E. Dundee administrator to retire at end of year

East Dundee Village Administrator Frank Koehler says he will leave his post at the end of the year to "catch his breath" after more than 35 years in local government.

Koehler, 57, who began his tenure in East Dundee in 2007, said personal reasons factored into his decision - primarily the distance between him and his wife of 16 years, Jean, who lives in Bourbonnais, where Koehler was village administrator for 11 years before joining East Dundee.

"For Jean and I it is time after 36 years in local government," Koehler said. "We have done the service and now it's about looking after the two of us."

Koehler said he would pursue work with not-for-profit or volunteer organizations.

Although he has not formally provided a letter of resignation to the village, Koehler said he has met individually with trustees to discuss his plans. No firm date has been set, Koehler said.

"I am just trying to wrap up a few loose ends and create some road maps for the future," Koehler said. "There is still work to be done with the annexation legislation and we're waiting for direction from Walmart, which is something that has been around since 2006."

Board members said Koehler was instrumental in encouraging economic development in the village through the creation of business development districts and tax increment financing district, as well as obtaining grant money for various projects.

"I think Frank Koehler has been more effective and beneficial to this town than any one single employee that I can recall in my 35 years of living here," Trustee Jeff Lynam said. "He and (consultant) Bob Skurla put together BDD and TIFs and they put together dozens of grants that we have been awarded money for through government and private agencies that we never sought in the past."

Koehler began his career municipal government in 1975 in his home state of Pennsylvania.