Politics & Government

Clarendon Hills Searching for New Community Development Director

Mike Brown resigned May 31 for reasons village manager Randy Recklaus did not comment on.

The has hired a search firm to find a new community development director after Mike Brown resigned on May 31.

The Village Board on June 4 approved an agreement to pay Heidi Voorhees & Associates $15,900 to execute a search over the next 12 weeks. In the meantime, the village has hired Dan Ungerleider to be the interim community development director.

Village manager Randy Recklaus did not comment on why Brown resigned. He had worked for the village since 1999.

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Recklaus said a search firm was hired because the village is already conducting a search for retiring public works director John Hays’ replacement, and wants to avoid searching for two administrators at the same time. 

“That search is going well, but I believe it would be difficult to conduct two department director searches in-house simultaneously,” Recklaus wrote in a June 1 memo to the Village Board.

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The village manager said after the meeting that the position Brown left is one that demands someone with knowledge of zoning and building codes as well as the right personality to work in a village that has high expectations for its business community.

“Obviously it’s an important position for the village, and an important time for the village in terms of development,” Recklaus said.

Ungerleider has worked in the private sector and served as the director of community development for the Village of Mundelein. He was referred to Clarendon Hills by GOVTEMPUSA, with whom the village reached an employee leasing agreement for Ungerleider’s service. The interim director will make $58.80 per hour and remain an employee of the temp agency.

Recklaus said Ungerleider might be considered as a possible permanent replacement, but the village wants to cast a wide net.


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