Elgin looking at appointing Kozal interim city manager

The Elgin City Council is starting to formulate its plan of action after the resignation of City Manager Sean Stegall.

Mayor David Kaptain said he wants to propose appointing Assistant City Manager Rick Kozal to the position of interim city manager to ensure a smooth transition. The discussion is expected to take place in executive session at next week's council meeting.

The city council then will have to decide whether to select Kozal for the permanent position, or launch a national search for candidates.

Although Stegall's official last day is July 31, he might attend only one more council meeting before he leaves, Kaptain said. Stegall and Kozal would collaborate and share duties until Stegall's departure. "We'll allow them to move back and forth," he said.

Stegall, who resigned last week to take the job of CEO and town manager in Cary, North Carolina, said he wants "to allow the organization to transition in an orderly process."

Kozal didn't return a request for comment about whether he'd want to be city manager, but the mayor said Kozal is interested in the job. "That's got to be the first question before you go into it too deep," Kaptain said. "I asked (Kozal) the question, and he said yes."

Kozal's experience in leading the city's economic development efforts would be valuable as city manager, because Elgin is expected to undergo a surge of development in the near future, Kaptain said. The city has a high overall retail and industrial occupancy rate, and is a Chicago area leader in population growth.

"I don't want to bias anybody else," Kaptain said, "but yeah, (Kozal) has been the economic development guy."

Council members Toby Shaw, Carol Rauschenberger and Rose Martinez also agreed Kozal would be a sound choice, while council members Tish Powell and Rich Dunne were less committal. All - including Kaptain - said they want to discuss the issue with fellow council members before making a decision.

Shaw said he wants to ensure stability and continuity for the city. A national search would take months, which in turn could delay important decisions and possibly prompt some employees to leave due to uncertainty, he said.

"(Kozal) has got the knowledge about how the city functions. He's definitely got a leg up on other folks from that perspective," he said. "He's a real asset to the city at this point."

But Dunne said the city should "take a look at the open market."

Dunne pointed out Kozal, like Stegall, has a master's degree in public administration from Northern Illinois University, as do other city staff members. "Maybe getting someone trained at a different school with a different philosophy might have advantages," he said.

Powell said she's "open to all options," although she praised Kozal's competence.

"It's a very important appointment that certainly shouldn't be taken lightly," Powell said. "Elgin is a very large, growing and complex community with a whole lot to offer. I think we've been moving in a positive direction and I want to make sure that growth continues."

Kaptain said he'd like to ensure as much consensus as possible among the council for the final choice.

"It's important that, whatever we do here, the city manager has the support of the council starting out," he said.

Martinez and Rauschenberger said that if Kozal becomes city manager, they'd like to conduct a national search to fill the assistant city manager's position.