Huntley Village Clerk retires after 35 years of service
Huntley — It was revealed at the May 11 Village Board meeting that Village Clerk Rita McMahon would be retiring after serving the community in her role for 35 years.
During public comments, Chuck Ruth, whose family has called Huntley their home for six generations, came up to the podium to present McMahon a gift as a token of appreciation for her hard work on behalf of his family.
Ruth explained that he grew up around McMahon’s family during the time that Huntley was still largely considered a farm town. He remembered McMahon milking the family cows while he and her late brother, John Hoffman, worked together.
During the portion of the meeting dedicated to honoring McMahon’s legacy, trustees were able to share the fond memories they had about her during her many years serving the village.
With former Trustee Curt Kittle and Trustee Mary Holzkopf being the newer members of the board, they both shared similar statements regarding the kindness McMahon showed to them in their two years on the board.
Former Trustee Harry Leopold appreciated the assistance McMahon provided when having to sort through county paperwork, while former Trustee Niko Kanakaris remembered first meeting McMahon when he was 15 years old, describing her as “awesome and great.”
Trustee JR Westberg used the analogy of McMahon being like a puzzle piece that was crucial in holding everything in place. He further stated that she was a good person to go to for advice on personal matters.
Referring to McMahon as a consummate professional, Trustee Ronda Goldman also admired the 10 years she has gotten to know McMahon.
Village Manager Dave Johnson was next in sharing his memories about McMahon, jokingly teasing her about how he was still in high school when she first started working for the village.
An emotional Mayor Tim Hoeft then proceeded to tell meeting attendees about how McMahon was hired to be Huntley’s first treasurer back in 1988.
Hoeft recalled that he was a shy 9-year-old when he was first introduced to McMahon while his father, then a village trustee, was in a meeting with the late Mayor Jim Dhamer.
He detailed how McMahon began her role as village clerk back in January 2004, however, she has held various other job titles including safety coordinator, administration assistant, administrative and executive secretary, the sexton of the Huntley Cemetery, and has assisted in the IT department and with the village’s insurance.
According to Hoeft, McMahon has served under four mayors, five village managers/administrators, and 36 trustees. In addition, she has sworn in over 158 oaths.
As a final surprise, Hoeft revealed that the village would be dedicating a bench in McMahon’s honor. The bench will be in the Village Square across from a bench that was dedicated in memory of McMahon’s late brother, who was responsible for rebuilding downtown Huntley back in the day.
“Thank you, everyone, for the kind words. I will always still be Huntley. I love this community. I’ve raised my family here,” said McMahon, also giving acknowledgment to past village officials in the audience. “We’ve been through a lot over the years and a lot has changed. I have always been impressed by the high standards that we set here. People want to come to the Village of Huntley and it’s because of what our village boards have established over the years and I’m proud of that and I know a lot of people are.”
She continued, “I will miss the journey that I’ve been on with the incredible boards and the staff in the past 35 years. I will miss it very much, but it is time. I’m ready to start that next journey with them, with my family, and thank you so much from the bottom of my heart.”
On a final note, as reported in a previous My Huntley News story, both Leopold and McMahon will have streets named after them in the Pod 9 real estate area of the Talamore Subdivision.
