New administrator says Itasca is a tiny town with a big voice
After a two-week crash course to learn about the movers and shakers in Itasca and DuPage County, Evan Teich will step in Tuesday as Itasca's new village administrator.
And although he's new to the village of about 9,000 people, Teich is no novice. For the past five years he served as village administrator for Sussex, Wis., a village of about 10,000 people 19 miles northwest of Milwaukee. Before that, he also served in an administrative role in Vernon Hills.
In essence, his job is to oversee all village department heads, including the police, public works and community development. He then reports to Village President Jeff Pruyn and the village board, who manage Itasca's $31 million annual operating budget.
Teich will manage day-to-day operations in Itasca, setting policy, addressing personnel issues, developing budgets and promoting economic development.
But to get a better idea of how Teich's touch will really affect Itasca, the Daily Herald asked him more about his new role. This is an edited version of that interview.
Q. As you've been getting situated in Itasca, is there anything that strikes you about the village so far?
A. The major thing I'm noticing is how supportive and active the village board is on a multitude of issues. Whether it's their heavy involvement in the Elgin-O'Hare expansion or local events like National Night Out, where they all came and participated, I see how active they are in bringing community events like the Highland Games to the village. They want Itasca to have these wonderful events that are free or near free and for residents to enjoy the quality of life.
I also see how much they work not only at the county and state level but with the library and fire district and even volunteer organizations like the Lions. Not every community has that.
Q. What do you think will be your biggest challenge here?
A. First, getting to know what the board wants to achieve and in what priority and time frame. Second, getting to know this organization and its capabilities, then trying to match those two. We can say anything, but it's about what we can do and do well.
For example, we took on the Highland Games (coming to Itasca next summer), but I think it will be fantastic for our community and businesses if we do it well. It's like that adage: you don't get a second opportunity to make a first impression. We must give what we promised to not only the festival organizers, but to our citizens.
Q. You just came from Wisconsin and previously worked in Vernon Hills government. How is Itasca different?
A. The village's involvement in county and regional government here is amazing in comparison. This little village of 9,000 people is a big entity involved in the county and state. We have inserted ourselves in that. We told them we are concerned with these issues, we want a place at the table and we, indeed, have a place at the table. That's not common.
As the Elgin-O'Hare expansion gets planned, we've sat down with the Illinois Department of transportation and said "This is what Itasca needs and you have our support if it goes this way." When you can call IDOT, they return your call and know your issue it's like "Whoa, that's kind of nice."
Q. OK, so we know being a village administrator is a strait-laced job. Is there anything about you outside of work that people might be surprised to know?
A. Honestly, I found a profession I love and I'm sort of a geek. A friend once asked what I would do for a living if I didn't work in local government. I stayed up for three nights sweating about the answer. And I came to the same conclusion: This is where I belong.
I love my wife, Eden (Stern), who is art therapist and artist. I'm having some of her pieces put in my new office because I'm obviously a big fan.
I also do love to travel and art. Some of my favorite places are in Italy, mainly because the people are so warm. And travel helps me in this business, too. You learn about people and that they do things differently everywhere but, at the end of the day, it's always about services and about trust."
Q. Any final words?
A. Itasca is a great place. My job, for however long it is, is to make things better than when I found it. And I pledge to do that. God only knows what the state has in store for people, but we'll do the best we can with the situation we're under.