League of Extraordinary Mayors

February 25, 2017angie

Celebrating at the Metropolitan Mayors Caucus Gala on January 27, 2017 with Joe Mancino, Mayor of Hawthorn Woods on my left, and Mandi Florip, Executive Director of the Lake County Municipal League.

Celebrating at the Metropolitan Mayors Caucus Gala on January 27, 2017 with Joe Mancino, Mayor of Hawthorn Woods (on the left), and Mandi Florip, Executive Director of the Lake County Municipal League (on the right).

Serving as Village President has presented me with many opportunities, one of the best of which has been the chance to work alongside and get to know my counterparts in Lake County. I consider it a real privilege to have collaborated with and learned from some truly dedicated public servants, several of which I now consider friends. Cultivating and maintaining relationships of trust and mutual respect between our neighboring communities is a key role that I have made one of my priorities these last four years. It takes an investment of time, but one that can reap benefits for the Village both now, and into the future.

Long Grove is a member of several inter-governmental groups, most notably the Illinois Municipal League, Metropolitan Mayors Caucus, and Lake County Municipal League. I also have opportunities each month to represent Long Grove and interact with my fellow Mayors at County-wide meetings, events, summits, task forces, and open houses. We even have an informal “mayors lunch bunch” that convenes from time to time when the need for mutual support arises.

As we enter into the last month of election season leading up to the April 4th voting day, I want to send my best wishes to all my mayoral colleagues running again for another term. I am grateful for the experience of having served alongside some of the best citizens I will ever come to know.

Love and Leadership

February 14, 2017angie

Former Village Clerk Heidi Locker-Scheer (with help from staff & trustees) created this thoughtful keepsake to honor my years of service to the Village. Over the past four years I have received many thank-you notes and letters, which I keep in what I call my “folder of love.” When I’m having a bad day, I often look to these messages for inspiration. One of my favorites is from a 3rd Grader who attended a presentation I did for her class at Village Hall: “President Underwood, you sparkle!”

In honor of Valentine’s Day today, I would like to reflect on love and leadership. The thoughts below are taken from an article by Scott C. Paine, which appeared in the Illinois Municipal Review magazine in June of 2014:

As A Leader, Should You Inspire Fear–or Love?

Niccolo Machiavelli, in his advice to rulers, famously wrote that “it is better to be feared than loved.” His reasoning was simple: a leader cannot make others love him or her. Fear, however, can be induced. Consequently, for a leader who wants to be in control, fear is the more powerful tool. Fear, however, has a fundamental flaw. It relies on irrationality. It counts on subjects to respond emotionally, unthinkingly, to bullying and the threat of violence and pain. If one submits to another out of fear, that other is in control. But sooner or later, fear yields to reason and reason seeks an opportunity to turn the tables. That’s why tyrants so rarely die peacefully in their beds.

Still, a leader who seeks to be loved is not much better off than one who seeks to be feared, nor are the people that leader governs. Certainly the people suffer less from the direct actions of a leader who seeks love than one who seeks to be feared. But a leader who seeks to be loved will find, time and again, that concern for the feelings of constituent groups will lead to a series of compromises and concessions that may satisfy their short-term desires but do not serve their long-term interests. That’s the funny thing about our long-term interests. Rarely do we love everything about what is required to pursue them. Often, we must pay a price in the short run to achieve the long-term good. Not exactly a formula for being loved in the immediate moment, is it?

There is a third path. It is one that exists only for those who believe that, in the long run, most people most of the time will come to recognize good choices…and bad ones. Experience is a pretty good, though somewhat flawed, teacher. Most of us, because our life circumstances matter to us, are pretty good students. At least that’s what I believe. I also believe a leader can earn authentic love.

It’s an odd concept, I suppose, because love is normally associated with emotion and not an earned reward. But I don’t think that is the heart and soul of love. The heart and soul of love is knowing someone for who he or she really is, and recognizing that reality as a gift. Recognizing that gift, a gift to us, we love that person. We put up with failings and overlook limitations not foolishly or passionately, but deeply rationally and emotionally. Because there is a good reason for us to love someone who is, in fact, a gift to us.

Leaders who strive mightily to discover what is best for their people, then strive equally mightily to bring it to fruition, may earn our anger and resentment for a time. We may not like their actions and may resent their message. But over time, as what is truly good becomes clearer to us, we come to appreciate them more and more. We come to see their leadership as a gift to us. And we come to love them.

“Nevertheless, she persisted.”

February 10, 2017angie

Heeding the feminist rally cry at Beans & Leaves Coffee (L to R): Angie Underwood, Amy Gayton, Diane Trickey, Myra Buettner, and Marie Roth.

