River Forest Village Administrator Brian Murphy has resigned from his role after just a little over a year in the $185,000-a-year-job.
In a news release, River Forest Village President Cathy Adduci stated she announced at the Jan. 9 Village Board meeting that Murphy would leave the job as of Jan. 27 “due to personal and health reasons.”
She also stated in the release that trustees will vote on Jan. 23 to appoint current Assistant to the Village Administrator Matt Walsh to be Interim village administrator.
In a text message to Pioneer Press, Adduci confirmed that Walsh would succeed Murphy, but declined to comment further.
Murphy, who could not be reached for comment, started as village administrator in December 2021. He previously had been administrator for the village of Plainfield for 12 years, and was ousted in the spring of 2021 with the election of a new mayor. After that, he briefly served as interim community development director in Fox Lake, according to biographical information on him.
Walsh, 29, has been River Forest’s Assistant to the Village Administrator since April. A Forest Park native and current Chicago resident, Walsh was previously interim village manager in Homer Glen for about a year and prior to that was the assistant to the village manager in Homer Glen for 18 months, according to his bio.
Among Walsh’s past work is having been elected to be a Park District commissioner in Forest Park in 2013, when he was just 20 years old. He served in that role for more than eight years until resigning in August 2021.
Now — at least on an interim basis — Walsh will assume the top operational job for River Forest.
“I am very excited about the opportunity,” Walsh told Pioneer Press. “I’m disappointed that I didn’t have longer to work with Brian Murphy, and I am surprised and excited to have the opportunity of the interim role.”
Asked if he will put his name forth to be considered for the village administrator job on a permanent basis, Walsh demurred.
“I think for now, I’m just going to take it one day at a time and see what the (Village) Board’s expectations are,” he said. “Having that (interim) experience (in the past), I know what to expect with that role.”
Goldsborough is a freelance reporter.
