Mettawa hires first 'real' employee in its 50-year history

Throughout its 50-year history, Mettawa has relied on volunteers for most everything involving the business of government in the rural enclave.

But elected officials, who long have shouldered many of the responsibilities that come with running a village, have hired some help.

On Wednesday, Deb Waszak began her tenure as village administrator, the first true employee the village has had as it nears the half-century mark.

Village trustees at the board meeting Tuesday night created the position and then approved a contract with Waszak, a Libertyville resident.

"This is the first time we've had anything close to an employee in the village," Mayor Jess Ray said. "Everything is done on a volunteer basis and no one is compensated."

The village clerk and deputy treasurer are paid a small amount, according to Ray, but those too are volunteer positions.

"This just brings more professionalism into the way the village is managed," Ray said.

Waszak, 41, is not a full-time employee but an independent contractor and as such will not receive village benefits such as health insurance, Ray said.

Waszak, who was chosen from 35 applicants, will be paid $4,000 per month for working "somewhere in the neighborhood of 20 hours a week on average," he added.

Waszak, an Oak Park native, said she has a master's degree in public management and IT management from Carnegie Mellon University. She had served as chief of staff in North Chicago for about four years before leaving in August 2009 to spend more time with her family.

Since tiny Mettawa has no village hall, Waszak will work from home. She was on duty Wednesday with several assignments and tasks, including an ongoing move to a village-provided garbage and recycling service and planning for the upcoming Mettawa resident picnic.

Her duties also will involve being a liaison to residents and businesses, pursuing applicable grants and providing information on various issues.

As a retired marketing executive, Ray said he was fortunate to have had the time to scale what he described as a steep learning curve since he became the village's fifth mayor in April 2009.

Providing continuity in village affairs and reducing the load on elected officials were among the reasons an administrator was hired, he said.

"All decisions this board makes are based on research that's left up to volunteer trustees or mayors to do," Ray said. "What I'm after is improving our decisions at the board level."

With about 415 residents, Mettawa is one of the smallest communities in Lake County. But even small towns have to comply with requirements, such as Freedom of Information Act requests, Waszak noted.

She declined to make any observations about what might be needed in the community.

"I need to really dive into the task at hand and observe before I make any suggestions," she said.