3 DuPage towns look to fill top administrative posts

Changes are taking place at the top of the municipal command structure in several DuPage County communities, including Wood Dale, Glen Ellyn and Bloomingdale.

In Wood Dale, the acting city manager is poised to take on the post full-time, after the city council dismissed former manger F. Wallace Douthwaite last month.

In Glen Ellyn, Village Manager Steve Jones announced Thursday he will step down by year's end.

And in Bloomingdale, officials are on the verge of announcing a replacement for recently retired Village Administrator Dan Wennerholm.

The manager or administrator oversees all municipal departments in each of the towns and selecting the right person is one of the most important tasks of any city council or village board.

Top elected officials in all three towns say they're confident they will find the best fit to serve their residents.

Wood Dale

After six years as assistant city manager in Wood Dale, Jeff Mermuys said he is excited to have a closer relationship with residents and council members as the new city manager.

“I think it's a unique opportunity,” he said. “Every day is different. A resident can need our help on one thing, then next day you've got another resident from the other side of town with a completely different issue. The job is definitely not dull and I like to work with them to solve problems.”

Mayor Ken Johnson said officials are negotiating a contract for Mermuys, who is now the acting city manager, to take on the role permanently.

Johnson won't discuss why the city council voted to dismiss former manager Douthwaite during a meeting on Oct. 28 after meeting behind closed doors.

“All I can say is it's a personnel matter and involves possible litigation,” Johnson said.

Earlier this fall, Alderman Roy Wesley said he blamed Douthwaite for enabling Johnson to rack up more than $9,000 in unpaid health insurance premiums, which is provided through the city. Johnson has since paid the debt.

Alderman Nunzio Pulice said he felt Douthwaite was partially at fault, but no officials would confirm if that played a part in his dismissal.

Johnson did say, however, that officials are “very comfortable” with Mermuys taking on his new role.

“We have full confidence he can do a great job for us.”

Glen Ellyn

Glen Ellyn is launching a full-scale search to replace Village Manager Steve Jones.

Jones said he will step down by the end of the year, bringing his tenure with Glen Ellyn to just more than two years.

He could not be reached Friday to comment on his decision or future plans, but said in a statement that serving Glen Ellyn was “an honor.”

Village President Mark Pfefferman said the search for a new village manger will center around three goals officials laid out last summer: economic development; organizational development within village departments; and administrative excellence that promotes efficiency of village services.

“Our new village manager must lead the charge in helping Glen Ellyn reach its full economic potential,” Pfefferman said. “We also need new ways of looking at government that bring predictively positive results.”

Pfefferman would not comment on whether Jones' departure was expected.

Bloomingdale

Bloomingdale was faced with a pool of 38 applicants to replace Village Administrator Dan Wennerholm, who retired early this month after 31 years with the village.

Wennerholm helped shepherd the village through large spurts of residential and commercial growth, including the development of Stratford Square Mall.

Although Village President Bob Iden said in August that officials planned to search internally for Wennerholm's successor, Bloomingdale ultimately conducted a formal search.

The pool was narrowed to 10 candidates, Iden said, then five and, finally, a top choice.

Iden said this week that the village is in negotiations with the final candidate and an announcement is expected within days.