From the desk of Acting Village President Nick Steker Election season puts a buzz in the air

There is no doubt that there is a buzz in the air with the upcoming April election. This is by far one of largest pools of candidates that I can ever remember running. This is a good thing. I am glad to see people willing to step-up and try to be the change they are seeking in their community. It is easy to post, gossip, or point to what you see as missteps or mistakes, but until you are in the seat you cannot see it through the same lens. I will be moving back to my elected position as Trustee for my remaining two years and will continue to serve with Trustees Slavic and Morales. The rest of the Board will be new faces in new positions. Good luck to all. I look forward to working with you.

With the recent retirement of our Acting Village Manager Greg Hribal, the Board unanimously selected Dawn WuckiRossbach as the new Acting Village Manager for the next 120 days. By the conclusion of the 120 days, the new Village Board will have been seated and can appoint a permanent person for the position. Dawn comes highly recommended from her previous employers which include, the Village of Maple Park, where she served as Village Administrator. Dawn also served as Business Manager for the Lake County Sheriff’s Office with budgetary control over $72 million dollars in funds. Dawn started her professional career in Carpentersville where she served as Acting Village Manager and Community Development Director. Dawn’s diverse background made her an excellent candidate for the position, and we look forward to her meeting all of you.

With any election cycle comes the ageold question about what does the Village President do? What does the Village Manager do? What does the Board do? Westchester is a Village Manager form of government. The Village Manager’s Office administers municipal government activities on a dayto-day basis and coordinates the operations of ALL the departments. This is NOT done by the Mayor or Village President. The Village President and six Board members adopt policy, but it is the Village Manager that delivers the government services based on the policies. Westchester’s form of government CANNOT be changed by a Board or Village President and can only be changed by the voters through a referendum. The International City/County Management Association (ICMA) provides some common questions and answers regarding this.

How does the Village Manager form of government work?

The elected Board of Trustees represent their community and develop a longrange vision for its future. They establish policies that affect the overall operation of the community and are responsive to residents’ needs and wishes. To ensure that these policies are carried out and that the entire community is equitably served, the governing body appoints a professional manager based on his/her education, experience, skills, and abilities (and not their political allegiances). If the manager is not responsive to the governing body, it has the authority to terminate the manager at any time by a majority vote.

What is the role of the Village President?

In Village Manager form of government communities, typically the Village President is a voting member of the city council who presides at council meetings, represents the city in intergovernmental relationships, appoints members of citizen advisory boards and commissions (with the advice and consent of council), facilitates communication and understanding between elected and appointed officials, and assists the council in setting goals and advocating policy decisions. The Village President does NOT run day to day operations of village staff and is only a PARTTIME position in Westchester. He or she does NOT appoint any department heads. The yearly salary for Westchester Village