Friends and colleagues said former Belvidere Mayor Mike Chamberlain was quick to point out he wasn’t among those born and raised in the city.
But Chamberlain had such a passion for Belvidere, you would never have known he wasn’t born there unless he told you.
Chamberlain died Sunday night at age 73 after battling a lengthy illness.
He was a friend and mentor who Rock Valley College Trustee Crystal Soltow said “will be missed forever.” Soltow says Chamberlain inspired her to run for public office, first for trustee and then for state Senate.
“We both had the same beliefs of being a pillar in the community to make it stronger, to make it better, to be involved,” Soltow said. “Working beside him almost 10 years has really changed my life for the better.”
No funeral or memorial plans have been announced.
A Republican, Chamberlain served two terms as mayor before he lost a bid for re-election to Mayor Clint Morris in April 2021, one year into the coronavirus pandemic.