Last night the mayor of Woodridge and the village board members met at Village Hall for their bimonthly board meeting, during which they honored four employees of the community for their service.

Sergeant Mark Walters, Patrol Officer Jeff Bean and Sergeant Jody Porras were recognized for varying milestones of service to the village. Susan Balsavich, The Finance Department’s Fiscal Assistant I, was recognized as the Village’s 2018 Employee of the Year.

The three officers were introduced by Chief of Police Brian Cunningham, who spoke about each individual’s achievements during their services. Both Sgts. Walters and Porras have served as school resource officers at DGS.

Sgt. Walters, a detective sergeant and the 2010 Officer of the Year, was recognized for 25 years of employment as a law enforcement official. Sgt. Porras, the 2014 Officer of the Year, was recognized for 15 years of employment.

Patrol Officer Jeff Bean, the previous D.A.R.E. officer for Woodridge School District 68, was also honored last night. Officer Bean was recognized for 20 years of service and was highlighted for his work with various groups of Woodridge youth, including the GRIT program. The GRIT program is described as an “innovative educational program” by the Woodridge Police Department website, which also notes that “GRIT is often a better indicator of success than factors such as IQ or family income. The program highlight[s] perseverance, hard work, and a drive to better oneself – lessons that can have a long-lasting impact to achieve a higher quality of life.”

Susan Balsavich was honored as the 2018 Village Employee of the Year in a speech given by her boss, Director of Finance Nadine Aletto. Balsavich’s work ethic and commitment were the “best of the best,” Aletto said. Aletto also noted that Balsavich has been nominated for Employee of the Quarter four times in two years, by three different co-workers.

The meeting proceeded after the four employees were honored without comments from the community and the omnibus agenda, within which all six agenda items were inducted within one motion. The mayor’s report then touched on the Village of Woodridge ProLogis scholarship application, which is open to any current senior and Woodridge resident who plans on attending college. The administrator’s report passed in another unanimous motion from the board, followed by no mentions of any unfinished or new business and the board’s adjournment.