Round Lake hires community and economic development director

Algonquin Senior Planner Katie Parkhurst has been hired by Round Lake to be that village's new director of community and economic development, a role the village has done without for years, officials said.

Mayor Dan MacGillis said he believes Parkhurst has the right skills to succeed in bringing more businesses to Round Lake.

"The deciding factor was she proved herself to be an outside-the-box planner and very creative," MacGillis said.

The village contracted Northbrook-based GovHR USA to conduct a nationwide candidate search to fill the position. Village officials received 42 responses for the position and whittled the list to five candidates.

Village Administrator Steven J. Shields said he was excited to have someone to focus on business recruitment and community development, which had been part of his many responsibilities.

"I've run that department and I'm spread a little too thin and I think she'll be a tremendous asset to this village," Shields said. "She has 17 years of experience. That's a big factor for me. This isn't someone straight out of school."

Parkhurst said she is excited to get started in Round Lake.

"I think Round Lake is really well positioned," she said. "There's a lot of land that is available for development."

MacGillis said the village board feels it is particularly important to spur local business growth because of how small the village's tax base is - he said it's the lowest per capita in Illinois.

"That's a badge I don't want to wear anymore," MacGillis said. "We can't afford to do the status quo anymore, it is not enough for a municipality to survive on property taxes alone."

Parkhurst's first day is March 5.