O’Fallon’s new mayor bases leadership on engagement and community
Starting out as a young patrolman in 1990, Eric Van Hook said he learned the importance of community from his boss, Don Slazinik. When he became a school’s D.A.R.E. officer, he found out what an asset outreach was as he built relationships with students and parents.
He hopes those skills, gained during 30 years as a police officer and director of public safety, and his three years as an alderman, will help him lead as the new mayor of O’Fallon.
“I love this community,” he says often.
He considers this next chapter an opportunity and does not take public trust lightly. He begins his term with a full slate of projects and challenges, as the city experiences continuous growing pains.
In 2021, he retired as police chief and director of public safety, after being named “Police Chief of the Year” by the Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police. He was appointed to become an alderman in Ward 7 after the death of Dan Witt in 2022. He and his wife, Laura, have four grown children. She was recently elected president of the O’Fallon District 90 School Board. He is involved in the Rotary Club and other charitable and civic organizations.
Outgoing mayor Herb Roach, who endorsed Van Hook in the April 1 election, described him as a “visionary who leads by example. He has a strong desire to serve the citizens of O’Fallon.”
Van Hook began his term on May 5. The Belleville News-Democrat conducted an interview with him on May 2:
Q. You are becoming mayor at a time when several major projects are in development – Park Place, Meijer’s, Old Base Factory, Central Park Drive, and refurbishing the former Auto Mall.
A. “I’m excited about these projects. A lot of talented people are around me, and they have put a lot of effort into designing these. We have challenges, making sure the infrastructure is in place, and our growth is responsible. These are large developments that are going to bring in a lot of jobs.”
Q. The city has received a lot of attention for its 15-Minute City concept, as outlined in the 2040 Master Plan. What are your thoughts about it?
A. “Paradigm shifts are inevitable, and today it’s tough for young people who may not see owning a home in their future. It’s still a dream for some. We have to have different types of housing available – apartments, townhouses, duplexes, homes. Some people 55 and over want to have maintenance-free living. So, we have to have different options, concepts to help our community. We have to have forward-thinking people for the long term, really good people who are focused on making things better.”
Q. Establishing more green space, having more bike trails, and walkability are part of that discussion as well.
A. “We are focusing on that. We are going to be connecting other parts of the city in those ways.”
Q. Now that you have served on the council, are you planning to continue the status quo?
A. “I’ve never been a fan of having things stay the way they are, that thinking – ‘that’s the way it’s always been done.’ If there is something that needs to be corrected, if there’s a better way of doing things, let’s evaluate the process. We can’t sit back. We need to look at where we are at, and how did we get there.”
Q. Will you be holding regularly scheduled Town Hall meetings?
A. “Communication is key to what we do. I don’t plan to set them like a schedule, but if there is a need for one, I will. I think we need to continue collaborating with residents and the schools, listen to feedback. I like talking to people one-on-one. Community outreach is very important to me.”
Q. Why did you want to take on this responsibility?
A. “I’ve lived here 30 years. I have deep roots in this community. O’Fallon is a great place to live. We have a safe community with great schools. We have great activities and parks, and other amenities. If we want to keep it that way, we have to address issues. We need residents to be engaged, to be willing to share opinions on what’s going on in our community. We need to do better for our community.”
Q. How would you describe your leadership style?A. “I care and I’m going to show up. I’m going to take that approach. It’s humbling for me, because this is my home. As the police chief, you know with that job you’re going to be on call all the time. Same with being mayor. I’ll be running into people at the grocery store, at the YMCA. It’s imperative to me that I listen to them, that I hear their sides of issues. We have to respect each other’s opinions. It’s important to me that they can access good information. I want to be supportive and encouraging.”
Q. You’ve worked with the city’s Leadership Team as the police chief, director of public safety, and an alderman. Do you expect it to be different now that you are mayor?
A. “We are very fortunate to have the staff we have. They work well together. They keep us informed – Walter Denton (city administrator), Grant Litteken (assistant city administrator), Jeff Taylor (director of public works) and Greg Anderson (community development director). They are so supportive, and they know what we have to do. They think it’s important to keep residents informed.”
Q. After you retired as the police chief, you took a job at O’Fallon Township High School as director of safety. I know you are a proponent of being prepared and developing emergency plans. Will that help inform current city practices?
A. “That was to create a security initiative for keeping the community and the schools safe. Emergency plans need to be a living, breathing document. That means updating rosters, road maps, having specific guidelines and training. We have to prepare for anything and use what we know from past experiences. It’s very important. We have a great police department, fire department, and EMS, and we’ll all work together.”
Q. Do you have any specific goals? Like the past four-five mayors, you are going to be overseeing periods of tremendous growth.
A. “It’s important to prepare the city for responsible growth. We have to keep working on our infrastructure needs. I think with the projects coming in, we’re going to see fresh energy, and more opportunities are going to exist. It’s important to maintain public trust.”
Q. It’s not easy to be in politics today. Your thoughts?
A. “It’s not easy. I took this decision seriously. I talked to my wife, Laura. We have supported each other in whatever we decide to do. Her support definitely helped me in my decision. We love this community and want to see it keep thriving. Some people seek office as a steppingstone to other positions. This is not a steppingstone for me. I care about this city.”
Q. Because serving the public takes an incredible amount of time and energy, how do you get more people involved and engaged in serving?
A. “You are right, not a lot of people want to run for office. They worry about social media commentary, especially if they have kids. They don’t want to be humiliated on Facebook. Some handle it better than others. It’s a hard decision to run. But we need good people to make the city thrive. I’m confident we have people on the council who have a serious commitment to serving this community that they are invested in. I think together we are going to accomplish great things as a team.”
Portions of this interview were condensed and edited.