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growth spurt. He remembers
his early encounters with
Mazzorana well.
“He was always well informed,
and he was always
direct and honest about his
feelings on things,” Downs
said of Mazzorana. “I found
him to be excellent to work
with while he was with the
park district. He was there
for the right reasons — al-
mokenamessenger.com news
the Mokena Messenger | June 7, 2018 | 9
‘Mr. Mokena’ leaves behind lasting legacy
Longtime trustee
John Mazzora
passes away May 27
Jon DePaolis
Freelance Reporter
If one way to measure a
man’s life is by considering
how many people his life influenced,
then John J. Mazzorana
has left an indelible
mark on Mokena.
Mazzorana, 75, whose
public service to his community
as a Village of Mokena
Board of Trustees member
lasted more than 25 years,
died May 27 in New Lenox.
A real estate lawyer who
practiced in both Will and
Cook counties for 50 years,
Mazzorana is best known for
his time on the Mokena Village
Board — shepherding
the community from small
town to a vibrant suburb.
Mazzorana was preceded
in death by his parents, Anthony
and Elsie; and his
wife, Claudia. He is survived
by his children, Vicki
sales tax
From Page 5
then the sales tax revenue
could replace property tax
revenue.
“I do think people would
appreciate having lower
property taxes,” he said. “...I
think that — by using this
tax correctly — I think that
we could really reduce future
tax levies by keeping up
and doing the kind of work
we need on our facilities on
an ongoing basis versus taking
out referendums to pay
— taking out debt — to pay
for facility updates.”
In the long run, paying
off its debt faster would be
a “double win” for taxpayers
because the district would
pay less in interest expenses.
“I think if the taxpayers
Mazzorana, Michelle Stokes
(Roy), Katherine Wilson, Jason
Mazzorana (Angie) and
Anthony Mazzorana; his beloved
grandchildren, Jacob
Wilson, Madeline Wilson
and Gianna Mazzorana; his
brother, Dennis Mazzorana
(Therese); companion of
many years, Sandy Meinke,
as well as her daughter,
Amanda Wrobel; and many
nephews and nieces.
Getting involved
Mazzorana was born
May 14, 1943 in Chicago.
He grew up in the Pullman
neighborhood. But after attending
DePaul University
for both his undergraduate
and law degrees — and after
marrying his wife, Claudia
— Mazzorana moved to Mokena
in 1976.
It didn’t take long for Mazzorana
to become involved
in his new hometown, getting
elected to the Mokena
Park District Board of Commissioners
in 1987.
Michelle Stokes, one of
Former Village Trustee John Mazzorana (center) gets a standing ovation from his peers
on Mokena’s board. Mazzorana served more than 25 years on the board and helped user
Mokena into a new era. 22nd Century Media file photo
could see the potential savings
down the road that I
think they would support it
because of the better fiscal
management of the whole
process,” Cauffman said.
Voting it down
Other districts, such as
Frankfort 157C, declined to
support the measure, citing
its lack of need for additional
funding.
Gina Briese, president of
Frankfort School District
157C school board, said the
district is in a good place financially
and the board felt
it would be unnecessary to
place a further financial burden
on residents.
“I know some of that money
is going to come from
people passing through, and
we felt that we didn’t need
additional tax dollars to support
our district,” Briese
said.
She said the district has
managed its money well and
has been able to abate money
each year, leaving it in
a stable financial state with
regards to income, expenses
and debt payments.
“I can certainly see why
other districts [that] are in
financial straights want this
tax increase, but I, personally,
and our board doesn’t
see where it’s going to benefit
the residents of Frankfort,”
Briese said, citing a
1 percent sales tax increase
the Village of Frankfort is
expected to ask for in the
November election.
Kate Ambrosini, director
of business and operational
services at Frankfort 157C,
said although the district is
currently able to pay for its
building and maintenance
needs, it would be able to invest
more into its buildings
if the sales tax increase were
to pass.
“There’s always things
you can do on your facilities,”
Ambrosini said. “Our
board, just for the summer,
approved about $1.1
million worth of capital
projects throughout the
district, so there’s always
things that can be done with
that funding. It’s not like it
would just be taken for no
reason.
“All we can do is take the
best steps we can for our
taxpayers here,” Ambrosini
said, “and I think that’s what
our board is doing.”
Mazzorana’s daughters, said
a parks concern had caught
her father’s interest.
“And once he grabbed on,
he didn’t let go,” Stokes said.
“He was with the park district
for about six years.”
John Downs, the former
Village administrator for
Mokena, was just starting
out with the Village in 1988.
At the time, Mokena — still
a small community — was
on the verge of a major
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Please see Mr. Mokena, 11