South Barrington’s longtime administrator is moving on, successor hired

South Barrington Village Administrator Robert Palmer is moving on after a decade in the job — and his successor already has been found.

Palmer’s last day on the village’s staff will be Nov. 1.

“This year was always going to be a transition year for me,” Palmer said in an email. “The mayor and I discussed it back at the start of the fiscal year in April.”

Palmer came to South Barrington in June 2014 after administrative posts in New Lenox, Lockport and Hazel Crest.

Mayor Paula McCombie credited Palmer for helping to shape the village’s comprehensive development plan, updating its emergency management plan and guiding the development of the Sundance subdivision off Palatine Road.

“We will miss Bob, with his great sense of humor and his thoughtful service to our South Barrington residents,” McCombie said.

The village board on Thursday agreed to hire Michael Dropka as Palmer’s successor.

Dropka’s annual base salary will start at $165,000.

Dropka has been West suburban Forest View’s administrator since 2021. He previously was an assistant to Summit’s village administrator and the spokesman for the Illinois Department on Aging, among other political jobs.