Joseph DuPar has been a great political leader for the Village of Calumet Park. He has lived in Calumet Park for almost thirty years. He has been a champion for social programs in Calumet Park for senior citizens and youth.

This is a very active mayor. Immediately after he became mayor, he negotiated to bring a Walgreens Shopping Complex to the Village. The complex also included Sherman-Williams Paint Company and several small businesses. He also kicked off the 127th Street Beautification Project by negotiating with a developer. This resulted in an old abandoned dry cleaners building and an old gas station being demolished. These unused properties, located between Bishop and Loomis Streets, were cleared to make room for a strip center. This new development will include a seafood restaurant and several small shopping boutiques. His leadership has been very instrumental for the installation of a new streetscape along 127th Street.

Under Mayor DuPar’s leadership, Calumet Park turned out the largest percentages of votes for President Barack Obama in Cook County, and one of the largest percentages of votes for President Obama in the State of Illinois. These votes were based on voters/population percentages.

Another area of service in the Village of Calumet Park, prior to becoming Mayor, Joseph DuPar served as Village Trustee for eleven years. As Trustee, he worked as a senior team member with developers in completing the 2nd and 3rd phases of the Raceway Park Shopping Center development. This retail park, located at the corner of Vermont and Ashland Avenue, gives shoppers over 100,000 square feet of commercial activity seven days a week. He also served on the (CRC) Community Relations Commission.

Prior to his tenure as Mayor, he retired from Xerox Corporation after thirty years of service with twenty-five of those years in Management. He is a Vietnam Veteran where he received an honorable discharge. He graduated from Coyne Electronics Institute in Electrical and Electronics Technology. He also received an AA Degree in Applied Science from Olive Harvey College.

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