With the election over and a mayor seated, talk among members of the Park Ridge City Council is expected to turn to the city’s top administrator.
Mayor Marty Maloney said the City Council will likely begin discussing this month what to do about the city manager position, which has been staffed by Finance Director Joe Gilmore for nearly one year.
“It is probably priority number one of what we need to get figured out,” Maloney said. “Whatever process we want to follow, whatever we want to do, we need to get that squared away out of the gate.”
Gilmore has served as acting city manager since the sudden departure of city manager Shawn Hamilton in May 2016. That role was expected to be an interim one, but after the City Council was told it could not offer a contract to a city manager until after the next mayoral election, a decision was made to keep Gilmore on as acting manager, Maloney said.
With Gilmore taking over the city’s top administrator post, accounting manager Andrea Lamberg was named acting finance director.
Shortly after Hamilton left the city, the City Council had discussed conducting a wide search for city manager candidates, the mayor said.
“Is that still the course we want to follow or are we happy with the job Joe is doing and want to make him the permanent city manager?” Maloney said. “That is the fundamental question.”
If the council decides to conduct a search, “that wouldn’t mean it’s a vote of no confidence for Joe, but the conversation needs to happen,” Maloney said.
According to the Park Ridge Municipal Code, the city manager is “appointed by the affirmative vote of four aldermen upon recommendation of the mayor.”
Currently, the City Council has six aldermen, with a vacancy in the 7th Ward due to Maloney’s recent election as mayor. Under law, that vacancy must be filled by July 1, Maloney said.
Twitter: @Jen_Tribune
