Glen Ellyn fire chief stepping down; successor sworn in
Jim Bodony and his wife agreed in 2013 to put his retirement plans on hold so he could take the helm of the only volunteer firefighting force in DuPage County.
Fast forward three years and now the couple finally is ready "to pick up where we left off" and enjoy his retirement, Bodony says.
The Air Force veteran has stepped down as chief of the Glen Ellyn Volunteer Fire Company, where he has overseen about 60 volunteer, unpaid firefighters.
Bodony will remain a member of the department, village President Alex Demos said. Bodony's successor, Chris Clark, has been promoted from first assistant chief by the rest of the company's ranks, who elect a new leader every three years.
"I think in the last three years we've made some great progress that benefits all of Glen Ellyn in the way we maintain the fire company and create a model so it can continue," Bodony said.
Glen Ellyn's company was established more than a century ago and leaves firefighting to residents.
"These are absolutely wonderful, dedicated people who want nothing more than to help their neighbors on their neighbor's worst day," Clark said. " ... When they came to me and asked me to be their leader, there's no way I could tell them 'no.'"
Clark, also chief of Streamwood's fire department, made a pitch for more volunteers to join the company after he was sworn in Monday as Glen Ellyn's next chief.
"This day is really not about me," he said. "It's about the volunteers."
One of Clark's priorities could involve studies of the company's two aging fire stations. One is downtown and dates to the 1950s, while the other is on Taft Avenue and dates to the 1970s.
Village financial planners in January raised the possibility of increasing a fire service fee to help fund building improvements. Now, the fee generates about $790,000 a year, in addition to an expected $150,000 from a special taxing area.
Clark, also unpaid, will look at such "strategic issues," while the company's professional administrator, John Chereskin, handles more of the day-to-day operations.
"I'm more of a big picture position," Clark said.
Bodony took the top post in Glen Ellyn about four years after retiring as the fire chief of the Oak Brook Fire Department, where he began his career in 1972.
"Jim has been a great leader and become a friend," Demos said. "And we've accomplished a lot of things over the last several years together, and it's a bit with sadness but also happiness knowing that you get a bit of your time back."