After national search, Vernon Hills finds its next village manager in Wauconda
The search for a new village manager in Vernon Hills attracted interest from coast to coast, but the chosen candidate grew up down the street.
Wauconda Village Administrator Kevin Timony will succeed Mark Fleischhauer as village manager starting July 6. His selection from among 76 applicants was announced Tuesday.
The village in January hired GovHR USA, a Northbrook recruiting firm, to help find a replacement for Fleischhauer, who had announced his retirement but agreed to stay until a successor was chosen.
Fleischhauer said the process was very competitive with a number of exceptional candidates.
“Kevin stood out based on his experience, his knowledge of the community and his enthusiasm,” Fleischhauer said.
Department heads were give “unprecedented” input into the selection, which included two sets of interviews for the finalists, according to Fleischhauer.
“It was a very rigorous process. A lot of work went into this and a lot of input from a lot of different people,” he said.
The board Tuesday unanimously approved Timony's appointment and is expected to vote on a contract May 18.
Timony grew up in Libertyville and his freshman class was the first to attend what is now Vernon Hills High School. He spent the remaining years at Libertyville High School, graduating in 2003.
He worked as a management assistant for Grayslake, then special services and economic development manager before being named assistant village manager in 2014.
Timony started as Wauconda village administrator in November 2017.
The communities are similar in population, but Wauconda has half the number of full-time employees. It also has a much smaller commercial base than Vernon Hills, which is a perennial Lake County sales tax leader.
Timony said that as a longtime resident, Vernon Hills has always stood out as one of the area's premier communities. The post offers professional advancement, and that, coupled with his familiarity of the area, made it an attractive opportunity.
But it will be difficult to leave Wauconda after 3½ years, he said.
Timony has a bachelor's degree in communications/marketing from Loyola University and an MBA from North Park University. His wife teaches in Vernon Hills-based Hawthorn Elementary District 73. The couple have three children.
Fleischhauer has had a long run with the village. He was police chief for 17 years before retiring in June 2017.
He was lured back as interim village manager in March 2018 to replace John Kalmar, who was asked to resign for unspecified reasons.
Fleischhauer was hired as full-time village manager in September 2018 at an annual salary of $180,000. Timony's current annual salary in Wauconda is $150,110.
Wauconda will be using GovHR USA to find his replacement, Timony said.