Flossmoor village board members this week honored a former resident for years of service to the community.
At Monday’s village board meeting, John J. Armellino Jr. shook hands with Mayor Paul Braun and received a plaque in appreciation of his elected and appointed positions in the Flossmoor dating back to 1991.
Armellino, a former village trustee, served more than 18 years as a commissioner on Flossmoor’s Police and Fire Board.
Besides his contributions to the police and fire departments, Armellino has also worked as a law enforcement officer, criminal justice instructor and attorney.
As a police and fire commissioner, Armellino was involved in the hiring of a majority of the village’s current police force, Braun said. He was responsible for interviewing over a thousand police candidates during the police eligibility testing process.
Armellino also assisted in the restructuring of the fire captain position to include training administrator duties. He participated in the hiring process for the revamped position.
Armellino’s wife, Donna, remembers when her husband was helping with the interview process for the police and fire departments, and that it was hard work.
“He spent a lot of time doing those interviews (that took) a lot of years and a lot of long nights,” she said.
Despite those long hours, Armellino said it was worth it.
“If you want to do a good job then you have to put in the time,” he said.
Armellino said he and his wife moved recently from the village to be closer to their grandchildren but stressed that he’ll never forget the people that he worked with.
“I’m going to miss these people, they’re great people,” he said. “Flossmoor is a wonderful community and I just hope it stays that way. Based on everything I’ve seen, it definitely will.”