Huntley appoints new village manager

A student and colleague of former Huntley Village Manager Carl Tomaso was formally appointed this week to fill the manager's position vacated when 56-year-old Tomaso died suddenly in June.

Village board members unanimously approved David Johnson as village manager. Johnson, who was assistant manager before Thursday's appointment, worked alongside Tomaso for more than a decade both in Huntley and in other communities.

"First and foremost, Carl taught me to work hard every day and never take anything for granted," said Johnson of the man who hired him as assistant village manager in Cary 14 years ago. "It has been said that all glory is fleeting. It is not about the glory, it is about working hard for those you are here to serve."

Johnson was hired as an assistant manager in Huntley in 1998. A few years later Johnson left Huntley to serve as village administrator in Channahon but returned to his post in Huntley a year later.

That history and knowledge of the village made Johnson the lone candidate for the village manager role, Trustee Paul Mercer said.

"We didn't look elsewhere. We didn't need to," Mercer said. "We just knew all along that Dave was going to be the choice. But there was a mourning period and we had to wait to move on. It took every bit of this time."

Tomaso, who was credited as the architect of the village's development boom during his 11-year tenure, died on June 25 in his Woodstock home.

The circumstances make the appointment bittersweet for Johnson.

"I am excited to move forward," Johnson said. "But I am also sad about the way in which it happened. From my viewpoint, I will continue the many fine things Carl started here and I will work even harder to make Huntley a better place to live."