Village staff lost community development director Steve McNellis earlier this winter, when he accepted a new position with Lincolnwood, south of Skokie. Looking to fill the vacancy, Village Manager Brad Burke said he expanded McNellis’ former role in the village, as a contracted firm starts the search to find candidates.
The next person who takes the position will be Lincolnshire’s director of community development and assistant village manager.
A new hire for the redefined position will take on more economic development duties, using technology and analyzing demographic data to better identify business targets, Burke said. The new person for the position also will be responsible for McNellis’ old staff, Burke said.
McNellis oversaw five full-time staff members and one part-timer, dealing with planning and building codes in Lincolnshire. In his absence, several other staffers have felt increased pressure at work, which a new assistant village manager can help relieve, Burke said.
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“Everybody’s stepping up to take on the challenge,” Burke said. “But certainly, the current personnel are taking on a little bit more.”
The village is looking to pay a hire for the retooled position around $110,000 a year, an increase from the $102,000 in base salary the village paid the old community development director. Lincolnshire is paying Northbrook-based GovHR USA $18,000 to help select candidates. The search firm partly was founded by Heidi Voorhees, a former Wilmette village manager, according to its website.
Burke, who has managed the village for nearly four years, also specified that the successful candidate for the job should aspire to become a day-to-day leader of a municipality someday, but the current day-to-day leader of Linconshire said he doesn’t intend to leave his own position.
“I’m very happy where I’m at,” Burke said. “I don’t have any plans.”
He said he wanted to fill the position of assistant village manager by Aug. 1.
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