Rogina: St. Charles Administrator Search Starts Immediately

St. Charles Mayor Raymond Rogina said Friday afternoon he is confident the city will find someone to replace exiting City Administrator Brian Townsend, although he wants to make sure someone is in place on an interim basis before Townsend leaves for Schaumburg on Aug. 30.

Rogina, who offered nothing but praise for the longtime city administrator, said Townsend actually informed him of his plans to leave on Monday.

“We actually had had an offer on the table (to Townsend) for a week and a half — actually, almost two weeks — when he told me Monday,” Rogina said.

Townsend’s contract with the city had been in limbo since Rogina and a new City Council were sworn in on May 6, when Townsend’s contract expired. His contract has coincided with the term of the mayor.

Open the Books Transparency Portal, which uses the Freedom of Information Act to compile databases on government spending, including public employee pay, lists Townend’s 2012 salary as $200,744.

Since May 6, the council has extended his contract for 30 days at a time in May, June and July as contract negotiations unfolded.

Neither Rogina nor Townsend have publicly discussed that issue or issues were to blame for the continuing negotiations, although the Daily Herald reported earlier this month that the severance clause in Townsend’s contract has been the key issue. Under his contract, the city would have to pay Townsend one year of pay plus most benefits if his contract was terminated, unless the reason pertained to negligence, misconduct or a crime.

Such severance packages for public employees in management positions is not uncommon.

The city will begin the search for a new city administrator immediately, according to the mayor, who said he has set no timeframe, preferring to focus on finding a high-caliber replacement for Townsend.

“I will meet with the council on Monday night in executive session,” Rogina said, who leaves for a vacation on Tuesday. “I will want an interim in place before Aug. 30.”

Asked if it will be difficult to find a replacement for Townsend, Rogina said, “Nobody is irreplaceable

In a release issued earlier in the day, Rogina said the City Council will have an active role in the search for Townsend’s replacement. “We will be deliberate and prudent in our search … St. Charles is a great community; our city will attract a number of fine candidates,” he said in the release.

Related

• Friday, July 19, 2013: Townsend Resigns as St. Charles Administrator

• July 2, 2013: St. Charles Contract Talks With Townsend Enter 3rd Month