'Well, my boy:' On the passing of John Rednour

You know the commercial about the most interesting man in the world? Well, my choice would be John Rednour. John was simply one of the most unique, most motivated, most intelligent - well, most interesting people - I've ever known.

John Rednour was as a relatively uneducated man by today's standards, yet he was incredibly smart, well read, a global traveler, and deeply insightful. A private man in the public spotlight, people were drawn to him. They listened to what he had to say.

By his outward personality one wouldn't think of John as mayoral material, yet he filled the role perfectly. He wore his mayoralty like a well-tailored suit. He was perfectly comfortable and ceaselessly self-confident. I arrived at the conclusion years ago that John had to be mayor because leadership was a part of his DNA and he just had to lead. Whether it was in business, politics, or public service he was drawn to leadership like a moth to the flame.

Yet for his compelling leadership traits he wasn't tyrannical or dictatorial. John made inclusiveness the hallmark of his tenure as mayor. He invited citizens into civic service, turning their talents and interests toward important duties. He trusted them implicitly. When a board or commission returned a decision, he supported them, relying on their good faith efforts and common sense. His inclusive form of governance will be one of his most enduring legacies. It's how he recruited me in to public service.

Some of you will recall in the early 1990's that I approached him about the need for zoning and land use planning in Du Quoin. I plainly remember him looking at me and saying "I agree with you, and you're going to lead the committee that gets it done." I saw him use that tactic again over the years repeatedly and effectively - a very useful lesson taught to this pupil by the master. By the mid-1990's the zoning planning committee returned a draft ordinance. John supported us fully, again trusting the work of a committee he appointed. I was hooked.

John's natural inclination toward leadership gelled with his love for Du Quoin, and this town hasn't been the same. His seemingly limitless political connections were used smartly and discretely to attract grant money that greatly improved the fabric and infrastructure of this community for decades to come at the least local investment possible.

Look around and you can't miss his fingerprints on the overpass, the water tower, the industrial park, the wastewater treatment plant, city hall, the fairgrounds, the Southern Illinois Center, and on and on and on. He leaves this community well prepared for the future unlike any in southern Illinois, and still city finances are on solid fiscal ground.

John was no demagogue. He didn't shy away from difficult issues, choosing instead to tackle them head-on, finding resolution by one simple standard that I heard a thousand times from him - Do what's best for the City - and moving on. Seldom did he look back once an issue was decided. That commitment to doing what was right as opposed to what might be popular cost him during some elections, but from 1989 through 2011 he was undefeated. I think his electoral track record was because although people might disagree with some of his decisions they respected his motivations and integrity.

Those who have worked with John over the years fondly recall him referring to us as "My boy" as in "Well, m'boy, let's get that project going." Being referred to as "My boy" was never regarded as derogatory or condescending; it was more a rite of passage - an acceptance onto his team that we cherished. Our dear, late city administrator Blaine Bastien, economic development coordinator Jeff Ashauer, and I were always referring to one another proudly as "M'boy". We got a lot of great work done together as part of John's team. I'm pretty sure that if John Rednour were 90 and I was 70 he would still be calling me "m'boy". I'll miss that.

John's love for the city, though, paled in comparison to his love for his Wanda and their family. Together they made a formidable couple, yet his eyes would light up at the mere mention of her name. Even as his health was becoming a concern, his main worry was for Wanda. She was his anchor, his foundation, his North Star on a dark night. John and Wanda Rednour together are simply one of the great love stories of our time, shining examples of the power of enduring love from which we can all grow stronger in our own lives.

So we say goodbye to our mayor, our teacher, our friend. That he died on Thanksgiving weekend is a reminder to reflect on and be thankful for all that he did for Du Quoin. At the end of our own lives we will be judged by a fairly simple standard. Did we leave our community in better shape than we found it? By that standard, John Rednour's life has been one of great and lasting accomplishment. I hope the citizens of Du Quoin will rise to his example and find ways they can be of service to this community, leaving it, as John did, all the better for their having lived and served here.