79 seek Joliet city manager job

JOLIET – Seventy-nine people have applied for the Joliet city manager position.

The city council will begin looking at resumes next week as it prepares to replace Jim Hock, who retired in May.

Interim City Manager Marty Shanahan said the council will meet in closed session with its consultant from GovHR USA, probably after the Tuesday council meeting, to begin considering candidates and setting a timetable for interviews.

Shanahan said 79 people have applied for the job.

"I'm not one of them," said Shanahan, who is subbing from his regular duties as the city attorney.

Councilman Michael Turk said he has heard that there may be one candidate from current city hall staff and that the list of 79 includes a dozen candidates from the Joliet area.

GovHR USA, the Northbrook firm hired to do the city manager search, will recommend twelve candidates next week and present those resumes, Turk said.

"We'll get the complete list," he said. "If we want to see any of the resumes from the ones who didn't make the cut from Gov HR, we can look at those and see if we want to interview any of those."

The council also will need to set a timeline for interviews and candidate selection.

"I'm hoping, and maybe this is optimistic, that maybe in mid-September we can get someone new in," Turk said.

The position was advertised with a salary range of $185,000 to $220,000.

Hock’s regular pay in 2016 was nearly $188,000. Stipends and other income brought his gross pay to just under $196,000, according to the city’s Payroll Summary Report.

He had been city manager since November 2013.

The new city manager will come in at a busy time.

In addition to arriving at a time when the city will be putting together a budget for its next fiscal year, Joliet is involved in some major projects. They include the future construction of a toll bridge over the Des Plaines River to connect with Houbolt Road and a new interchange at Interstate 80. The city also is working with East Peoria-based Cullinan Properties and the state to develop a new Interstate 55 interchange and road structure to accommodate a 265-acre development for retail, hotels, offices, residences and entertainment venues.