Larry Morrissey, 38

By Emily Hartzog

Don’t get him wrong—Mayor Larry Morrissey is honored to be one of Rockford’s inaugural 40 under 40 recipients—but he is a little conflicted about being labeled a “young leader.”

“Leadership isn’t a function of age,” the Mayor elaborates. “It’s about having the drive and the desire to improve your community.” It is a very fitting statement from a Mayor whose mantra throughout his time in office has been about “Excellence Everywhere for Everyone”.

He believes that a strong community is one that expects everyone, young and old, to take responsibility and set a standard for themselves, their families, their neighborhoods and their city. “Young people don’t need to ask for permission or support to take ownership of their community, of their destinies. I certainly didn’t have permission to run for Mayor.”

The Mayor is sensitive about being pigeon-holed, but labels aside, by the age of 35, Larry had practiced law in his family’s firm, Morrissey Law Offices, and been active with numerous community groups including: The River District Association, the Greater Rockford Transportation Coalition, SWIFFT (Southwest Ideas for Today & Tomorrow), the Rockford Chamber of Commerce, the Rockford Area Convention & Visitors Bureau; and the Goodwill Industries/Abilities Center.

All this while running for Mayor twice between 2000 and 2005, and winning the second election as an Independent candidate by a 14-point margin.

“All I wanted was to live in a loft in Rockford and be able to take the train into Chicago,” Larry says when asked what inspired him to take on each new role, including his run for Mayor. “The bigger the challenge you take on, the bigger your team has to be.”

He sees this as the key to the success of Rockford, and he’s proud of the work that organizations like nFACTOR, the Rockford Chamber of Commerce, the Rockford Area Economic Development Council, Next Rockford and others are doing to build effective teams across generational lines.

To underscore the point, he says that state and federal governments aren’t going to come and fix our problems for us and in a sense, that’s liberating.We are free to set our own course, to open our eyes to our shortcomings, and to feel empowered enough to step up and identify ourselves as part of the leadership of our city. Don’t ask permission to lead, just do it.

The path to excellence hasn’t always been an easy one, but the Mayor believes the goal is achievable. “It’s not about perfection,” he elaborates. “Perfection is not of this world, but excellence is. It’s about a drive toward improvement, about creating better systems and processes, about re-evaluation and not accepting mediocrity or failure.”

With the Mayor’s leadership and tenacity, the City of Rockford has passed a sales tax referendum to fund infrastructure improvements, implemented a Weed and Seed approach to reduce crime and eliminate neighborhood decay, and imposed truancy and littering ordinances. In addition, the City also is in the process of implementing its “RockStat” initiative to focus on process improvement and service delivery. It is his hope that when the City is measuring, examining and creating better systems and tools for citizens, people will see the results physically, both in the classrooms and in Rockford’s achievements.

As the Mayor checks his packed itinerary for the day and leaves for his next meeting, I ask him what he is most proud of. “Getting married and my family,” he answers. “And how do you balance it all?” I ask. “I have a great team,” is his simple answer.