Allow us to get personal here. Jim Budrick’s tenure as Oak Park village engineer, and before that assistant engineer, just about parallels Wednesday Journal’s 34 years covering this town. So our reporters have asked Budrick a lot of questions about water mains bursting, streets being dug up, basements flooding, pedestrian malls being turned back into streets. And every time we have received a calm, thoughtful, helpful explanation that allowed us to try to explain a great many things to readers that we really didn’t understand very well.
Now Budrick is getting ready to retire and we say thanks. Jim Budrick is, for us, the personification of what municipal service ought to be: Steady, smart, innovative, accountable and without bluster or ego. All the best, Jim.
