Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Personnel Retirement topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Vernon Hills honors John Petrillo on retirement, names new public service award after him
Summary
Trustees and local organizations honored long-serving village employee John Petrillo at the Dec. 9 meeting and established the Jonathan E. Petrillo Public Service Award, naming Petrillo the inaugural recipient after more than four decades of service.
President Tom Cook Jr. opened the Dec. 9 Village of Vernon Hills meeting by presenting a proclamation honoring John Petrillo for more than 33 years of public service and announcing a new Jonathan E. Petrillo Public Service Award named in his honor. The board named Petrillo the award’s first recipient.
Village Manager (name on record) told the board that Petrillo’s career included service in the U.S. military, law enforcement and local government and described him as “a steady hand, a problem solver, a mentor” whose work “goes well beyond his daily duties.” Petrillo joined the meeting and thanked trustees, staff and community partners, saying he’d “had the honor of serving such a great community for 33 years.”
Representatives from the American Legion, Visit Lake County, Go Green Vernon Hills, the Vernon Hills Police Department and multiple trustees offered brief tributes emphasizing Petrillo’s organizational work on the village’s veteran banners, holiday events and community emergency coordination. Maureen Reedy of Visit Lake County said Petrillo had served on the organization’s board and praised his role promoting Vernon Hills across the county; a representative of the Vernon Hills American Legion described military commendations presented earlier this year and said the post will install a bench with a plaque recognizing his service.
Mayor Cook and trustees noted that Petrillo will be the inaugural recipient of the new award described at the meeting as a high honor reserved for individuals whose careers reflect “integrity, leadership and selflessness.” Several colleagues described how Petrillo’s institutional knowledge and event coordination helped sustain village programming during difficult periods such as the 2008 recession and the COVID-19 pandemic.
The recognition concluded with a short photo opportunity before the board recessed and later reconvened to complete the agenda. No formal policy decisions accompanied the award beyond the board’s public proclamation and vote to proceed with the ceremonial recognition.
The village indicated Petrillo’s retirement is effective at the end of the year; the board did not set a timetable for filling his position during the Dec. 9 meeting.
