Former Niles Mayor Nicholas Blase Dies At Age 91

NILES, IL — Nicholas Blase, the longest-serving mayor in Niles history and the only one to serve time in federal prison for fraud, died Monday at the age of 91. Blase moved to Niles 60 years ago and established law offices in town. In 1961, he defeated 20-year incumbent Frank Stankowicz in the race for mayor, a job he would hold for the next 47 years.

Blase also served almost three decades as Maine Township Democratic Committeeman, stepping aside in the early 1990s. In 1972, Blase was defeated in the Democratic Party primary for the 10th Congressional District by Abner Mikvah. Among Illinois mayors, the length of Blase's tenure in office is second only to Donald Stevens, who ran Rosemont from the founding of the village until his death.

Blase was born in Chicago to parents who owned a restaurant at the corner of 31st Street and South Wentworth Avenue, his daughter told the Niles Journal, which was first to report Blase's passing. He would go on to earn a law degree from Notre Dame, and he remained a lifelong fan of the White Sox and Fighting Irish.

According to the biography Nick Blase: The Prince of Niles, Illinois, by journalist Andrew Schneider, by the time Blase took over, the rapidly growing village and its surroundings were developing a reputation for gambling, vice and organized crime. Blase pushed back on the practice, leading to the annexation of a part of Milwaukee Avenue into the village. Early on in his tenure, Blase told the author, someone had contacted him in an attempt to get him to help enable gambling and mob activity.

"I was just approached to say, if you're interested, we can get the right people to you," Blase said. "There were a number of names in the community that you knew were connected to this."

"As I always should have done when presented with an opportunity to do wrong, I said no," Blase would later write, according to the biography.

Former Mayor Robert Collero, who succeeded Blase after his resignation, told the Journal he did not believe anyone else could have accomplished as much as his predecessor — despite the felony fraud conviction that tarnished the mayor's legacy.

"He did so much for Niles. He built a sales tax base that was unbelievable," Callero said. "I know there was a black mark [on his tenure], but he did many good things for Niles in his 47 years."

Blase was arrested on federal corruption charges on his 78th birthday in 2006. Prosecutors said he had been involved in a bribery and kickback scheme with Steven Weiner's Wheeling-based insurance company dating back to at least 1989. Federal authorities said Blase would shake down businesses to direct insurance business to the firm or risk encountering roadblocks when it comes to village licenses, permits and zoning. As part of the fraud scheme, the mayor received over $420,000 between 1997 and 2006 using a shell company, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office in Chicago.

The mayor pleaded guilty to mail and tax fraud in October 2008 and was sentenced to just over one year in prison in January 2010. He served about eight months at a facility in Minnesota and the rest at a Chicago halfway house and under house arrest.

In September 2010, the Niles Village Board was deadlocked on a proposal to remove the "Nicholas B. Blase Plaza" sign honoring the former mayor outside Village Hall. After another vote the following October, the sign was replaced with one featuring the motto "Where People Count."

Niles Mayor Andrew Przybylo described Blase, who appointed him to the zoning board of appeals and village board in the late 1980s, as a "true leader," Pioneer Press reported.

"It was a real friendship," Przybylo said. "It was a great time and a special chemistry, and I wish that could happen again."

Blase is survived by his wife, four children, 12 grandchildren and 16 great grandchildren, according to a funeral notice. A visitation is scheduled for 3 to 9 p.m. Thursday at the Skaja Terrace Funeral Home, 7812 N. Milwaukee Ave., Niles. The visitation continues at 9:30 a.m. Friday at St. Haralambos Greek Orthodox Church, 7373 N. Caldwell Ave., Niles, followed by a funeral service at 10:30 a.m.