Wheaton officially welcomes Munch as new city manager

Raymond Munch will officially become Wheaton’s next city manager later this month.

City council members on Monday unanimously agreed to hire Munch to succeed Michael Dzugan as Wheaton’s seventh city manager.

Munch, who currently serves as Naperville’s director of finance, will start his new job in Wheaton on July 27.

Meanwhile, Dzugan will retire July 31 after a decade as city manager and 35 years overall in Wheaton government. He had initially announced his retirement in September 2024 but “was generous enough to stick it out one more year” to help find his replacement, Mayor Philip Suess said.

Munch, 46, has served more than two years as Naperville’s finance director, and six years overall in finance and budget capacities. He came to Naperville in June 2020 after acting as DeKalb’s assistant city manager.

“It’s an honor and a privilege to serve a city like Wheaton as its city manager,” Munch said. “The confidence you’ve shown in me to take over for Mr. Dzugan is greatly appreciated.”

Suess touted Munch’s experience in finance, bolstered by a Northern Illinois University master’s degree in public administration, plus the Naperville resident’s law enforcement background.

While attaining an associate degree in criminal justice from the College of DuPage, Munch worked as a community service officer in Plainfield.

After earning a bachelor’s degree in law enforcement and justice administration at Western Illinois University, Munch was a Glen Ellyn police officer for nearly 12 years. He later served the village of Carol Stream as crime-free housing coordinator before getting involved in city management in DeKalb in 2017.

Suess said he recently saw Naperville Mayor Scott Wehrli and City Manager Doug Krieger and thanked them for “allowing” Munch to join Wheaton’s government.

“They were delighted to hear that,” Suess said.

“Obviously, you come from a very well-run entity in Naperville, the third-largest city in Illinois, and once again we’re delighted to have you join us,” Suess said.

Councilman Bradley Clousing thanked Dzugan for his long career and welcomed Munch into the job.

“I can sleep well at night knowing we’re leaving the city in good hands with our next leadership,” Clousing said.

While thanking his family for their support, Munch joked that dinner table conversations about local government are their “favorite part of the day.”

They will continue to be, but from a different perspective.

“Wheaton has a very good thing going,” Munch said.

“It’s one of the reasons I wanted to come here,” he added. “The opportunity was attractive. I look forward to all the great things we have in front of us.”