Prospect Heights names longtime assistant Peter Falcone new city administrator

Thanks to recently retired city administrator Joe Wade, Prospect Heights didn’t need to look far for his successor.

Wade’s assistant, Peter Falcone, has been named the new city administrator after serving as a member of the professional team assembled a decade ago.

“The city was going through a transformation,” Falcone said. “I will 100% credit Joe Wade. The mayor called Joe ‘the guru.’ I’m proud to say I served at the feet of the guru.”

Unlike his mentor’s 42 years in municipal government, Falcone said his own 18 have been his professional “second act.” While pursuing a master’s degree in his 30s, he undertook an internship in 2007 in Morton Grove where Wade was village administrator.

Falcone continued to work in Morton Grove, even when Wade left to be assistant village manager and economic development director in Carpentersville for three years.

But after Wade became administrator in Prospect Heights in 2015, Falcone became his assistant that September.

The city council’s vote to appoint Falcone Monday was quick and unanimous after Mayor Patrick Ludvigsen called the question.

“Thank you very much, Mr. Mayor and the city council,” Falcone responded. “I am humbled at the trust you place in me to stand beside you and help lead the city, along with our fantastic department heads. I’ve been here 10 years and these have been the greatest 10 years of my professional career. We have a great team here and I just hope that the successes that we’ve had over the last 10 years we can continue and build upon.”

Stormwater management is a priority for Prospect Heights because of its generally bowl-shaped topography, Falcone said. There are always more potential projects than money, Falcone said, but a relatively fresh emphasis on economic development aims to help as improvements are pursued.