Marengo fires city administrator, brings in temporary one as stopgap

Marengo is looking for a new city administrator and hired a temporary fill-in after it parted ways with its former head of staff a few weeks ago.

Kevin Lockhart, who was retired before joining the city temporarily a few months back, will head the city’s staff for the time being. Lockhart had been the city’s interim finance director for a few months before taking on the added responsibilities of city administrator.

Lockhart replaces Will Stefaniuk, who started with the city back in March, but was let go a few weeks ago, Mayor John Koziol said. Koziol said Stefaniuk being let go was a situation where “it just didn’t work out.”

He called Stefaniuk a “bright individual” who will have no problem getting another job. As part of the separation, Stefaniuk will receive three months of severance pay, Koziol said.

“It wasn’t anything major,” he said. “He just didn’t have what we were looking for.”

Still, the “termination,” as Koziol called it, concerned Alderman Matt Keenum, who was the lone vote against Lockhart’s contract Monday evening. He said the hours Lockhart would be able to work wouldn’t be enough to both run the city and prepare staff under him.

“This is a time in Marengo where we need a full-time, senior, experienced person in this role,” he said. “I’m concerned that we don’t have the right people in this spot.”

The city of Marengo is looking to grow in the coming years, with plans developing that will see the city expand its business and residential base.

The city is set to be added to county’s enterprise zone in an effort to encourage more businesses to come, and it is also home to the lone entrance into the county from Interstate 90 after improvements at the Route 23 corridor were completed in late 2019. Village officials hope to bring industry into the south part of town.

Koziol reiterated during the meeting that this was temporary and only until the city could “get our stuff together.”

Marengo has seen its fair share of turnover in recent years, having a few new hires in key positions. They include Assistant City Administrator Nick Radcliffe and Public Works Director Rob Lamz.

Even though he’s only temporary, Lockhart said he plans to work toward the long term goals of the city. With a long list of projects to do, the challenge is always financial, he said.

“It’s working toward the goals for the city and listening to what the mayor and the city council has on the plans,” he said. “The plan is to keep moving forward. We have a strong staff. … I think it’s just a matter of getting everybody ready.”

Before working as the city’s temporary financial director, Lockhart was the executive director at the Northwest Suburban Municipal Joint Action Water Agency for a decade. He was also a finance director in Bartlett and Hoffman Estates.

He’s worked in park and library districts, along with the state, and done consulting work since retiring, Lockhart said.

Since he is retired and receives a pension under the Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund, he is allowed to work up to 1,000 hours in each year without impacting his pension, he said.

Lockhart’s offer calls for him to make $90 an hour, working 900 hours or less per year, city documents state.

Lockhart also imposed a deadline of two years on his role. While he’s ready for retirement, he opted to help because he loves the community, he said.

“That’s just a personal thing,” he said. “I’m retired. I’ve been working with municipalities for over 40 years. I’m at the point [where] I’d like to be full-time retired.”