Hinsdale village clerk Chris Bruton took her seat at the board room dais for the final time Tuesday night.
Bruton will retire Dec. 2 after 16 years in the post, having taken minutes at more than 340 village board meetings, answered countless calls from residents and processed more than 5,500 Freedom of Information Act requests during her tenure.
“Believe me, that is the worst part of her job,” Cauley said of the FOIA responses, eliciting laughter.
Village officials spoke in tribute to Bruton at the start of the meeting.
“No one in the 16 years that I’ve been on the village board has ever had anything but good things to say about Chris,” Cauley said.
Bruton was hired in 2005 as a utility billing clerk, but her talent had earned her a promotion to village clerk the next year. Part of the job is to swear in newly elected trustees, and several of the more than 30 she’s welcomed sang her praises.
Trustee Neale Byrnes marveled at her ability to distill the board’s often rambling discussions into accurate yet concise minutes. Trustee Scott Banke told Bruton’s family members, who were in attendance, of the legacy she leaves.
“Your mom has made a contribution that will be with you guys for the rest of your lives,” he said.
Bruton detailed her family’s many connections to the village: her daughter worked at Hinsdale Community Pool, her son was married at KLM Park and her brother and sister-in-law operated a booth at the Fourth of July craft fair.
She said she takes pride in the record of board business she leaves behind.
“While it’s not exactly the great American novel, I feel a little bit published,” she said with a smile.
Village manager Kathleen Gargano lauded Bruton’s generosity in supporting her colleagues.
“You act as a resource on a daily basis for all of us in many, many different capacities,” Gargano said. “It’ll be very difficult to replace you.”
Assistant village manager Andrianna Peterson will serve as acting village clerk until a permanent replacement is found.
Cauley read a proclamation thanking Bruton for carrying out her duties “reliably and admirably” and for being “a gracious and friendly ambassador for the village.
Bruton responded that the gratitude was mutual.
“I’m really, really grateful to all of you for this experience in my life,” she said.
