What comes next for Naperville manager?

Imagine what Naperville would be like if it had been under the helm of a Disney illustrator for the past decade instead of Peter Burchard.

Burchard and one of the guys who helped draw characters in "The Lion King" were among the batch of more than 125 applicants who wanted to be Naperville's city manager in 1997.

"We could have been Disney World North," Councilman Doug Krause said jokingly on Wednesday. "I remember we reviewed all the applications ourselves and each came up with our own top five list. Peter was the only candidate on everyone's list. I don't think the illustrator was on anyone's."

After Burchard's surprise resignation announcement Tuesday, the council will have to go through the painstaking process of hiring a new city manager for the first time in 10 years.

Krause, along with Mayor George Pradel and Councilman John Rosanova, are the only council members who have experience hiring the city's administrative leader.

"With the credibility and credentials the city has, I would expect numerous qualified candidates," Councilman James Boyajian said. "I wouldn't be surprised to see a search firm used."

But Krause would be.

"We used a search firm to hire Ron Miller (Burchard's predecessor) and a lot of us didn't have that great of an experience," he said.

And thus it begins.

Burchard's departure opens a floodgate of questions. How will the council go about replacing him? How long will it take? Who will be the acting city manager in the meantime? Why is he leaving?

What is known is that Burchard's last day is Dec. 7. The council has two meetings before that date to determine who will be his interim replacement. Assistant City Manager Bob Marshall is the leading candidate, but the council doesn't have to pick him.

"I would question that if it didn't go that way," Councilman Richard Furstenau said.

The process of picking a new city manager likely will take between four and six months, most councilmen said. With the holiday season approaching, that may slow the process until after the first of the year.

Some councilmen may want a search firm to whittle the candidates down to a reasonable number, while others may want to have a look at every application that comes in.

Don Carlsen, the city's director of the management services business group, likely will spearhead the process and present the council with its options in the coming weeks.

"Right now, as we speak, we're grabbing all the documentation from the last recruitment," he said.

The 52-year-old Burchard said he's resigning to pursue a possible out-of-state health-care post.

His current salary is nearly $174,000 a year. For the past two years he's received an annual $10,000 bonus in his retirement fund and he receives a $450 monthly care allowance, city officials said.

Councilmen were surprised to learn of his resignation in a letter that was distributed to them before the start of Tuesday's council meeting.

Burchard has consistently received positive performance reviews. His contract was annually renewable and he wasn't seeking anything longer-term, several councilmen said.

His current contract expires at the beginning of May, Carlsen said. But Burchard had the option of giving a 30-day notice.

Councilmen said it will be hard, but not impossible, to replace Burchard.

"Somebody that wants this job understands the concept that leaders lead and this is the place to be leading," said Councilman Grant Wehrli. "Nobody wants to be the quarterback in Denver after John Elway, but it's a testament to the mettle of the person we're looking for."

On Burchard

What some of Naperville's movers and shakers had to say about City Manager Peter Burchard's surprise resignation:

"Peter is going to be very hard to replace. His energy, intelligence and diligence have helped lead Naperville through a time of responsible and appropriate growth and he's been a strong supporter of Edward Hospital." -- Pam Davis, Edward Hospital CEO

"I think our relationship has really turned into a partnership. We really work together to do what's in the best interest of the community and that's one of Peter's great strengths, he's a great collaborator and innovator." -- Mike Skarr, Naperville Area Chamber of Commerce executive director

"He'll be a tough act to follow. The thing about Peter is he's somebody who didn't have to leave his fingerprints on everything in the city. He led by making sure things occurred and didn't have to have the credit." -- Hal Wilde, North Central College president

"Peter's been wonderful to work with. He's been very accessible with a wonderful sense of humor. He's very engaging. He's compiled a very excellent staff and he can be very proud of that." --Alan Leis, Naperville Unit District 203 superintendent

"Being the city manager for a sophisticated and complicated town like Naperville for so long was quite a challenge. I would think Naperville would wear you down after a while. You juggle so many different things and that skill of being able to keep those balls moving is very important and impressive to have in any sector, public or private." -- Brook McDonald, Conservation Foundation president

"The true testament to him is he's widely respected both externally and internally. I was hoping he'd run for Senate against Dick Durbin, quite frankly. We were fortunate to have someone of his caliber for as long as we did." -- Ray Kinney, owner of Naperville's Minuteman Press

"I'm so shocked. He was obviously so impressive and brilliant and has done such an excellent job in the city. We always felt very important to the city manager's office. I hope that doesn't change." -- Joanne Mitrenga, Loaves & Fishes Community Pantry executive director

"It's a loss for municipal government if he's going to the private sector. Naperville has really been transformed in the last several years and Peter played a large part in that." -- Hoffman Estates Mayor Bill McLeod, who worked alongside Burchard when Burchard was village manager and McLeod was a village trustee

"I hate to see Peter go, he's been terrific. He's been real accessible and a real part of the community. He keeps his thumb on the pulse of things. He was down in Springfield quite a bit and helped organize the drive to get Route 59 funding and his actions really increased the chance of us seeing some dollars for Route 59." -- Naperville state Rep. Joe Dunn