Surprise in store for Algonquin village official

The man responsible for turning Algonquin into a retail rich destination in which the growth paid for itself, is riding off into the Arizona sunset.

Assistant Village Manager Jeff Mihelich has accepted the community development director post with the town of Surprise, Ariz., which "Defines vibrant Southwest living," according to its Web site.

The lure of working in rapidly growing community was what drew Mihelich to Algonquin in the first place, he said.

That same quality now finds him moving to Surprise.

Surprise, a town of roughly 100,000 residents, is expected to double or even triple in population within the next 15 years, Mihelich said.

"That was part of the intrigue for me," he said.

According to a news release, Mihelich will make $120,000 a year. He begins his new job in early July.

While Mihelich said his new post varies mostly in scale from his duties in Algonquin, Surprise faces unique environmental challenges.

Aside from growth and development, Mihelich will focus on water conservation and preservation, erosion control and flash flooding.

"I'm excited and looking forward to it," Mihelich said of the opportunity.

Hired in 1996 as Algonquin's community development coordinator, Mihelich became its community development director in 1998 and was promoted to assistant village manager in 2002.

Mihelich helped attract upscale retailers to Randall Road, revitalize the downtown area, establish a business park and ensure that all new projects meet the town's high standards, said Village Manager William Ganek.

Randall Road turned into Algonquin's economic engine, translating into $7 million in sales tax revenues this fiscal year, a number that set a village record.

"He had his hands on every part of development in the community since he got here," Ganek said. "We're going to certainly miss having Jeff around, he was quite an asset to the village."

The process to find Mihelich's replacement begins "real soon" and involves advertising the vacancy within industry journals, Ganek said.

The village will not hold a nationwide search for the position, Ganek said.