Chances are even casual visitors to La Grange know the name of its newest village trustee.
Steve Palmer, 61, a lifelong resident who for decades owned and operated Palmer Place—a popular restaurant with a large two-level beer garden in downtown La Grange —was appointed trustee at the board’s Sept. 14 meeting.
He will serve the remainder of the term vacated by former trustee Glenn Thompson, who resigned this summer to take a job in Florida. That term ends in April, and Palmer said he intends to run for election to a full four-year term.
Palmer no longer owns Palmer Place; he and his brother Phil sold it nearly five years ago. He now owns The Stadium Club in McCook.
Palmer has a long record of public service.
He is a past president of the La Grange Business Association and past board chair of the Illinois Restaurant Association.
He has volunteered with the Lions Township Mental Health Commission, the Pet Parade charity and the Metra board, recently ending 10 years there, and helped plan community events including the Pet Parade, Endless Summer and the LGBA Carnival.
In recent years, he has been the driving force behind the annual Brew Moon Festival in McCook, raising funds for charities each October. He also served 26 years on the Community Economic Development Commission.
“I’m very proud to be on the village board,” Palmer said in an interview Sept. 18. “I think I do have a feel for the community. They may not like the way I vote on some things, but I always will listen to the people.”
He said he wanted to serve on the village board years earlier but felt it inappropriate while he held a liquor license for a La Grange business.
On his priorities as trustee, Palmer said “the list is long.” He cited flooding, infrastructure, and water quality as key concerns.
“La Grange is a great community and we have issues like any other town,” he said. “Every town has a flooding issue. Every town worldwide. La Grange is doing its best to mitigate that. Will we solve all the flooding? No. It’s an act of God. But we are on the right track.”
Replacing lead water lines that supply residents’ homes is high on his list.
“Whatever the issue is, I want to start working on it today. It takes time. You can’t snap your fingers. I hope in the coming four years to make serious progress and headway on issues,” he said.
Palmer expressed great confidence in the village’s police, fire, and public works departments.
“Our police are as good—if not better—than any department around,” he said.
He wants to “make sure we budget for the future” and maintain the high standards in those departments, which he calls “the key to our village running well.”
He is also closely watching the newly forming affordable housing task force and looks forward to its findings and suggestions next year. He noted that La Grange showed foresight several years ago by welcoming BEDS Plus, a homeless services organization, to headquarters at Ogden and East avenues.
“La Grange is a wonderful community and I look forward to helping keep it as wonderful as it is,” Palmer added.
The next village board meeting is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Sept. 28.