Elmhurst City Manager Jim Grabowski Wants to Be Part of the Community

On paper, Jim Grabowski's experience seems pretty diverse. As the current village administrator of he oversees a place that has grown by leaps and bounds in the past few years. Before that, as the assistant village administrator in north suburban Wheeling, he helped revitalize some moribund areas of the mature town.

But you only need to spend a few minutes with Grabowski to realize that themes quickly emerge when he talks about his career: working across boundaries, managing change, balancing needs. These themes likely impressed Elmhust officials, who recently hired Grabowski as city manager, replacing the now-retired Tom Borchert.

Suburban Renewal

During Grabowski's tenure in Wheeling, a village of 40,000, he worked on the redevelopment of some large intersections needing major improvements. At the northwest corner of Milwaukee Avenue and Dundee Road, Grabowski and the village worked to turn an old Sportmart into three large, multistory, multiuse buildings. At the southwest corner, a vacant shopping mall is now a grocery store. The work involved creating a tax-increment financing district as well as assembling properties.

“We were looking for a higher and better use,” he said.

The village also facilitated the creation of new condominium buildings in place of single-family homes by refining the zoning process and working with the developer and the county to coordinate improvements to the road.

Mediating between the many agencies and private entities that have an interest in a development is something Grabowski stresses. Municipal staff can be very valuable if they have these contacts in advance of any projects, he said.

Progress on the Prairie

Minooka provided a very different experience, which is why he took the job of village administrator there. In contrast to Wheeling, Minooka was a far southwest suburban small town of 3,500 when Grabowski arrived. It now has 11,000 residents.

“Some people did not want to see the growth, but it was inevitable,” he said. He appreciated how the Village Board decided to have a role in guiding the development.

To promote smart residential development, the village tweaked the zoning code to increase lot sizes and to implement an “anti-monotony” code.

Commercial development followed. After a developer used brick on the exterior of a 7-Eleven, the village decided to insist on architectural standards for future stores. Minooka enjoys a great location at the intersection of Interstates 55 and Interstate 80, making it a magnet for warehouses that pay $1 per square foot in taxes and have no impact on the school system.

“Growth should balance the tax base. Everybody wins,” he said.

Grabowski will bring his belief that taxing bodies should know each other and work together to Elmhurst, and will look for any chance to share services between agencies.

A New Path

The Elmhurst city manager position is not just a job, he said. He plans to become part of the community. To help him accomplish this, along with his $160,000 salary he'll get a $500 per month vehicle allowance and a $150,000 interest-free loan to be used toward purchasing a house in the city.

Once his family is planted in a neighborhood, they'll resume their healthy lifestyle.

“It won't be uncommon for us to walk through the neighborhood,” he said.

In addition to running and biking, Grabowski will continue to be involved with the Lions Club.

While the Elmhurst city manager's position appealed to him because of his skills and experience, the city was attractive for other reasons, including the quality schools. He has a son going into sixth grade and a daughter going into third grade. And while he will miss Minooka's open roads, he also is looking forward to taking his bike on the Prairie Path.