BURR RIDGE – Burr Ridge Mayor Mickey Straub's name became familiar to Illinois Review readers in 2012, when he took on the adventure of visiting all 50 state capitals and finding words referring to God and the Bible in each one.
Since that time, Straub sought and won the office of Burr Ridge, IL's mayor.
With the help of Liberty Principles PAC, Straub tried to oust Republican House Leader Jim Durkin in the March 2018 primary. The battle was bloody – and Durkin fought back furiously. Durkin ultimately won re-election, only to lead an even smaller GOP House caucus than last session's.
Straub didn't refer to what had to be an exhausting race in his resignation letter written this week. Instead he said he would be returning to building his company and working on writing a long-delayed book about his 2012 trip. The time spent for a $6000 per year stipend no longer made sense to Straub.
He wrote in his resignation letter how much he enjoyed being mayor of Burr Ridge, and explains:
Back in August, someone told me about a guy who was retiring after Labor Day and asked me, "If you woke up on Tuesday and had nothing to do, what would you want to do?" I didn't have to think more than a second when I replied, 'I would finish writing my book about the 50 Capitols in 50 Days trip and go out and spread my love for God and country.' I knew at that moment that my days as Mayor were numbered and my recent experience in politics made the decision even easier. So I started planning my departure and it is finally arriving, not by coincidence, on the anniversary of the Gettysburg Address…
The rest of Straub's resignation is HERE. His 10 Top Lessons in Politics:
Editor's note: We look forward to reading that book, Mr. Straub. Thank you for your service.
