2013 Man of the Year

The Flowers of Italy Club will honor Bellwood Mayor Frank A. Pasquale as Man of the Year on March 9 at Villa Brunetti in Franklin Park.

Frank A. Pasquale is mayor of the Village of Bellwood, having been elected to office in 2001, and re-elected in 2004 and 2009. Prior to serving as mayor, the four-decade resident served as a village trustee and as a commissioner of Memorial Park District.

He also served as coach and president of the Bellwood Little League, chairman of the Italo American National Union Youth Activities, and board member of Oak/Leyden Development Services. Mayor Pasquale’s work history includes serving as director of guidance and counseling at St. Joseph High School in Westchester and St. Patrick High School in Chicago. He also served as a part-time consultant in the corrections program at Chicago State University and an instructor at Chicago State University.

Open, honest and transparent government, intergovernmental cooperation and public/private partnerships have been the hallmark of Mayor Pasquale’s administration, as well as a strategic focus on economic development and capital improvement projects that are driving new residential and retail development.

After four decades of service and devotion to education, Mayor Pasquale was urged to share his time and talent in public service. His accomplishments since 2001 have been numerous, far-reaching and well-documented by citizens, other municipalities and the media. For example, pledging to the citizens to pave every alley in the village — and facilitate new, brighter lighting — while running for office in 2001, the mayor kept his promise, completing the project on time and within budget.

An advocate for access to higher education for all of his residents, Mayor Pasquale has been instrumental in making GED classes available to village residents through Triton College and bachelor’s and master’s degree programs through Benedictine University.

Public safety and security have also been priorities for the mayor who collaborated with and empowered the village’s police and fire departments to implement initiatives to ensure a high degree of public safety. In addition, citizens were called to action to help make the community a safer place to live, work and play through their active participation in regular Neighborhood Watch/Community Policing meetings. Consequently, crime dropped for three consecutive years.

The event honoring Mayor Pasquale will take place at Villa Brunetti’s in Franklin Park. For more information or to make reservations, call Sam Alfano at 708-715-4948 or Sam Ciancio at 708-932-8222.