URBANA, Ill. (WCIA) — Urbana Mayor Diane Marlin stepped foot in the city more than 50 years ago. 16 of those years have been spent in city government.

“Being mayor was not on my to-do list, it didn’t even occur to me to do that,” Marlin said.

The University of Illinois graduate came to Urbana for four years, but has stuck around long enough to find her husband, raise a family and explore professional endeavors.

“A lot of people will say ‘Well, I lived here and there, but when I moved to Urbana, it felt like home,’” Marlin said.

After tenures working at Parkland College and the U of I, her love for volunteer work landed her at city council.

“We have strong environmental ethics, we value people, we welcome newcomers, we welcome immigrants and we value our parks and our education system,” she said. “That’s the kind of thing that kept me here and keeps me going.”

She was first elected mayor in 2017, and has been the so-called “CEO of the city” ever since.

“When you hear that title in front of your name it’s a wonderful feeling and it also hits you that you have a huge responsibility,” Marlin said. 

She’s felt the weight of that responsibility through several city developments, and through the COVID-19 years.

“Leading the city with our staff, our community partners during 2020 and 2021 will always remain one of our greatest accomplishments,” she said. “When everything was shut down, we had to come to work and be there for our community.”

Five years from then, she’s celebrating progress in equity, accessibility and business development.

“[I’ve] gotten a lot less sleep than I used to, but it’s changed me for the better, it’s given me hope, it assured me that yes people can make a difference in their community,” Marlin said.

She’s looking forward to watching her story repeat itself as more find themselves loving the city the way she does. 

“I hope [Urbana] continues to thrive and grow, that students continue to come to the U of I and look around and say, ‘This feels like home,’” she said. 

Marlin said she’s looking forward to traveling and spending time with family in retirement.

She said she will transition the incoming mayor for a few weeks before they’re ready to take her spot in the city building.