CHRIS FOX PHOTOS
The Villa Park Village Board held a special meeting on Thursday, Dec. 30. The board announced that Villa Park Public Works Director Michael Guerra will serve as the interim village manager until a permanent village manager is hired. Board members voted 4-3 during their Dec. 20 special meeting to terminate the employment contract of Richard Keehner, who had been Villa Park’s village manager since April 2011. One photo (above) from the special meeting shows (left to right) Kathleen Field Orr—Villa Park’s village attorney—and Villa Park Village President Nick Cuzzone. Orr noted during the meeting that it’s been a long custom in the village for the public works director to serve as interim village manager whenever the village manager is absent. Orr said the board was not bound to that custom, and could act to appoint someone else as interim manager, as long as that person had administrative capability. Cuzzone stated that Guerra was probably the most qualified staff member to serve as interim manager. The board voted during last week’s special meeting to retain GovHR to search for a new village manager. Another photo (below) from the meeting shows Guerra addressing board members. Guerra referred to several issues the board and village staff will need to address in coming weeks. Those issues include gaining further community feedback and defining the scope of a proposed recreation center In Villa Park. The village recently learned it would receive a $10 million grant from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources that could be used to pay for the construction of a recreation center. Guerra stated that the proposed center might require additional funding beyond the $10 million grant.
