Gurnee picks replacement for Hayner

Gurnee Assistant Village Administrator Patrick Muetz was elevated to the top job Monday night, replacing a man who’s held the post for 23 years.

Muetz will receive the baton from Village Administrator James Hayner, whose retirement is effective Dec. 31. Mayor Kristina Kovarik’s appointment of Muetz to the head municipal post was ratified by a 6-0 village board vote.

Hired in April 2004 as a management analyst and public information officer, Muetz has handled a plethora of duties at village hall. Hayner said Muetz, who received a $140,000 contract Monday evening, was the only candidate as his replacement.

“He’s a bright young man,” Hayner said. “He’s got an excellent work ethic.”

Kovarik also noted Muetz’s reputation as a hard worker and said his rise to the top management spot was part of a succession plan village officials had been discussing. Kovarik reiterated a preference to promote from within at village hall.

“Jim (Hayner) has been mentoring and coaching Patrick,” Kovarik said.

Muetz, 34, has handled union employee negotiations, Freedom of Information Act requests, website updates, budget preparation and franchise agreements such as solid waste and recycling. He’s been promoted twice since joining Gurnee, most recently to assistant village administrator in May.

After his approval, Muetz said he’s learned something new on the job almost every day under Hayner. He said already has a comfort level at village hall, in part because of a strong team of co-workers around him as he heads into the top management slot.

“It’s not to say there won’t be some nerves,” Muetz said.

He launched his municipal career as a city of St. Charles intern from 2001 to 2003. He received a master’s degree in public administration from Northern Illinois University in DeKalb in 2003.

As for the 58-year-old Hayner, the lifelong Gurnee resident has been known for his encyclopedic knowledge of the village.

Hayner started his village career in 1977 and became administrator in 1988. He’s presided over growth of a village that went from an equalized assessed valuation of $164 million in 1988 to $1.34 billion in 2010 and is one of the state’s top tourist draws.