Mayor William Ottilie says he hopes to have the city`s top planning position filled soon, following the resignation of Jill Humphrey as planning director.
Ottilie said he was given no reason for Humphrey`s resignation, effective Friday, but said the position is a difficult one in Geneva. ”There are such diverse interest groups here,” Ottilie said. ”You`ve got no-growth, slow growth, pro business and historic preservation.”
Humphrey`s resignation follows that of City Planner Ramona Flanigan earlier this summer.
The city planner handles most of the technical aspects of development projects. Humphrey had been the liaison between developers, city staff and City Council members in an effort to ensure that project proposals adhered to city guidelines.
Humphrey and Flanigan`s appointments were part of Ottilie`s major reorganization of the Development Department last year in an effort to bring additional commercial development to the city.
Ottilie said that although the city`s top two planning positions now are vacant, he does not believe ongoing or proposed developments will be slowed down.
Bruce Simpson, Development Committee chairman, said Humphrey had done a good job but that she was clearly ”out on the point in dealing with a lot of issues.”
”Geneva has a reputation of maintaining high standards,” Simpson said,
”and I think Humphrey viewed herself as the guardian of the gates” in enforcing those standards.
In an effort to speed up the hiring process, Ottilie said he will use names from a short list of respondents who applied for a related post earlier this year.
