Stephen May, a longtime village employee, has replaced former Westmont Village Manager Ron Searl, who opted for retirement in September after receiving a DUI in a neighboring suburb.
May, who was serving as the “acting village manager” for several months, was promoted to the permanent village manager position by trustees following a private executive session meeting on Nov. 13.
“This opportunity with the Village of Westmont has come together rather quickly,” said May, 54. “It is all very exciting. I am grateful for the interest by the village board and am looking forward to the challenge.”
May graduated from the University of Illinois at Chicago with both bachelor’s and master’s degrees in civil engineering. He was hired by the village of Westmont in 1986 and worked as an engineering technician before he was promoted to the role of assistant village engineer. In 2000, May took the village engineer position with the village of Lemont. May returned to Westmont in 2003 to take on the role of director of public works. In addition, he has been serving as the assistant village manager for the last year.
May said he plans to focus on several issues that have been initiated by the village board in the past 18 months. “Right now, I am focused on moving ahead with our current initiatives: economic development, infrastructure improvements and stormwater management,” May said.
May is immediately faced with finding a way to alleviate ongoing flooding issues in the suburb. The village board is currently seeking out ideas and methods to fund and construct stormwater projects.
May lives in the western suburbs. He is married with three adult sons and one adult daughter. May plans to work with the community until his retirement, he said.
In October, Searl told the Tribune that he apologized to village officials for his actions, and added that he wants to be remembered for the positive things he has done while working in the community.
Searl began his career with the village as an intern in 1982 and was considering retirement before the DUI incident occurred, he said.
A Clarendon Hills police officer stopped Searl after saying he saw him driving westbound on 55th Street in the center turn lane.
The officer noticed an odor of alcohol, Clarendon Hills Police Chief Ted Jenkins said, and administered a field sobriety test, which Searl failed. A Breathalyzer test showed his blood-alcohol content was .112, which is over the legal limit of .08, Jenkins said.
