Thursday, October 1, 2026
“Dedicated” and “devoted” are two words often used among residents to describe a village favorite, Mary Ann Hughes, whose helpful spirit has touched many. After nearly 28 years as secretary to the mayor and village board, Hughes, 66, will leave her post in March, and begin what she described as a new journey in her life.
“I loved working with each of the mayors and my coworkers, who are like family,” Hughes said. “I’ll miss the whole job. I love this job. It’s been a great ride, and I enjoyed it.”
Hughes, who began working with the village on June 6, 1983, was praised for her diligence and commitment by several community members at a village board meeting on Dec. 20, and thanked by each of the four mayors she has worked with.
“All the retirements we have celebrated over the past four years have been special, but sometimes you have a person who decides to retire who has become more important than their actual job title,” said former Mayor Brian Curran, who joined former Mayors William Geier, Mary Colway and Eugene Scarpato to honor Hughes. “Someone who has become part of the village family … that person is Mary Ann Hughes.”
“Your work product is beyond perfection,” Colway told Hughes, “and you made my job certainly much easier, and for that I say thank you.” Colway added that Hughes was a “constant professional,” graciously and effortlessly serving as an “interface between a part-time mayor and residents.”
“I really had no idea of what the job entailed, and the job has definitely grown over the last 27 and a half years,” said Hughes, a resident of the village for 31 years, adding of her colleagues, “We shared joys, sorrows, births and deaths and we truly support one another. Also, I enjoy working with the residents of this community.”
The mother of three noted that her biggest achievement has been helping the mayors achieve their goals. “It was very important I worked with them and not just for them,” Hughes said. “All the mayors have treated me as an equal, and I really appreciate that. … Each mayor did what they believed was right for the community, and working with them was an accomplishment in itself, I feel.”
