Des Plaines council appoints city manager

The Des Plaines City Council Monday night named a city manager days after Acting City Manager Jason Slowinski announced he will be leaving to take up the job of Lake Zurich village administrator.

With two aldermen absent, the council voted 5-1 to appoint Community and Economic Development Director Michael Bartholomew to the post as of April 21. His yearly salary will be $148,000.

Fifth Ward Alderman Jim Brookman was the only one opposed to the appointment. Brookman said the he was under the impression that Bartholomew would be made interim or acting city manager and that the city would conduct a search for qualified candidates.

“I think we're jumping to make a decision of this magnitude,” Brookman said. “An interim appointment would give the council enough time for evaluation.”

Brookman said aldermen discussed the appointment for only an hour in closed session Monday night before being asked to vote. He said the council had not discussed the terms of the job with Bartholomew nor did it have a contract to approve Monday.

“I think this is backwards,” Brookman said.

Brookman said Slowinski has served the city well as acting city manager for more than two years.

Slowinski joined Des Plaines as assistant city manager in September 2008. Mayor Marty Moylan appointed Slowinski acting city manager in January 2010 after the abrupt departure of City Manager Jason Bajor, who was ousted. Slowinski's last day with Des Plaines is April 20.

Moylan said Monday he felt the city needed a manager at this juncture and since Slowinski did not live in town and would not move to Des Plaines, he was out of the running.

“(City) code requires that the department heads live in town,” Moylan said. “That's my duty and my job to appoint a city manager and that's what I did.”

None of the other aldermen questioned Bartholomew's appointment.

Slowinski's current salary is $131,500. His salary in Lake Zurich is not known. The Lake Zurich Village Board was expected to approve his hiring Monday.

Moylan and several aldermen thanked Slowinski for his leadership through significant employee layoffs and financial troubles. He led the effort to turn the city's operating deficit into a considerable surplus. He also set an example for staff by declining to take a pay raise for two years in a row, and worked with other departments and the city council to not increase the city's portion of the property tax levy in fiscal years 2011 and 2012.

Slowinski also oversaw the construction and opening of Rivers Casino last July, and the signing of a redevelopment agreement in February for a new commercial project near Mannheim and Higgins roads.

With the city manager's post filled, the council now needs to find a replacement for the police chief who retired in December and city attorney, who announced his retirement last week.