The “huddle” of Long Grove residents pictured above may appear ladylike and well-mannered. And we are. Some of us are artists, educators, humanitarians, leaders, elected officials, and excellent cooks and hostesses. All of us share a love for history. A few of us participated in the Women’s Marches held last month throughout our country. Most of us have written, called, or talked in person to our State and National representatives in the last few weeks. Some of us have been at this a long time, and others have been motivated by more recent national headlines. We are diverse but united in our desire to see a more tolerant, respectful, and inclusive community here in Long Grove and in our county, state and country. We have many ideas on how to channel our positive energy and will be joining with others in the months ahead to put those ideas into action.

We have been warned. We have been given an explanation. And we will persist.

Girls about Town

February 5, 2017angie

When I need to meet with the Mayor of Kildeer, Nandia Black, we do it in style–over high tea!

At a recent municipal gathering, I spent some time talking with my friend Nandia Black, the Mayor of our neighboring village of Kildeer. Nandia mentioned that she had not visited some of the newer shops and restaurants in Long Grove, so I offered to personally introduce her to some of my favorite places. Last week, we spent a delightful afternoon together as only two female “heads of state” can do; politics peppered with earl grey and scones, issues amid antiques, strong women supporting each other while simultaneously shopping. Our meeting started with a lovely lunch at High Tea with Gerri, complete with hats and a glass of champagne. In my book, it never hurts to extend a little genteel diplomacy!

Join us on our joyful journey, as chronicled in the following photos:

After lunch we worked off the calories shopping at some of our newer stores. We are pictured here at Epilogue, checking out the beautiful artistic gifts and jewelry.

In between shopping for unique vintage treasures at Two Fancie Gals and Scout and Forge, we stopped to visit with Randy Towner at Mel’s and lent some support to his local sentiments.

After introducing Nandia to the staff at the Information Center, we could not resist a photo op with the cute Valentine teddy bear currently residing at our crossroads. Our next stop was at How Impressive, where we were dazzled by the array of personalized gifts available.

What better way to cap off our day than by relaxing and enjoying the friendly ambiance at The Chatterbox. Next up, Nandia promises to take me on a tour of her favorite new places in Kildeer. I’ve had so much fun today, I’m even reconsidering building that wall….

Helping Cub Scouts “Build A Better World”

January 20, 2017angie

Cub Scouts from Kildeer Elementary Pack 56 and Country Meadows Elementary Pack 964 met with me at Village Hall on January 20th, 2017.

I can’t think of a better way to carry out the spirit of Inauguration Day today than by meeting with (and maybe inspiring) some potential future leaders of our country. It was my pleasure to welcome two 5th grade Cub Scout dens from our local elementary schools to Village Hall this afternoon, and work with them towards achieving their “Build A Better Word” requirement. The boys had great questions for me about my job as Village President, and also about some of the important current issues facing Long Grove. We discussed the Rt. 53 extension, video gaming machines in the downtown, revitalization of our historic business district, and the recent extension of our municipal water system.

To cap off the experience, we had a mini Village Board meeting in which the students got to role play as Village Board members, and sit at the actual table and discuss and debate an actual issue from Tuesday’s upcoming agenda. The topic: Report of the Village Engineer on the options for renovation or replacement of our iconic Covered Bridge. I got to have fun impersonating Mike Shrake, our Village Engineer, and explained the various options of restoring, rebuilding, or expanding our current one lane bridge to two lanes. Opinions varied with some favoring history, some concerned over safety, and others mindful of the fiscal implications. Strikingly similar to our real-life Trustees, I must say! The kids did come to a consensus that our Village Engineers should continue their studies of the variables.

Meeting and interacting with our youngest residents has always been one of the greatest joys of this job for me. The scouts asked me if I had been active in government as a student, and in fact I was a member of Student Council in high school. I learned that many of these boys are also involved in the student government at their elementary schools and have already started gaining leadership skills that will be useful throughout their entire lives. It makes me hopeful for the generations to come, and for all those inaugurations yet to be!

Role playing a mini Village Board meeting and debating a real issue from the upcoming agenda.

Peaceful Transition of Power

January 16, 2017angie

10th District Congressman Brad Schneider is one of many newly elected officials taking office this month. This past summer I had the honor of meeting with Brad when he paid a visit to Long Grove to talk to me about our local concerns.

This week our country will be celebrating an inauguration, one in which I know many Americans have mixed emotions. I have no doubt that we will have a hard time escaping the hoopla in all aspects of the media and our personal social networks. What I am keeping forefront in my mind is the fact that we as citizens have traditionally placed a high value on the peaceful transition of power in our democracy. Many national, state, and county representatives have taken the oath this month and are already collaborating to make progress in various ways for the betterment of all. Take a deep breath—and let’s continue to work together with hopes for a brighter tomorrow.

In the words of a famous American, who is honored today with a national holiday in his name:

“We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools.”

–Martin Luther King Jr.

