Sycamore city manager officially named new DeKalb County administrator

SYCAMORE – A longtime familiar face in local government within DeKalb County was appointed to the county administrator role after the full-time position opened up last year with the former official’s retirement.

Sycamore City Manager Brian Gregory is set to become the next DeKalb County administrator starting March 1, according to county documents. Shortly after the vote, DeKalb County Board Chairman John Frieders officially welcomed Gregory on behalf of the board and thanked Gregory for accepting the offer for the position.

“We look forward to working with him for years to come,” Frieders said.

The DeKalb County Board voted, 23-0, during their Wednesday meeting via Zoom to approve Gregory as the recommendation for the county administrator position. County Board member Steve Faivre was absent from the Wednesday meeting.

The vote came after Gregory was named the recommended appointment for the job during the county’s Jan. 13 executive committee meeting.

Gregory said during the virtual meeting that he was looking forward to getting to know everyone in the county and moving forward together.

“I’m excited for this opportunity and looking forward to being on the team and contributing in a positive and meaningful way,” Gregory said.

Sycamore City Council members and city staff have not yet publicly addressed the next steps in filling the city manager position in an interim or permanent basis before March 1 during any open meetings thus far.

Gary Hanson, who retired as the county’s administrator and is serving as interim currently, retired Dec. 31 after 37 years of service with the county, which included him working as the county’s finance director and later the county’s administrator, according to county documents. In November, the County Board unanimously approved keeping Hanson on board on an interim basis between his retirement date and the starting date of his successor with a pay rate of $92.20 per hour.

Hanson had said Gregory is a “very talented individual, a seasoned administrator and passionate about government.” He said the county was looking for someone with a strong financial background and someone who could continue to build relationships on behalf of the county.

“We think that’s really important because all communities grow and prosper ... and Brian will be helpful with that,” Hanson had said.

Hanson previously said the county had between 15 and 20 applicants for the job and the county was very fortunate to have a lot of good candidates within that pool.