Susan Buchanan resigned last week from Oak Park’s village board. She was midway through her second term. In an interview with the Journal’s Brendan Heffernan, she was wonderfully candid about her decision.
Six years in and her life had become more complex, harder. After years in which she provided intensive care for both of her parents, her mom and then her dad died within months. Her father’s death came unexpectedly. “It’s been really hard. It affected me in a big way,” she said.
The result has been a growing sense of burnout, said Dr. Buchanan. And so she chose to step away.
Good for her.
Susan Buchanan has been a very good member of this board. She has brought strong focus to issues of sustainability and public health — her medical specialty. Also though, she has been a steady progressive voice while being a good listener. In part, she told the Journal, she stepped away because “I feel like my skin isn’t quite as thick anymore.” That’s a caution for all of us, whether we are opining on Facebook or the editorial page of the local paper.
Our elected officials are real people, making their way through complicated lives in our service.
We all need to respect that.