Robert Eschbach

Class of 1970 Robert (Bob) Eschbach, while attending Ottawa Township High School was a member of the National Honor Society, the Civic Council, the debate team, and was a writer for the Buccaneer school newspaper. After graduation from OTHS he graduated from Illinois Valley Community College, Illinois State University, and the University of Illinois College of Law. He has served in the private practice of law in Ottawa since 1978, and was elected Mayor of the City of Ottawa in 1999. He was subsequently elected four more times. At the end of this current term, his twenty years of service will duplicate the longest service for any Mayor of the City of Ottawa. He has been very creative and effective at securing grants for numerous projects to benefit Ottawa. Under his leadership and vision city finances are very stable, and the city has effectively managed its resources with a strong infrastructure and effective government. He initiated development and adoption of the first comprehensive city and downtown plans. Mayor Eschbach received the State of Illinois Governor’s Friend of Tourism Award in 2002, the Ottawa Area Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s Leo Parkerson Award in 2003, and the Illinois Valley Construction Industry Labor/Management Award in 2004. He has served on numerous boards, including the Ottawa Area Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Ottawa Visitors Center, the Ottawa Historical Preservation League, the Illinois Valley Anti-Drug Coalition, Residents Against a Polluted Environment, I&M Canal Heritage Corridor Commission, Ottawa Regional Hospital and Healthcare Center Strategic Planning Board, as well as Chaired the City of Ottawa Plan Commission and the City of Ottawa Zoning Board of Appeals, and has served as a committee member of the Illinois Valley Commuter Rail Project and City of Ottawa Historic Preservation Commission.