Clarendon Hills To Get New Manager

CLARENDON HILLS, IL – Clarendon Hills trustees are poised to select a new village manager after the current one retires.

According to a village memo, incoming Village President Eric Tech has nominated Assistant Village Manager Zach Creer to become the village manager starting July 1.

The Village Board is set to vote on Creer's nomination Monday.

Tech, who ran opposed in April's election, is taking office at Monday's meeting. Village President Len Austin did not run again.

Creer would replace Kevin Barr, the manager for the last eight years.

Barr's contract was set to end with Austin's term. But trustees will be asked Monday to extend the agreement through June 30.

Under a proposed contract, Creer would make $170,000 a year. In February, the Village Board increased Barr's salary to $180,137, from $174,890.

Creer has been the assistant village manager since 2020.

The village's political scene has quieted down since a controversy more than a year ago over whether to get the fire department a new ladder truck. After initial resistance, village officials decided to buy one.

In January 2022, Barr was placed on leave for two weeks. The village never gave the public a reason, but it was believed to be in connection with comments he made about the fire chief's age in a public meeting.

At the time, Creer said his boss was on "personal leave" and that he was working from home. But Creer's story crumbled once Patch received information through public records requests.

It wasn't personal leave. Austin ordered Barr to go on leave, a decision the manager protested. Barr's access to the village computer network was cut off, making it difficult for him to work from home.

When Barr returned, the Village Board changed his contract to make it easier to fire him if his comments or jokes got the village in hot water.

Throughout the process, Austin did not return Patch's numerous messages, leaving Creer to take questions.

Austin later publicly praised Barr's service.