Sauk Village Trustees Poised To Hire Village Administrator

SAUK VILLAGE, IL — Jerry Hurckes, a long-time political aide to Congressman Dan Lipinski and former trustee for the Village of Oak Lawn, confirmed that he had an interview with for the part-time position of village administrator for Sauk Village.

Hurckes said he spent about an hour meeting with Sauk Village Board members last week interviewing for the village administrator job. According to an agenda on the village website, trustees, who hold a 5-1 majority over Mayor Derrick Burgess, are poised to hire Hurckes at a special board meeting on Tuesday. Hurckes told Patch he didn't know when the vote would take place.

A long-time political consultant, Hurckes spent 12 years serving as an Oak Lawn village trustee. He ran unsuccessfully for mayor of Oak Lawn in 2009. For the past three years, Hurckes has been Lipinski’s political director. Lipinski lost the Democratic primary for Illinois’s 3rd Congressional District to Marie Newman.

The Sauk Village, IL, news blog claims that trustees did not convene a search committee before talking to Hurckes, nor was the job posted through South Suburban Mayors and Managers Association, calling the hire “politically motivated.” Hurckes said he interviewed for the Sauk Village gig the same tine last year with former village administrator, Christopher Williams, who “involuntarily” resigned after nine months on the job.

“They asked if I was interested,” Hurckes said. “I met about an hour with the whole board, clerk and mayor. I don’t know when they will call a vote,”

As an elected trustee, Hurckes served during the Oak Lawn Village Board’s most tumultuous years.

“During my interview I explained the positions I’ve been through,” Hurckes said. “I’ve spent 12 years on the Oak Lawn village board being in the majority and then the minority. I believe [Sauk Village] is looking for someone to provide leadership.”

The news blog also hints of racial tension within Sauk Village, directed at the current mayor and former village administrator, who are both black, as well village employees of color.

“I’ve worked with different nationalities, ethnic groups and cultures. Everyone’s good ideas are welcome,” Hurckes said. “At the end of the day, I stay out of the crud and work hard.”

Hurckes denied that he had sought the village manager position for Oak Lawn, his place of residence. The position has been open since the fall after the former Oak Lawn village manager retired for his supposed involvement in a hit-and-run accident that seriously injured a pedestrian. Oak Lawn village officials have stated that a search for a new village manager, where the police chief is serving dual roles, will not take place until after the 2021 municipal election.

Currently, Hurckes is the part-time executive director for the Village of Summit, which, like Sauk Village, employs the law firm Odelsen Sterk as legal counsel. Hurckes says if offered the position of village administrator for Sauk Village, he would serve in both roles.

He also knows how to make friends with former political enemies.

“The [Sauk Village] board has a lot of healing to do,” Hurckes said.