Barrington Hills awards top job to acting administrator
Barrington Hills didn't need to look far for its new village hall leader,
Former village clerk Anna Paul, who had been acting director of administration since January, will continue in that post on a permanent basis. The village board agreed to appoint her to the job Monday night.
"I am honored and appreciative that the board unanimously voted to appoint me for the position of director of administration," Paul said. "Final details are still being worked out, but I look forward to continuing to serve the board and the residents of Barrington Hills."
Village President Martin McLaughlin said Paul topped about 35 candidates for the job. She earned the position and a two-year contract with her performance over the past six months, he said.
"We've had some significant rain issues and road issues that really tested her," McLaughlin said Tuesday. "We had a lot of flooding in the village that we had to coordinate with multiple agencies and towns and townships. She did a great job."
Paul, who previously worked as village clerk and Barrington Hills' communications chief, became acting director of administration Jan. 1. She replaced Robert Kosin, who retired after serving as director of administration since 1986.
McLaughlin said Paul knows Barrington Hills' roughly 30 square miles "from head to toe." He said there are more duties for Barrington Hills' director of administration who heads a small village hall staff, compared to similar positions in larger communities.
"There are a lot of nuances to the village," he said. "I mean, Anna really will be running everything from phone lines to computer systems to coordinating with four counties, two townships, two school districts."
Paul has been paid at a rate of $88,000 a year as acting director of administration. Her new salary is being negotiated.
McLaughlin said she has demonstrated over about seven years in Barrington Hills that she has the right temperament to be a leader in village hall.
"She deals with difficult issues in an exemplary fashion that is hard to find no matter what amount of experience a person has in a job," McLaughlin said.