URBANA, Ill. (WAND) — Over fifty years ago, Diane Marlin decided to pack up her bags and move from LaSalle County, to Urbana. She traded in life on the farm, for freshman year city excitement.
"This has been my home since I came here as a student," Marlin shared with WAND News. After receiving her Bachelors and Masters at the University of Illinois, she decided to call Urbana her home.Â
But if you asked Marlin if she ever thought she'd be the mayor, her response was simple, "Never in my wildest dreams!"
Over the last fifty years she has spent in Urbana, Marlin has devoted sixteen of them to city government; something she never thought she could do herself.Â
"I think it was Eleanor Roosevelt who said, 'you must do the things you think you cannot do...'" she said with a smile. "And that's what I do every day."
Now, she has called the mayoral office her home for the past eight years. Working closely with her staff of roughly 280 city employees, Marlin couldn't be more proud of everything she has worked hard to make possible in Urbana.
"I'm proud that we restored the financial health of the city. We have modernized a lot of systems. We have H Mart opening! We are taking care of our public facilities," Marlin listed. These are just some to name a few.
Marlin is also proud of Urbana's resiliency following the COVID-19 pandemic, where she played a role in navigating the city through a period of unknowns. Â
As she begins packing up her office, full of cards and memories from her eight years as Mayor, Marlin will continue to hold these tokens close to her in this next chapter.
She doesn't plan on saying goodbye to Urbana just yet.
"We're staying in Urbana! I've got grandkids and I've got travel plans," she shared with a grin. "I still have a To-Do list, and I'll be doing it as a citizen!"
As she begins to turn the page and welcome mayor-elect DeShawn Williams into the seat, she is excited to continue being a part of the Urbana community.
"It's something I'm very proud of."
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