New Lincolnwood manager appointed
by KEVIN GROSS
The Lincolnwood Village Board of Trustees appointed Anne Marie Gaura as its new village manager at its meeting Tuesday, Jan. 15.
"My research of Lincolnwood shows a community that’s full of many volunteers and many dedicated citizens, and I look forward to working with the mayor, the board, the dedicated and professional staff that I’ve had an opportunity to get to know, as well as the community as a whole," Gaura said. "Thank you for all the trust you have put in me, I will definitely earn it."
Gaura most recently served as interim village manager in the Village of Homer Glen and has more than two decades of experience as a village manager for other Illinois communities including Montgomery and DeKalb. During her tenure she oversaw numerous projects, including $15 million in downtown reinvestment projects and implementation of a 10-year water infrastructure plan in DeKalb, and construction of a new police department, village hall, water treatment plant and additional capital projects in Montgomery.
Gaura will start in Lincolnwood on Tuesday, Feb. 19, with her contract extending until May 2021 with opportunity for future renewals.
"After an exhaustive search from a pool of talented and experienced candidates, Anne Marie’s experience as a professional village manager shine brightly," Mayor Barry Bass said. "Anne Marie has a career of many accomplishments with great communities. The depth of professionalism expressed in both performance and strong character traits, in my opinion, is key to a successful working relationship with the Village of Lincolnwood."
The appointment fills a vacancy that has existed since former village manager Tim Wiberg resigned in August, with finance director Robert Merkel since serving as interim manager. The 15-year manager’s resignation followed an emergency meeting in December 2017, where Bass broke a tie vote among trustees to not automatically renew Wiberg’s contract in 2018, which concluded with a base salary of about $194,000.
A copy of Gaura’s employment agreement shows that she will start with a base salary of $175,000, with a stipulation that her salary will be reviewed each year based on annual performance evaluations by the board.
Merkel will resume his role solely as finance director after Feb. 19, according to assistant village manager Charles Meyer, who himself was permanently appointed to his position late in 2018.
