William "Bill" Shaw has served as Mayor of Dolton since 1997. Shaw has experience on both the local and statewide level as he was also served as the Illinois State Senator for the 15th District, a position he had held from 1992 through 2002. A native of Hope, Arkansas, Shaw was born July 31, 1937. He moved to Chicago at an early age with his family,

including his twin brother Robert. Mayor Shaw discovered his calling in the political arena at an early age. Working in various positions in government, Shaw was elected State Representative of the 34th Ward in 1982. After serving five terms, he was elected to the Senate. Shaw spent 10 years in the Senate, until he retired in 2002.

As mayor, Shaw has worked tirelessly to make sure Dolton remained a leader in the south suburbs. He has been successful in bringing viable businesses to Dolton, with the motto, "If the Northern Suburbs can have...so can we!" The following are but a few of the businesses that have been opened in Dolton in recent years:

Melanie Fitness Center
Auto Zone
Family Dollar
Dunkin Donuts
ToGo's
Baskin Robbins
Dusties
Secrets
Walgreens

Shaw also orchestrated the opening of the Best Motel & Suites located on Sibley Boulevard, which is the first hotel in Dolton in more than 50 years. One of the largest projects under the Shaw administration is the re-purposing of the Indalex property located at 142nd and Cottage Grove. This
22 acre site, worth close to $6 million dollars was gifted to the Village in the summer of 2003.

Mayor Shaw believes in taking a stand and being a humanitarian. In September 2004, Shaw, with the unanimous support of the Board, donated two fire trucks to the town
of Pembroke, IL after hearing on the news of the destruction of their trucks by a brush fire earlier that year. He also donated air packs to the community, which is considered
one of the poorest in the nation. In October 2004, Shaw partnered with Bishop Larry Trotter, churches around the Chicagoland area, and across the United States to come
to the aid of hurricane ravaged Haiti. The hurricanes claimed the lives of more than 2,000 people and left them without sanitary drinking water, food, shelter, clothing and medicine. The group gathered water and other supplies to assist Haiti in this relief effort.

Mayor Shaw has been the driving force behind the numerous programs which help Dolton to stand out as a city with pride.
Shaw's programs center on the total well being of the community including education, housing and positive family entertainment which improves the quality of life for residents.

Education is a key initiative for Mayor Shaw, which is evident in the strides that he has made to improve the quality of education children in Dolton receive. The securing of the funds to rebuild Lincoln Elementary School and equip it with a state-of-the-art computer lab show the dedication to learning that Mayor Shaw holds. In addition he created a Housing Commission which seeks to educate homeowners throughout Dolton, and improved the Dolton Youth Commission so that it serves as an educational and cultural guide for the youth of Dolton.

Positive family entertainment that will improve the quality of life for the residents of Dolton is also important to the Mayor.
With this goal in mind, he created the successful summer program "Cascade of Jazz." Cascade of Jazz is a weekly outdoor concert series held each summer in front of the Dolton Waterfall. Other programs implemented and continued by Shaw are the Blood Drive, Holiday Tree Lighting Ceremony and the 4th of July Parade with festivities in the park.

Mayor Shaw always says "I took on the role of Mayor of Dolton because I want to make a difference!" That is just what he does. He can often be found driving around the Village of Dolton, stopping to welcome new residents who are moving in or chatting with others who have a problem. Seeing the Mayor trimming a tree or cleaning up around town is no surprise to anyone. He doesnít hesitate to address the concerns of the community and he works tirelessly to ensure the residents of Dolton have a happy, safe community in which to live.