Homewood trustees unanimously confirmed Mayor Rich Hofeld’s nominee, Phillip Mason, to fill the seat on the board left open by Anne Colton’s recent resignation.
The vote was early on the agenda at the Tuesday, May 14, board meeting. Mason took the oath of office and joined the board on the dais for the rest of the meeting.
Mason has served on the village’s Economic Development Committee since 2021. He works as a planning and preparedness manager for Cook County Department of Emergency Management and Regional Security.
That role could be an asset to the village. He’s currently involved in a project that helps communities develop community emergency response teams.
He also regularly stops by Meet the Mayor sessions at village hall on Saturdays, and he said Hofeld’s accessibility was one thing that prompted him to get involved in village government.
He previously was a member of Cook County Board President Tony Preckwinkle’s staff, and his job required him to meet with officials in many communities.
“There were a lot of managers and mayors that did not want to meet the public,” he said. “Sometimes it was layers just to get to them. I thought (Meet the Mayor) was really novel.”
He said the informal sessions are a good place to meet people and learn more about how village government operates by getting to talk informally with Hofeld, trustees and village department heads.
During his time on the Economic Development Committee he has developed the habit of promoting the village to businesses that appear to be a good fit for Homewood, he said.
“I love having the ability to promote Homewood, so when I go into establishments or I meet people with businesses that are doing good work, I’m always pushing Homewood,” he said. “There’s some businesses that probably have 30 of my cards.”