Serving the 3rd Ward since 1991, Susan Rose has consecutively held an aldermanic position longer than anyone else in city history. With Mayor Tom Marcucci stepping down in the spring, Rose said she hasn’t counted out the possibility of climbing the city ladder.

Q Why did you want to run for an aldermanic position?

A One, I kind of began to realize what aldermen did. I was inspired by (the late former Alderman) Vicky Southcombe. Like most residents, I had some issues. I contacted both of our aldermen. One never responded to me, and Vicky called us and was able to resolve the problem quickly. I was really impressed with that.

I started going to meetings and seeing what people did, and she said she wasn’t running again and asked if I would consider running.

Q How do you like the resident communication aspect of your job?

A I enjoy it. I get phone calls from people, and I enjoy that part. I always think back about Vicky Southcombe and try to answer every phone call that I can. It’s so important to me that she (once) answered my phone call (about an issue). ... When I talked to Vicky about someone dumping concrete into my driveway, it was something to me. ... Even if you can’t do anything, you just can’t ignore residents.

Q Are you interested in running for mayor?

A I will say that I surely have thought about it. I am still thinking about it. I’m not ruling it out. You have to like doing this and you have to like people. Personally, I enjoy that part.

Q What else do you want to accomplish?

A When you look at the economy right now, things have been really rough. Part of what I really want to do is maintain and grow the property values of the town. You just have to look around you and see Elmhurst is an oasis. If we let up on the gas pedal at all, ... property taxes are going to suffer. What I am really interested in doing is working harder on sustainability.