Hanover Park Village Clerk Craig Announces Retirement

For Immediate Release
August 12, 2008

Hanover Park Village Clerk Craig Announces Retirement

HANOVER PARK, IL--The "face of Hanover Park," Village Clerk Sherry Craig, has announced that she will retire in April of 2009 at the end of her current term of office. First elected as Village Clerk in 1985, Ms. Craig is the longest serving and most well known elected official in Hanover Park. She is known at the local, regional, and state level as the friendly-face in the Hanover Park Village Hall. She has been instrumental at connecting business leaders, residents, and Village staff members.

At a recent Village Board meeting, business owner Kevin Swan stated that he moved his business to Hanover Park five years ago, and that Ms. Craig greatly helped with his business license and that she made the move to Hanover Park much easier. She went the extra mile for him, and because of this, he has volunteered his time for the Village. At the same meeting, several residents commented on Ms. Craig's "integrity and friendliness."

"It has been my honor to work with so many wonderful people," commented Ms. Craig. "I feel that my time as Clerk has touched the lives of so many people and made our hometown a better place to live. I couldn't have asked for a better career. I am proud of all I've done for Hanover Park."

During her tenure in office, Ms. Craig has seen a great deal of change within Hanover Park. She has worked with mayors Sonya Crawshaw, Irv Bock, (interim-mayor) Robert Packham, and current Village President Rodney Craig, who is Ms. Craig's husband. Ms. Craig has been instrumental in the creation of the business parks in Hanover Park, the new Hanover Park Branch of the Schaumburg Public Library, the Sonya Crawshaw Branch Library, and the recent creation of the Hanover Park Chamber of Commerce. Ms. Craig has served in offices of the Cook County Municipal Clerk's Association, the DuPage County Municipal Clerk's Association, and has held numerous PTA positions at the Local, Regional, and State level. She is a member of the Illinois Municipal Clerk's Association, the International Municipal Clerk's Association, the Hanover Park Business CONECT (Committee on Networking, Education, and Community Teamwork), and is a founding member and Board member of the Hanover Park Chamber of Commerce & Industry. In 1994 she was named Hanover Park Citizen of the year, in 2000 she received the State of Illinois Woman Achievement Award from the Lt. Governor Corrine Wood. During her last challenged elections, she was endorsed by the Daily Herald (the Herald does not endorse uncontested elections).


"This is the right time for me to retire," said Ms. Craig. "I am looking forward to spending time volunteering in the community and spending time with my one-year-old grand daughter. I also feel that the new group of leaders who have stepped forward in our hometown will be making positive changes in the future."

Ms. Craig was referring to the newest political party in town, Hanover Park Progress. This new party was recently formed in July and has been reaching out to residents to identify needs that have not been addressed by the Village Board. Ms. Craig is convinced that "Hanover Park Progress represents the ideals that I've stood for throughout my career," Ms. Craig said. "I know that Hanover Park will be in good hands following the April election. I plan to provide support to this group of leaders in anyway that I can."

When asked about any advice that she would give to any potential candidates for office, Mr. Craig said, "Never forget that you are here to meet the needs of people of Hanover Park."