Longtime Oak Park Lawyer Dick Martens to Retire

Longtime village attorney won’t be the only lawyer leaving Oak Park Village Hall on June 30.

Richard “Dick” Martens, who has served as the attorney to the Zoning Board of Appeals, Plan Commission and the Police and Fire Commission, plans to step down after 38 years with Oak Park.

The board on Monday approved a resolution honoring Martens, who also provided the village legal counsel on real estate and fair housing matters as well as the and the Oak Park Residence Corporation.

Village President David Pope, a former member of the plan commission, said it would be impossible to “find an individual who can bring the same kind of expertise and background to the table.”

Trustee Colette Lueck, a former chair of the plan commission, said Martens ensured that the commission had a “fair and impartial hearing that was grounded in the law… and wrote sound opinions that would stand up to any challenge.”  

Ray Johnson, also a former plan commission member, said Martens would leave a legal legacy that will help move Oak Park forward.