Lake Zurich seeking urban planner with veteran employee’s departure

Lake Zurich will be looking for a new employee at a reduced salary with the departure of a veteran planning manager.

Vijay Gadde started last week as Oswego’s economic development director. Gadde had been with Lake Zurich since 1999.

Mayor Suzanne Branding said Wednesday that officials have agreed to seek candidates to fill the newly created post of urban planner to replace Gadde. She said not retaining the former job of planning manager means the base pay for the new post with a lesser title should be in the upper $50,000 range — well below the roughly $88,000 that Gadde had received.

“We’re sorry to lose Vijay,” Branding said. “He was very good.”

Branding said the urban planner would be responsible for handling Lake Zurich’s building code duties and working with developers. She said Gadde’s departure came at a time when officials were reviewing village positions, so they used the opportunity to create the urban planner job.

Gadde came to Lake Zurich in August 1999 from Round Lake Beach, where he had been deputy director of community development for a little more than two years.

Oswego village board trustees voted 6-0 in favor Gadde’s hiring at a meeting Jan. 22. Gadde will receive a base salary of about $93,000 as economic development director in the far southwest suburb.

Steve Hatcher, president and chief executive officer of the Oswego Chamber of Commerce, praised Gadde at the meeting. Hatcher, who was part of an interview committee, said Gadde was “far and beyond the top pick.”

Oswego Village Administrator Steve Jones said he was impressed by Gadde’s experience in the planning and economic development industry. Mayor Brian LeClercq said Gadde’s PowerPoint presentation about an economic plan for Oswego was thorough and thoughtful.

Gadde replaces Tony Lucenko, who was Oswego’s economic development director from August 2011 to October 2012. Lucenko previously led economic development in Grayslake.