Longtime Mundelein administrator to retire in June
Longtime Mundelein Village Administrator John Lobaito will retire next summer, officials announced Monday.
Lobaito plans to step down in June after nearly 15 years in the post. He revealed the pending move in a letter to elected officials and his staff on Friday, village communications manager Dawn Jenich said.
Officials will use a consultant to lead the search for Lobaito's replacement, Jenich said in a news release. The goal is to hire a new administrator in April, she said.
Lobaito, 59, of McHenry, worked as a building inspector and deputy building commissioner in Mundelein in the 1980s and early 1990s before becoming his hometown's city administrator. Lobaito returned to Mundelein in 2002 as the village's community development director and was promoted to village administrator in 2005.
As administrator, Lobaito served first under Mayor Ken Kessler and then under current boss Steve Lentz.
Lobaito has worked on plans to improve the downtown business district, widen or repair Hawley Street and other thoroughfares, and relieve flooding by expanding the capacity of the village's storm sewer system. He also helped steer Mundelein through the Great Recession that began in 2007.
"Public service has been professionally and personally rewarding for me," Lobaito said in the news release. "At times, the challenges have been great, but the accomplishments, achieved collectively, sustain my positive outlook for Mundelein's future and for that, I will be forever thankful."
Lentz praised Lobaito's "steady and thoughtful leadership."
"He has provided outstanding guidance and management on many complex issues, and his contributions will endure for generations," Lentz said. "Every corner of the village has benefitted from John's vision."