Glen Ellyn appoints new village manager

A new village manager will jump aboard Glen Ellyn's staff come June.

Monday night, the village board appointed Steve Jones, city administrator of Oak Forest, to take the position on June 18. More than 50 people nationwide applied for the position.

Curt Barrett, former assistant village manager, has been the acting village manager since former Village Manager Robin Weaver resigned last June. Barrett has been promoted to deputy village manager and will take on the new role when Jones joins the village.

Jones, 51, also has held similar positions in LaGrange Park, Lemont and Indian Head Park. In Glen Ellyn, he'll oversee 110 full-time and 50 part-time employees. He has more than 25 years of experience. His starting salary was set at $140,000.

"I'm just absolutely honored, I can't say that more sincerely, to be appointed as village manager," he said Monday night. "Besides bringing a lot of experience to Glen Ellyn, what you'll get from me is a high level commitment to professionalism."

Jones said he'll bring an energetic aura to the community and is committed to becoming a productive member of Glen Ellyn.

He also said he visited Glen Ellyn often with his wife and always had a desire to become part of the community.

"It's a great town, great opportunity, I'm darn glad to be here and thank you for the confidence you've put in me," Jones said.

Jones earned his bachelor's and master's degrees from Northern Illinois University. He's married, has two children and currently resides in LaGrange Park. He plans to relocate to Glen Ellyn in the near future.

Glen Ellyn Village President Vicky Hase thanked everyone for their help during the search for a new village manager, which began last September.

"I realize it took a long time," she said, "but we tried to do a very thorough job."