St. Charles City Council Concurs on Koenen Contract

Call it confirmation night at the St. Charles Municipal Center.

No, it was not a religious rite — but the evening meeting of the City Council did serve to confirm the selection of a new city administrator, as well as the confirm city leaders’ belief that the exiting city administrator has served the city well.

The St. Charles City Council voted unanimously Monday to confirm Mayor Raymond Rogina’s selection of longtime Public Works Director Mark Koenen as the new city administrator. The council also authorized the mayor and city clerk to execute an employment contract with Koenen for the position.

Koenen, who said he originally came to St. Charles in the early 1980s with plans to stay about two years, stayed much longer “because the of the potential I saw.” He has served as the city’s Public Works Department director for the last 23 years.

Koenen gushed his thanks to the council, also introducing his wife, Marcia, to the city’s elected leaders. He reports for his first day as city administrator on Aug. 31, 2013.

But it also was a night during which Mayor Rogina, backed by a standing ovation from the council and many members of the audience, confirmed his admiration for Brian Townsend’s leadership  during his eight years in St. Charles, and particularly during the trying years of the Great Recession. Rogina called Townsend an “adopted son” of St. Charles.

Townsend also thanked the City Council, saying he has enjoyed his years here immensely, adding he has lived longer here than anywhere else in his adult years. “We’ll miss it,” he said, “but it is time for me to move on …”

A farewell reception for Townsend is planned from 2 to 5 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 21, 2013, in the City Council Chambers of the St. Charles Municipal Center

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