Interviews begin for Algonquin community development director

Roughly three dozen people are vying for the position vacated by former Algonquin Assistant Village Manager Jeff Mihelich, who up until July 1 was in charge of the town's development.

That figure is par for the course, given the sort of duties the job entails, said Assistant Village Manager Jenna Kollings.

According to the advertisement, the new hire should, among other things, possess a strong background in urban planning, economic development, at least five years experience managing a department in a community of a similar size and a "proven track record of delivering results."

Recruitment is ongoing until the village finally fills the vacancy, Kollings said.

Interviews began late June.

In the interim, Katie Parkhurst, formerly a senior planner, has been named acting planning director.

"We've had some recruitments where we've had over 100 applications ... but the community development director position is very specialized and requires certain qualifications and experience," Kollings said.

Rather than taking on a second assistant village manager in charge of development, officials are filling the "community development director" slot, said Village Manager William Ganek.

The village hasn't imposed a deadline to fill the position, which advertises a starting range between $75,000 and $90,000.

Officials are instead taking all the time they need to find the right person, Ganek said.

Hired in 1996 as Algonquin's community development coordinator, Mihelich became 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.

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

Mihelich left Algonquin earlier this month to head the community development department in Surprise, Ariz.