Village management in Glencoe will have a new look in January as village trustees have authorized a reorganization of the staff structure.
“We are moving some things around,” Village Manager Phil Kiraly said at the Dec. 21 Village Board meeting. “A lot of the same faces and some new names will be added into the mix.”
The changes start with the consolidation of the Village Manager’s Office and Finance Department into what will now be the Administration and Finance Department. As part of the change, Nikki Larson, who has served as the village’s finance director since 2018, will become deputy village manager/chief financial officer.
In her new role, Larson will continue to work on financial issues and will now be the village manager’s main deputy in oversight of village operations.
With Larson’s promotion, Assistant Finance Director Margaret Schwarz will move to assistant chief financial officer, putting her in charge of daily finance operations.
In another move, Assistant Village Manager Sharon Tanner, who was hired in 2015, will become the village’s first human resources director.
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“It’s a position we have long wanted to see in this organization and I think it will be a significant benefit to us as we continue to seek to be an employer of choice and to retain a high-performing workforce,” Kiraly said.
There are currently 107 full-time positions budgeted for 2024, according to Tanner.
Tanner will oversee the village’s diversity, equity and inclusion efforts. She currently serves as the staff liaison to the village’s Council for Inclusion and Community committee.
“As part of being a welcoming and inclusive community, the village is committed to being welcoming and inclusive workplace where all employees feel welcome, celebrated and contribute to providing the best local government services,” Tanner wrote in an email.
With Tanner’s move, the village is now seeking to hire a new assistant village manager. That job was set to go to Jonathan Pape, a current member of the village manager’s staff, but Kiraly announced at the December board meeting Pape has accepted a new role in Hoffman Estates and will be moving on in January.
In another change, the village will now have a separate development services section — that includes zoning, planning and building services — instead of being one segment of the public works department.
Development Services Manager Taylor Baxter will take over as leader of the department.
Kiraly said village officials contemplated making that change for many years and opted to act now following the retirement of longtime Public Works Director David Mau earlier this year.
“The timing was right to separate development services from public works into its own stand-alone department,” Kiraly said.
Monica Sarna was hired in October 2023 to be the new public works director.
Kiraly also noted the recent hiring of Mario Gil as technology and strategy manager, replacing Ron Dussard, who retired.
The village is currently also recruiting for a human resources generalist plus a new support and network engineer for IT needs.
Daniel I. Dorfman is a freelance reporter with Pioneer Press.