Longtime Vernon Hills village president remains on the job while battling serious illness; ‘You can’t lose sight of your goal’

Vernon Hills Village President Roger Byrne has been through a lot in 13 months.

Byrne, a well-known local figure who has been village president since 1993, has been carrying out his duties remotely for months now as he receives treatment and recovers from Guillain-Barré syndrome.

Doctors believe Byrne developed the autoimmune disease, in which the body’s immune system attacks the nerves, in February of 2022 when he suddenly began to experience lower body paralysis and could no longer stand or walk after being in good health.

Byrne, grateful to be alive and not one to mince words, told the News-Sun he “could be better, could be worse,” in an interview Thursday. He thanked his wife and health care workers as he recalled his humbling, harrowing journey from health to hospitalization, and fighting for his life with his family distraught and without answers.

“It’s not easy,” Byrne said. “Thankfully, I’m not paralyzed completely. I’ve certainly got all my upper body functions and all, but anybody that has to deal with something like this, going from basically being healthy and walking one day and after that, it’s all changed in the last year.”

Slowly, Byrne said he is advancing in his recovery, while keeping his agenda stacked with village business, his passion. As village president, Byrne presides — much like a traditional mayor does — over village meetings, and serves as the chief executive of Vernon Hills’ municipal government.

He and his family have shouldered the logistical and financial costs of his recovery effort, which includes expensive shuttle trips for rehabilitative sessions at Shirley Ryan in Arlington Heights and making necessary updates to his home.

Meanwhile, Byrne has caught back up on village affairs and is attending board meetings remotely, discussing in-the-works and potential projects as he has since he first was elected to the Village Board in 1987.

“You’ve just got to do it,” Byrne said. “You’ve got to stay with it. You can’t lose sight of your goal. Basically I was intensive care for ... the better part of the month in February (of last year).”

He said that time is, “a little bit foggy.”

A Caring Bridge website with updates from Byrne’s daughter, Erin, recalls some of the scariest moments of Byrne’s battle, which included a lengthy stint on a ventilator, and the “extraordinary care and attention” he received from doctors, nurses and staff at Advocate Condell Hospital in Libertyville, the Shirley Ryan Ability Lab and other area medical centers.

“At one time, I was just paralyzed,” Byrne said. “Then you have to have a series of transfusions and, oh my gosh, I think I had to have six different platelet-type transfusions, and that helped. Now the whole thing, is, are these nerves going to really heal?”

It can take months or years to recover fully or substantially from Guillain-Barré syndrome, often referred to as GBS, but Byrne’s colleagues don’t doubt him.

David Oppenheim, a Vernon Hills trustee since 2017, said he has gained a “deeper respect” for Byrne after working with him on the board, even though the two haven’t always agreed on every issue.

In many respects, I almost equate Vernon Hills to Roger,” Oppenheim told the News-Sun. “He’s been so instrumental in the development of the community.”

He and Byrne’s camaraderie has come a long way since Oppenheim sued the village over plans to build a Menards. Oppenheim, a doctor, was one of the few who were able to visit Byrne when there was significantly less optimism about Byrne’s condition.

“There were moments when his family thought that it might be the end,” Oppenheim recalled.

As Byrne improved throughout the spring and summer, he began to consult with village staff and colleagues on usual business, and in some key situations after emergencies, like when the village decided to call off its festivities in the wake of Highland Park’s Fourth of July mass shooting.

Byrne is grateful to his board and staff for the “collaboration” that he said has allowed him to remain “very responsive” to the issues facing the village.

“They’ve been supportive and encouraging,” he said.

As the calendar turns to spring, Byrne plans to spend lots of time looking into budgetary items, with village hearings set to begin soon. He also expressed optimism about the impact of a more than $250 million Hawthorn Mall renovation project.

“His foundation of knowledge is unsurpassed,” Oppenheim noted. “He knows every little thing about this community.”

Byrne said he’s “always had good boards to work with” and “quality” staff, which has made his tenure as village president — which extends to 2025 — memorable and fulfilling.

He said the process of building Vernon Hills High School, which opened in 1999, and ensuring District 128 students have an optimal place to receive their education was, “one of the nicest projects I ever got pulled into.”

“It only took about 10 years to get it done, and about five referendums,” Byrne said.

Michael Marquardt, a trustee since 2004, has learned about Byrne’s “big heart” through 35 years of friendship, working with him on the board and coaching their sons’ Little League Baseball teams.

He said Byrne’s institutional knowledge has helped him adjust well to doing village work remotely, and it helps that the village has its “ducks in a row.”

“The village has done very well,” Marquardt said. “We don’t have a lot of conflict with anything, and it’s running very smoothly.”