Lots of interest for Pingree Grove job

Pingree Grove, it seems, is gaining a reputation nationwide as a nice place to work.

How else would you explain why people are lining up at the rate of one per 50 residents to take the vacant village manager job?

Fifty candidates from 13 states have submitted applications for the job that's been vacant since December. And they're calling from as far away as Texas, Florida, Oregon and New Jersey. This for a town of about 2,500 people.

Village President Wyman "Clint" Carey didn't expect such a crowded field.

"I'm just astounded by the level of interest from around the country," Carey said.

The village hired Lake Bluff-based PAR Group to conduct a national search for candidates. Depending on experience and qualifications, it offers a starting salary of roughly $95,000.

Candidates also hail from Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee and Wisconsin. But 37 of them come from the Land of Lincoln.

The PAR Group and the village's four-member search committee already have begun the selection process.

They will choose about a dozen finalists and then a group of 11 Pingree Grove people -- including trustees and village staffers -- will interview the finalists.

Officials said they hope to pick a successor by late April.

The future village manager will replace James Bassett, the man who for eight years led Pingree Grove through its growth and development. Bassett now works as village administrator in Hawthorn Woods in Lake County.

Bassett and Pingree Grove parted ways over concerns that his four-hour daily commute made it challenging for him to work full time.

To ensure that doesn't become an issue for Bassett's successor, the village may offer the new hire moving expenses in exchange for living nearby.

"I would be flexible with Elgin or surrounding areas, but I would definitely try to push the option of Pingree Grove," Carey said.