Give and Take

December 18, 2016angie

One of the “Givers” in our community is Joe Barry, shown here on February 9, 2016 accepting the “Citizen of the Year” award from the Lake Zurich Area Chamber of Commerce. Shown on the right is Ken Grooms, outgoing Chamber President.

Over the past three and a half years, the job of Village President has kept me so busy that it leaves hardly any spare time to devote to one of my favorite activities–reading. But earlier this year, a fellow volunteer recommended a book that was so intriguing I sacrificed sleep to finish it; in fact this book continues to resonate. Called “Give and Take: Why Helping Others Drives our Success,” by Adam Grant, it was an enlightening read for anyone in a leadership role such as mine. Using concrete examples, it offered insights into the way we interact with others in the workplace, either as Givers, Takers, or Matchers, and how this can have a profound impact not only on our personal success, but also on the success of our organization.

The examples and ideas in this book have given me much food for thought. The author makes the point that the happiest, most likely to be promoted people, are givers. The individuals who fall into this category make others’ needs a priority. They intuitively help and mentor others, are excellent communicators, and bring out the best in people by recognizing and appreciating their strengths and contributions. As a result, givers are most successful because they garner a network of support over time from others that they’ve helped. However, here’s the catch…givers can also be the least successful people if they allow themselves to be exploited by the takers, those who give strategically. Givers burn out if they do not see some sort of result from their efforts, some sense of contribution to the greater good. The key, Grant writes, is to engage in “otherish giving,” which ultimately separates successful from unsuccessful givers. Give, but make sure it is to people and things that you care about, where you receive a larger sense of purpose. Give, but not when it comes at the expense of your own health, or personal and work satisfaction. Many of our commitments in life, professional and civic, involve the push and pull of giving and receiving. To be a good citizen, or a good worker, we often extend ourselves to help or serve others with the hopes that down the road we will all be better off for it. It’s not motivated by a selfish quest for success; the givers among us have simply evolved to be really good at cooperation and empathy. A favorite passage: “This is what I find most magnetic about successful givers: they get to the top without cutting others down, finding ways of expanding the pie that benefit themselves and the people around them. Whereas success is zero-sum in a group of takers, in groups of givers, it may be true that the whole is greater than the sum of the parts.”

It is exciting to ponder what new opportunities might be waiting for me as I round the corner into 2017. I hope you share a similar sense of anticipation for the New Year ahead, and that in this holiday season, the spirit of giving brings much happiness into your own life.

Election Day is Here

November 8, 2016angie

Long Grove Historical Society members (L to R) Gerri Campbell, Diane Trickey, and Aaron Underwood wearing the stars and stripes and reminding us to do our patriotic duty today by voting!

Long Grove Historical Society members (L to R) Gerri Campbell, Diane Trickey, and Aaron Underwood wear the stars and stripes and remind us to do our patriotic duty today by voting!

After listening to months of contentious campaigning, the end of our 2016 election season is now in sight. Finally, the American people are able to come together and make a decision today, and I hope that you will be among those casting a vote. I know it has been ugly…really ugly…but as I’ve said before, Democracy is Messy. Even if you are disappointed in some of the choices we are asked to make, I urge you to exercise your power at the polls and be part of the direction our country takes.

Many of our local, state, and county races are hotly contested as well, and your input is needed. As Village President, I am in the incredibly fortunate position of having been able to meet and get to know personally many of the state and county individuals running for office on my ballot. And still, some of the choices are difficult. But I have great faith in our American system of government. If we all do our part and vote, then we all enable our elected leaders to come together and work towards making progress on needed changes. Today is the day…let your voice be heard!

“I Thought It Was Menopause, But It Was Just The Village”

August 24, 2016angie

Preparing to cast my vote during the 2016 Spring elections. In the next municipal election in Spring of 2017, my name will not be on the ballot.

Casting my vote during the 2016 Spring elections. During the next municipal election in Spring of 2017, my name will not be on the ballot.

To combat stress and keep my memory sharp, I play an occasional game of Bridge with a lovely group of ladies. We are all of a certain age. Recently, the table talk was about the trouble several of us are having getting a decent night’s sleep. Starting last summer and all through the fall and winter, I have not slept well and many mornings woken up before daylight and been unable to stop worrying, mostly, about Long Grove. But in May of this year, I came to a decision that has given me such a sense of peace. In fact, I have been sleeping like a baby all summer long. I have decided not to seek a second term as Village President. The realization hit me during our bridge game conversation, “I thought it was a menopause, but as it turns out, it was just the Village!”

When I ran for office I fully expected that the job would require a major time commitment and involve some difficult and controversial decisions. While true, this does not deter me as I am a hard worker and not afraid of taking a stand on an issue or breaking a tie or two (or in this case, 14 15!) for the good of the whole, regardless of the personal backlash. I have simply wanted to contribute my genuine love and concern for the community, and my experience as a leader to help our residents through some challenging years. It has been an honor and a privilege to serve Long Grove in this capacity. At the end of my term I will have spent six years volunteering on the village board and I believe I have given to the best of my abilities in this position. Throughout it has been a learning experience and I have many good memories to carry forward.

