Wauconda board delays vote on new administrator
Wauconda residents will have to wait another week to learn the identity of their next village administrator.
The village board was scheduled to approve hiring a candidate for the position during a special meeting Tuesday night, but officials are giving the person more time to sign a contract and notify his current employer, Mayor Frank Bart told the Daily Herald.
The board should vote on the contract next Tuesday, Oct. 15, Bart said. The candidate, who has a similar position elsewhere in the Northwest suburbs, is expected to start work in Wauconda on Nov. 4, Bart said.
Public Works Director Brad Fink has been serving double duty as interim administrator since early August.
Fink’s predecessor, Zaida Torres, left village hall July 30 a few hours after a meeting with Mayor Frank Bart and never returned.
Bart insisted he didn’t fire Torres, but he also said she hadn’t quit. Torres, who also served as the town’s finance director, didn’t respond to interview requests at the time.
As of Tuesday, there still isn’t a separation agreement to end the matter, Bart said.
Torres now works as the finance director for the Central Lake County Joint Action Water Agency, a group that provides Lake Michigan drinking water to a dozen communities.
Wauconda had sought to join the agency but the agency broke off talks a few weeks ago, citing mistrust and other concerns.
The person who’s been offered the job was one of hundreds of applicants, Bart said. A search firm recommended 15 of those applicants to the village board, which brought six in for interviews, Bart said.
Of those six, the board recommended two to Bart. He called both candidates excellent choices but believes the expected nominee’s “mild-mannered demeanor” makes him a better fit for Wauconda.