he can.”