However, what I was not anticipating was the degree to which this job would impact my quality of life. Serving as a mayor is truly a 24/7 responsibility, no matter the size of your town or the magnitude of the issues. I am thinking and working on some aspect of the Village of Long Grove nearly every day. This has increasingly become the case as our village board continues to struggle to work together as a team, despite mutual acknowledgement that this is what is most needed for success. It is frustrating and exhausting to have to make the dysfunctional, functional. What I have experienced is that very little of my time and energy is left over to give to my loved ones, myself, and other worthy causes and activities that I enjoy. I do not regret the sacrifices made, but it is time now to reset my priorities. This decision has taken into account the advice and feelings of many caring people who have supported me over these past years. The satisfaction of serving my community has been great, but I’m ready to move on to the next adventure.

I am hopeful that several candidates from the greater community will be motivated to come forward and throw their hats into the ring. Change is good! Many residents have been highly engaged in the variety of controversial issues that have come before the board in recent years and perhaps we will see some of these outspoken individuals step up to the challenge of elected office. I have often remarked that the position of Village President was not one that I was seeking, but rather I found that the position was seeking me. Long Grove is now seeking a future leader who has the capacity to serve something bigger than self. Someone who can listen to others and take advice, is even-tempered, and possesses the skills needed to work towards compromise on the many diverse issues and potential changes on the horizon. Perhaps that person could be you?

Camp CEO: Mentoring with a side of S’mores

August 18, 2016August 19, 2016angie

Happy Campers: Arriving at Camp CEO and being greeted by my mentee, Trinity.

Last week I participated in what will surely be remembered as one of the highlights of my summer–camping with the Girl Scouts! In it’s tenth year, Camp CEO is a premier leadership camp for teen girls and high-level professionals held at Camp Butternut Springs in Valparaiso, Indiana. I was invited to attend as one of the 25 female “CEOs” along with 40 high-achieving Girl Scouts selected from the Greater Chicago and Northwest Indiana Council who applied and wrote essays to participate. I had not been camping since my days as a leader with my daughter’s troop 20 years ago, and it was incredible fun to be hiking, swimming, and singing songs around the campfire once again.

In addition to these traditional camp activities, what made Camp CEO so special was the opportunity to mentor the girls one-on-one and share stories, life experiences, advice and inspiration. I was fortunate to be paired with Trinity, an impressively smart and sweet girl from Chicago who aspires to be a doctor. I really enjoyed spending time with my mentee as well as all the girls at camp and I was continually amazed by the thoughtful questions the girls asked. They were truly focused on learning and absorbing as much as possible from their time with the adult mentors. Women were present from a wide variety of professions such as science, technology, law, government, finance, communications, entrepreneurs, and more. I was asked to lead a workshop on networking and social etiquette in politics, which challenged me to step out of my box a bit to design a seminar. But I had a ball doing it, and the girls really seemed to enjoy discussing the role of women in elected office particularly in light of the history being made this year in our U. S. Presidential race.

One activity that seemed to really resonate with adults and girls alike was the “Dreaming Your Future” tradition. A couple of times each day, everyone would gather around the fireplace or campfire, and listen as three or four of the CEOs took center stage and shared their own life story and pathway to leadership. As usual, the girls had intriguing questions to ask. I found it so interesting that every woman’s story showcased the fact that most of us are not doing what we thought our careers would be when we were in high school or college–in most cases our journey has taken twists and turns to lead us to a place we never dreamed possible. I know that I never planned on becoming a Village President when I was majoring in Foods-Nutrition/Dietetics during my college days!

As luck would have it, the day I chose to arrive at camp, August 10th, just happened to be National S’mores Day–score!! Who knew it was a thing? But I cannot imagine a better place on earth to be on National S’mores Day than at Girl Scout Camp! We celebrated with a fabulous bonfire, singalong, marshmallows toasted on sticks, and a few mosquitoes to complete the woodsy atmosphere. I discovered a new taste sensation–using a peanut butter cup sandwiched between the graham crackers and marshmallow, in place of the traditional plain chocolate bar. I am still thinking about how delicious that tasted–maybe the fresh air and female empowerment are enhancing the memory?

Camp CEO was an all-around wonderful experience. I’m grateful that we have organizations such as Girl Scouts to provide opportunities like this, which bond women and girls together to inspire the next generation of leaders. But the inspiration works both ways, because I came home uplifted by Trinity and all the other young women I now know who give me hope for a bright future for us all.

Adding our hopes and wishes to the “Dreaming Your Future” dream-catcher at Camp CEO.

Life in Long Grove

by Angie Underwood

Leadership